Once upon a contagion

Once upon a time there was a Kingdom. Kingdom was afflicted by a contagion caused by some vermin. The vermin attached itself to people and caused them mighty discomfort. When in the nose, they blocked the entry, and made all sense of smell go away. When in the throat, they gripped it tight and caused coughing fits. When in the lungs, they squeezed them bringing about breathless bouts. When in the tummy, they diluted the food and led it to exit in a constant stream of liquid-y stool… Death loomed. The vermin were jumping from person to person very quickly – one had to stay home, away from others to escape the vermin. No one had ever seen that vermin before – they had migrated from a land where they feasted on wild animals. When the vermin grew tired of the taste of wild animals, they jumped to humans. And weren’t they fascinated by human taste! They feasted and feasted, refusing to let go.

The King of Kingdom was a mighty King. When he spoke people listened. His oratorical skills were comparable to the likes of Demosthenes and Cicero. He had a following that could rival the cult of the most famous Godman. When the vermin had got hold of just a few of his subjects, he stood on a hill-top where the whole Kingdom could see him and shouted “STATUE!”

Everything and everyone froze. “Wow!” said the subjects. “How fortunate we are to have such a Kind-hearted King! He places our lives above and beyond everything else.” A couple who had left their 1 year old child with the neighbor aunty for a day to bring their sick mother to their place for froze. The vendor who had bought a cartful of bananas – hopeful that he would sell it and feed his family, froze. Lines of carriages bringing loads of food from the villages to the towns froze. The horses drawing the carriages, the men driving those horses froze. Soldiers, strict soldiers, patrolled the streets, high-browed and uncompromising in their new responsibility. That of ensuring that the subjects did not move, that they adhered to King’s call of STATUE! After all, WHO did not praise King on his timely decision?

The vermin will go away; all in 21 days flat. We will defeat it- the drumbeats reverberated across Kingdom. “Beat the pots and pans,” King said. “Go back to your childhood and play dark room for a few minutes. Let only fire lamps dot your homes. The vermin will go away. We will defeat it”. “Wow”, said the subjects. “How fortunate we are to have such a valiant King! Together, we will defeat the vermin.”

Meanwhile though, the vermin feasted and feasted, just refused to let go!

The subjects feared for their lives. For those who had food in their bellies and in their kitchen store, the fear was of the vermin. For those with empty bellies and empty kitchens, it was both the vermin and hunger. Some poor subjects could take it no longer – they defied the King’s orders and poured into the streets, walking miles and miles to where they thought they could find food. Young, old, men, women, little children, adolescents, sick, healthy came out in thousands and started walking. Some fell dead on the way – hunger and fatigue killing them before the vermin could. King ordered that food be given to the poor until the vermin is defeated. He ordered that carriages ferry the subjects to the place they thought they could get food. “Wow!” said the subjects. “How fortunate we are to have such a generous King! He will provide for his subjects, even when they disobey him.”

The state of STATUE! extended. Of course, with some variations. Slowly, food carts started peddling their food, traders their ware. Some traders could not sustain the drain on their savings and promptly shut shop. Entertainment was a strict no-no, so performers and the assistants of performers started selling bananas or started digging and filling drains. King had promised ample opportunities to dig and fill drains.

Meanwhile the vermin feasted and feasted, just refused to let go!

The soldiers would take away the people on whom the vermin feasted. Such people were called victims. The soldiers would hang huge red seals on their door, warning people off them. Neighbors of victims would spit on them from afar, make slanderous comments. Some neighbors even forced the family of the victim to go away. The victim would hang his or her head in shame.

King and his Ministers had hired a huge number of people to keep vigil. But the number of victims was increasing multi-fold every day. “Keep looking for victims, isolate them and their family,” said King! He again stood on the hill-top where the whole Kingdom could see him and shouted, “………………Gold coins for the poor, tariff relief for the moderately rich and a happening tax-system for the rich!” Well, King wanted to give his Kingdom other topics to think of. The vermin were taking too much mindspace. “Wow!” said the subjects. “How fortunate we are to have such a forward-thinking King! In times like this too, he thinks strategy.”

Meanwhile though, the vermin feasted and feasted, just refused to let go!

Victims increased, and hospitals of the Kingdom fell short. Many of King’s Ministers tried innovative means to increase vigil. Some declared STATUE! on Sunday, some said STATUE! from sunset to sunrise – all in hopes of catching the vermin while it slept at night or rested on Sunday. Some declared full STATUE! for a week or more, hoping to stall the movement of the vermin. But nothing helped much.

Now while increasing the vigil, there was something being done in Kingdom which is very like the mobile testing of today’s world. A few traders were asked to go about checking people for vermin. Some people were feeling a little sick so wanted to get themselves checked, others were pure curiosity seekers. Some people were told that the vermin was on them. They got scared and got their family checked. Many out of the family were told the vermin was on them too, so they got their extended family checked. Many found out later that they were falsely declared victims. After all, whether it is ‘Once upon a time’ or today’s time, whether it’s a seller or vermin checker, targets are a reality. And one must meet and often exceed them. How would business thrive otherwise? And that too in these vermin-demic times!

Victims increased, and hospitals of the Kingdom fell short. So, the Ministers asked hospitals to stop taking in people who were not too sick. A wise decision, although a little late. Soldiers would no longer take away the people on whom the vermin feasted. The soldiers had stopped hanging huge red seals on the victim’s door. Neighbors of victims did not spit on them anymore, they rather offered help to the victim’s family. They wished them well. After all, an ancient wise verse said – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Who knows who the next victim might be?

Meanwhile though, the vermin have been feasting and feasting, just refusing to let go!