We need to be positive to fight COVID-19 says Mohan Bhagwat
The Stage has come where everybody is kind of ` tired, burned out and people don’t know what to do’. With many doctors (COVID Warriors) breaking down openly on social media, the government too is a little lost. We thought, we had won the battle and were generous enough to share our COVID-19 vaccines with the world but then the second wave came up.
Now, we all need a lot of courage to stand up, face the heat and be positive . It is in this context, that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday kickstarted his online positivity series. The aim is to shift the narrative to `positivity and proactive approach.’
He said both the government and the people misread the situation after the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in complacency leading to the present situation. The country now needs to face the problems with a positive frame of mind and help in whatever capacity they can, he said.
Since, the pandemic has been referred to as the Third World war, he urged people not to give up. Britain did not lose courage during World War II and withstood the adverse conditions to emerge victorious after defeating its enemy, India too should not lose hope, and view the pandemic as a challenge to be overcome.
To underscore the need to fight the challenge with a positive frame of mind, he referred to an inscription on former British premier, Winston Churchill’s seat that read: “Please understand there is no depression in this house and we are not interested in the possibilities of defeat. They do not exist.”
Positivity Unlimited
Bhagwat said, “Some people have died… they should not have died this way, untimely. But those who have passed away are in a way free and they don’t have to face it anymore… but we have to. We have to keep ourselves and our people safe and therefore we don’t need negativism. We are not going to allow ourselves to feel negative,” he said.
The lecture is part of a ‘positivity unlimited’ series that the RSS has initiated with an aim to help people overcome difficulties during the second wave that has ravaged the country. There has been severe criticism of the government in failing to prepare for the second wave and for deficiencies in meeting the demand for health care. Both the RSS and its political arm, the Bharatiya Janata Party are pushing to shift the narrative towards “positivity and proactive approach”.
“If we get tired and give up, then we will be like the rat who gives up in front of a snake. We cannot let this happen. There is as much hope as there is unhappiness. In such a situation many wrongdoings happen, but a lot of people are doing good deeds, they are helping people in whatever capacity they can,” he said.
Amid criticism that the government dropped the ball on Covid-19 management, Bhagwat said now that scientists have cautioned about a third wave, arrangements should be made so that the country is well-prepared.
“At the time of Samudra Manthan( churning of the ocean of milk) many things came up, but efforts were not stopped till the Amrit was found. Samudra Manthan is one of the best known episodes in the Hindu philosophy narrated in the Bhagavata Purana in the Mahabharata and in Vishnu Purana. We have to keep making efforts to win over this challenge,” he said.
Urging people not to feel depressed or disillusioned he said, to hear about the situation being bad every day should not demoralise us. He said the focus should be on helping people find beds in hospital, oxygen and other needs. He also spoke about ensuing that students do not miss out on acquiring knowledge.
“We have to worry about those who depend on daily wages. They do not go hungry. We should look around us and see what the problems are and help those in need,” he said. We have to be also prepared to see how we can face the economic problems that will arise.