The common man and Lockdown

22nd March 2020 was the day that marked the beginning of this period of lockdown. We were all fine with one Sunday where we did not have to step out of our houses. That night our esteemed PM shook all the Indians that lay their eyes on their TVs- from 12 am, there would be a 21-day lockdown. Shocked- we left our houses to hoard supplies for the dreadful days ahead. When those 21 days were to end, we got another 21 days, and then another. It was obvious actually that the whole country’s economy was going to be in peril for the foreseeable future.

Maybe the part about “peril” was an exaggeration of the well off- but this was definitely not the case for the common man. 21 days without work might sound like a vacation to many, but practically what is a poor, middle class man supposed to do when he doesn’t have a way to earn a viable income to support his family. The schools shifted to online classes- so the school would obviously demand their fees, the kids spend most of their free time crying about how bored they are- so they need to be engaged in recreational activities, while there is a need to buy food at higher rates. In this case the common man has no way out of this fiscal hole, unless he puts to use his savings- that will get him out of the ditch but will not be able to save him when he finally escapes from it. What is he supposed to do when he has no liquid cash- when he receives no salary? Not only this, there is a physiological fear of bankruptcy that might become a reality one day if the situation prevails. Meanwhile, the fake news about the virus does not stop from nagging him, he cannot cope with what is happening. There is large scale unemployment- there is no person to hire him. He must make the best of what little he might get from this WFH- he can only hope that it helps him pass through this month. The whole burden of his family’s financial level is on his shoulders- he needs to be brave and optimistic, but they can’t reach his mind when they are being blocked by a sense of despair, hopelessness and he remains pessimistic.