Ritual goes virtual in Shanghai
The Indian community in Shanghai has hailed China’s fighting spirit in tackling the challenges brought about by the novel coronavirus outbreak.
According to the Indian Association in Shanghai, the collective efforts undertaken by the government and the public to fight the epidemic is a demonstration of the nation’s ability to effectively organize and mobilize resources as well as design a holistic response plan in times of crisis.
Many people in the association who have been living in the municipality say that they chose to stay in the country when the epidemic broke because they were confident the authorities would have the situation under control.
In February, when the epidemic reached its peak in China, the association initiated a campaign themed “Solidarity”, calling for the Indian community in the city to show their support to China’s efforts in fighting the spread of the virus.
Many Indian residents, from primary school students to artists to businessmen, sent articles, poems, paintings and videos that paid tribute to the efforts of the Chinese, especially front-line medical workers, who are working hard to control the outbreak.
The Indian Association in Shanghai has always been actively involved in local activities. For the past six years, hundreds of Indians in the city have been donating blood as a way to give back to Chinese society.
“Except for Hubei province, other provinces and major Chinese cities do not have large-scale outbreaks or disease clusters. Many people from overseas may be curious how such an outbreak could be brought under control within just two months. This is all due to the holistic mobilization of the whole society,” says Satyajeet Narode, an Indian resident who works in the research and development sector.
“Residential neighborhoods, shops and shopping malls have stationed workers to measure the temin perature of each visitor. If there are any suspected cases, there are systematic medical and social actions in place to handle the situation,” he adds.
Narode also gave the thumbs up to the management of residential neighborhoods, many of which have put in place lockdown measures that have proved to be effective in curbing the spread of the virus. These measures include prohibiting access to couriers, taxis and people who do not stay the neighborhood.
“When some Western media outlets reported the epidemic in China, they focused on the fatalities and ignored the large percentage of patients who have recovered,” he says.
“A tough situation never lasts longer than tough people. Let’s spread positivity to keep our spirits high and ease the tensions.”
Sukesh Rao from Mangalore, India, says China has demonstrated that it is more than capable of taking timely actions and precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus, referring to the construction of a 1,600-bed hospital in 10 days and the conversion of indoor stadiums into hospitals.
“What’s more, the people are cooperating without complaining. They share a collective purpose which is to help the society recover as quickly as possible. I don’t think we can expect another country to implement such measures and control the epidemic in such a short period of time,” he says.
Rao then praised the efforts taken by factories from different industries to produce essential equipment such as facemasks, gloves and medical suits as well as the sound logistics arrangements that allowed for these supplies to be delivered swiftly to front-line medical workers.
He also says that he has not witnessed any shortage of daily necessities in Shanghai in the past two months.
Other Indian residents, such as Ananya Vasishtha, a 13-year-old from Rajasthan, says that there are positives that could be taken away from the current crisis, such as appreciating the beauty of one’s home and getting to spend more time with loved ones.
“I have developed a stronger bond with my sister as a result of this outbreak. I don’t remember spending so much time at home since the school year began,” says Vasishtha, adding that she also has more time to pursue such personal hobbies as playing the piano.
“Although this epidemic has affected people in one way or another, we must have faith that everything will eventually be fine and also learn from our mistakes,” she says.