The second day of October is a red-letter day in the Indian calendar. It’s the birthday of Mohandas Gandhi, better known as Mahatma or ‘great soul’. The man who with non-violence and non-cooperation brought British rule in India to its knees. The anniversary of Gandhi’s birth is a national holiday in India; a day of celebration and remembrance. Not this year, though.
India has just clocked the dubious distinction of 100,000 Covid-19 deaths; later this month it could exceed the United States to record the highest number of people infected by the deadly virus. A country not entirely integrated with the international travel grid ought to have fared better.
Narendra Modi’s response was delayed, draconian and unscientific. The first case was detected at the end of January. In February, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi warned of impending peril. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), groomed by Hindu supremacist groups, mocked his caution.
Modi prescribed obscurantist religious practices to drive away evil spirits
As the disease rumbled on, Modi packed 100,000 people like sardines into a cricket stadium to welcome his soulmate US President Donald Trump.
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