At 9pm last Sunday night, the whole world watched in awe, when a united India stood together as one massive force & gave a message of positivity, unity and strength to a mysterious weapon of mass destruction that is causing immeasurable damage to human lives across the world. The coronavirus pandemic has unfortunately brought our entire planet to a grinding halt.
Having killed thousands of people across the globe (and counting!) and taking a huge toll on multiple economies & global events in the process, it is a crisis that will change the world permanently.Doctors, scientists and researchers across the world are in a race to find a cure for this unknown killer virus, but how much time it will take, no one knows.
As the world grapples to come to terms with this repugnant disease, the psychological effect it can have on people - especially because of the jeopardised economic situation, loneliness due to social distancing and disruption of normal life - can have unfathomable, long-lasting effects on the mental health of the nation.
Fortunately, India today is being led by a man who has risen to the greatest heights with his positive attitude. Our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always turned every adversity into an advantage, every difficult situation into a stepping-stone.
His every action reflects courage, hope and confidence. He unites, he leads, he wins. It is this unwavering faith in him that brought the whole nation together to be led from darkness to hope at 9pm on the 5th of April 2020 - a day that will remain forever etched in the memory of millions. The entire country voluntarily switched off the lights in their homes for 9 minutes, diyas and candles were lit, flashlights of mobile phones dazzled from every window.
People made it amply clear that they are not afraid of this crisis. From the youngest to the oldest, richest to the poorest, people from across every religion participated in the #9baje9minute campaign with unimaginable fervour, warmth & sincerity.
Darkness was taken over by light and despair was replaced with hope. A nation, overwhelmed with emotion, was determined to win this war.
In our culture, lighting a lamp signifies purity, prosperity, happiness, luck and power. The presence of light means the non-existence of darkness & evil forces. Many legendary stories mention light as a symbol of enlightenment.
No one could have ever thought that in a country as vast and diverse as ours, something as simple and economical as lighting a diya/candle would turn out to be the most effective way to not only drive away our worries but also give us the confidence to move forward with greater zeal and find a solution. The whole movement was a win-win situation.
There was absolutely nothing to lose and much to gain. This occasion has not only ended up restoring the self-confidence of every Indian, but it also showed India's never-say-die spirit to the whole world. Not only did our positive gesture get global recognition, people from various countries also joined the initiative.
By leading this campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unified not just the nation, in fact he has successfully unified the whole world!
Even the naysayers, who like to believe that PM Narendra Modi is only about optics, will have to admit that despite being the world's second-most populated country and the fifth-largest economy, with trade connections all over the world, India has avoided the full hit of the deadly pandemic.
Well-timed decisions like travel restrictions followed by an emergency nationwide lockdown have made a remarkable difference.
The impact of the coronavirus outbreak in India has been much smaller and in control as compared to even the most developed countries.To sum it up, the mood today, of all those who are putting up a brave fight against the coronavirus is truly a reflection of our much respected Prime Minister's favourite phrase - "माना के अंधेरा घना है, पर दिया जलाना कहाँ मना है?!"
Priti Gandhi is the National in-charge of BJP Mahila Morcha’s social media.
