“The plants around us not only give oxygen to our lungs but also to our souls”

Anonymous

Continued from Part 1

Our neighbourhood 

Let us look at our green neighbour – the plants around us. These species of organisms scattered on the earth’s surface spend their entire lives confined in one single place. They are, by nature, immobile. They cannot change their geographical location at their whims. They stay still and static in the same place throughout their life. And they keep displaying their vitality and exuberance by growing green leaves, branches, blooming flowers, fruits and seeds. They go on writing the tales of life by spreading their roots underground – out of the reach of human sight.

That’s why in the philosophy of plant life immobility does not always mean an absence of vivacity. Though the aquatic plants float with the current of water and do not settle down or anchor their roots anywhere. They neither entangle themselves to a particular place nor develop any bonding with any point of location. Their positions always keep on changing.           

Human beings and plants         

Human beings perceive vitality as synonymous with variation and dynamism; change is perceived as the mark of life. But variability does not mean change of place or location or movability only. A life confined to a certain location is devoid of change and stagnant is not an acceptable proposition. This is the wisdom that comes from the life of plants of land that are immobile, static.

Each of them is the initiator of such a fundamental and major change in the form of a transformation process called photosynthesis which is directly or indirectly indispensable for the survival of all animal species of this planet. These green, self-fed species embody various kinds of change and transformation to supply provisions for subsistence to other organisms, including human beings. They have been imparting all ingredients of life – from oxygen to food – unconditionally since the very dawn of this creation.

It is a ubiquitous sight that the wanderers pick up and collect flowers, fruits, branches and leaves from the trees on roads or open fields indiscriminately without any hesitation or sense of guilt. Why should they not do that either?! Where would they go to seek permission? Even if they would desire for a nod, the plants are not capable of giving the same.

However lively and self-dependent for producing their own food they might be, the plants do not possess a mind after all. If they do not have a mind, then how can they have memory? Is it at all possible to find out any trace of historical awareness in plants? As per human logic and understanding, it is obviously not possible.

However, though plants do not have the kind of mind humans possess, they can have a mind of their own kind. And why should we assume that the history of human evolution and civilization is not inscribed on the walls of the vegetable mind? Who can say that the narratives of the different parallel episodes of the timelines of human history are not recorded in the annual rings of a tree?

Let’s learn from the plants around us

Truly speaking, our green neighbor sends out the signals of self-reliance of an entity and the height of freedom enjoyed by it. Many realizations derived from the experiences of human life seem unrealistic then. The reality of plant life can show a completely different direction to human philosophy of life. The secret password of feeling vigorous despite being denied any locational movement can be learnt from this set of silent green organisms with whom we have been co-living for so long. Despite being static, one can feel free of bondage – this insight also comes from plant life.

On the other hand, the floating aquatic plants teach us that flowing and moving do not always come out to be rootless. The wealth, greatness and shortcoming of human life are defined according to specific criteria constructed by the human mind only. Thus they are not eternal or fixed once and for all. The motionless state is not necessarily stagnancy; novelty can be sought, and creativity can be cultivated even by remaining still at one singular place. Therefore, stagnancy is not a shortcoming or failure at all as it is often perceived in the human context.

At the same time, we can have a variant outlook towards life if we realize that being in a floating state is not always being rootless or uprooted. Then it would seem feasible to float with the stream of life while carrying our own roots. This insight helps us to overcome the peril of refugee sentiment. Both stability and variability ambivalently attract the human mind, and this probably creates various existential and psychological crises and tensions for us. The plant wisdom can throw some light to get rid of them.           

There is no motivation to prove oneself as benevolent; there is no expectation of getting recognition or honor as a generous soul. These self-reliant, self-contained species spend their entire lifespan by unconditionally giving away their surplus, by providing shelter to others in their own body, by silently tolerating plunder of the goons, by not complaining about their fate of immobility. Perhaps the self-dependence of survival has given such insight, a rich philosophy of life to this species that can enrich the life of the self-proclaimed greatest species of earth. This makes the life and living of plants appealing on various grounds. Each and every nook and corner of human life is filled with the presence of plants – from birth to death – in each moment. The co-living and co-dying with green corpses are mingled with the different layers of human life.

সহমরণ

আকাশে পঞ্চমীর চাঁদ, নিচে আগুনের লেলিহান শিখা

গাছেদের মৃতদেহ পুড়ে পুড়ে সেই শিখা ঊর্ধ্বমুখী হলে

দূরের পাহাড়ে কান্নার ঢেউ

আছড়ে পড়ে কাঁদায়!

গাছেদের নির্বাক বেঁচে থাকা শেষ হলে

একদিন তারা চলে যায় সহমরণের পথ ধরে

মানুষের সঙ্গে চিতায়।  

(As a half moon rises up in the sky, the fire dances below;

The mountains open up the floodgates of their tears,

The trees die when they had lived up silently

burning with the pyre of a man.)

The post Pandemic thoughts (Part 2): Life with the plants around us appeared first on KolkataFusion.

-Guest Blog

Is another lockdown dawning upon us? Or is it just a grapevine? Do we have any role in it? Our first-time guest blogger Suhail Shaikh, puts forth facts and figures together for us.

March 2020, a month of mayhem. A sudden but essential lockdown. Crippling fear residing in our minds, rent-free. Scared faces to use the lift. Crowded marketplaces were now scarcely set. A mandatory 6 feet distance for the virus that spread through touch. Makes me wonder how we took handshakes, hugs, seeing others smile for granted. All of those are hidden behind a mask now. You can’t meet people without being anxious about it. We’re under constant surveillance like we’re fugitives. Countless lives lost. Countless business submerged.

The first 4 months, life was at a standstill. Nothing to do. Just boredom. Then came a ray of hope and Zoom, Google meets, Hangouts became a household name. People started cooking, reading, and communicating. We were able to find a silver lining. Slowly and gradually, things began to look up. The number of cases was on a decline. Beds started becoming empty. COVID centres were being shut. Life was getting back to normal.

It’s 2021

A year later, cases are once again increasing. More than 12 lakh cases have been “registered” in our country. What’s different this time? This second wave has brought stupidity, ignorance and a death wish with it. Masks are not where they’re supposed to be, sometimes they’re not even present.

The government is begging. It’s repeatedly pleading and warning the citizens that if our behaviour is not kept in check, they’ll impose another lockdown. And frankly, we cannot blame them.

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Want to know why another lockdown?

People meet in restaurants. Remove their masks and eat. Now one would argue that it’s necessary for one to remove the mask and eat, but is it necessary for two people staying in completely different localities to risk it in a crowded outlet?

Illiterate behaviour of smokers and Tobacco consumers screams of ignorance.

People remove their masks to sneeze, cough, yawn and then put them back again, thereby completely losing the essence of wearing them.

Community transport

It’s the largest and quickest agent for virus spread. There is no social distancing whatsoever. Moreover, even if it’s crowded some enlightened individuals don’t wear a mask. I am baffled by my failed attempts of correcting them. I’ve talked on calls loudly, calling them stupid. I have personally nudged them to wear a mask properly but they say, “nothing happens”.

Wedding receptions, birthday parties, vacationing, everything is happening with social distancing taking a backseat. We’re in a hurry of creating our future but not securing it.

Moreover, this complacency shown is not just by commoners. The personnel in charge of the public is sometimes themselves seen floundering the norms.

Owing to these factors, we lose our right to blame the government. Neither are we keen on vaccination nor do we follow the norms. In such cases, one shouldn’t have a problem with contracting the virus and should be compliant towards the government’s decision.

We’re angry about shutting the religious places down. Hoteliers and shop owners are furious regarding the night curfew. The passengers are threatened every time public transport is remotely addressed for a shutdown. Every organization/association expects the government to devise stricter norms but none promise following the rules that already exist.

Let me briefly take you through the problems you’ll encounter once you or someone you love contracts the virus.

Remembering the basics of contacting COVID-19

1) Apart from all the physical symptoms and the untouchability, the financial, mental and emotional burden accompanying it is gruesome.

2) You won’t only have to pay for the test or the vaccine which are incredibly cheaper thanks to the robust efforts of our governments, but if your case complicates, you’ll have to pay for the ICU, the bed, the ventilator, the oxygen, the PPE kits, the gloves, the N95 masks which the government has no part to play in. So you pay whatever the hospital charges. You have to skip work meaning there’s no income but a lot of expenditure. A ledger your accountant wouldn’t be pleased to inform you about.

Mentally, you lose your will power and peace. The amount of misinformation spread by the likes of COVIDIOTS, gives one constant anxiety that hovers like the dark, grey clouds of the southwest monsoon. The constant doubt of making it alive, will wear you and your loved ones out. God forbid, if the soul departs from the earthly abode, you won’t be allowed to pay them respect. They’ll be buried or thrown with other corpses because they’re still positive for the virus. And you won’t be given a chance to see your loved ones leaving you regretful.

Is such an end accepted by you?

You also burden the healthcare system.

Our country is not exactly known for a top notch healthcare system. Our doctors, nurses are overworking. They’re locked in those aghast PPE kits, sweating, fatigued, hungry while you sit mask less with your friends in an AC restaurant.

Can our economy bear the brunt of another lockdown?

Some numbers for you.

• Our country has a doctor to population ratio of 1:1445 meaning for every 1445 Indians, there’s ONE doctor. WHO recommends the ratio of 1:1000

• Out of 167 countries, India ranks 155th in terms of bed availability. For every 10000 Indians, we have 5 beds.

• A year ago, for a population of 1.3 bn, we only had 40000 ventilators. Of course, we bought more, but do you think our country has a never ending fiscal supply?

• Currently, India ranks third for the number of diagnosed COVID cases.

• Out of 98 countries, India ranks 86th in terms of responding to the virus. ( Based on a research conducted by The Lowy Institute in 2021.)

Lastly, let me inform you that as a healthcare professional, I know the comfort a vaccine instills in you. But it’s only effective after both the doses. The first dose reduces your chances of hospital admission but you’re still susceptible to the virus. Hence, follow the norms, even if you’re vaccinated. Remember, it’s not just about you, you could transmit it to others.

My dear COVIDIOTS. Act responsibly. If there’s another lockdown, rest assured, know that YOU will be the reason.

About Suhail Shaikh

Suhail Shaikh physiotherapist by profession has inculcated a passion for writing even before he graduated high school. He loves to read and write and do everything that falls under “performing arts”. Sometimes, his writing has no filter. He loves honesty and that reflects in his work. His favorite genre is thriller and he loves humor.

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The post Another Lockdown And COVID-19: Are We Responsible? appeared first on KolkataFusion.