There is one person in my uncle’s neighbourhood who recently returned to India from Dubai. After landing in Delhi where he attended few functions, he somehow managed to travel to Mumbai few days prior to the lockdown. One in Mumbai, he appeared symptomatic. He was feverish and was coughing.
My uncle lives in one of the chawls in Mumbai which has multiple houses in a row on one particular floor. Owing to the spreading novel coronavirus he had maintained a good amount of distance from everyone in the neighbourhood. His neighbour however, is one of those people who believe himself to be immune to all such problems – he has been interacting freely with the man who had returned from Dubai.
Yesterday my uncle experienced something unusual. The chawl in which he stays was being locked down and now everyone who lives in this chawl is being asked to stay indoors. They are not even allowed to move out to procure things for their daily survival. You see, this area had been declared as a containment area, and no one was allowed to get in or get outside of the containment area.
Local authorities are now collecting samples for testing from the people who live in this neighbourhood. My uncle was anxious and out of curiosity asked one of the authorities why they have to go through all this. It was then that he was told that his neighbour had tested positive for the virus.
Although the man had had no travel history, officials told my uncle, it was likely he had tested positive because his other neighbours with whom he used to have casual talks was COVID-19 positive.
This man probably got affected during his visit to Delhi prior to returning back to Mumbai. Prior to the lockdown this man was moving around freely, meeting people in the evening to chat about the current situation in meetings also known as nukkad meetings in the chawls.
The lesson I learnt from the above experience is that we should not have a casual attitude towards life in the current situation. If one person gets affected, he can in turn affect many others in the community. I also learnt that although children feel suffocated at home, one should try and engage them in such a way that they don’t go outside to play. If you have a pet then be cautious about taking the pet in the outside world; sanitize your pets every time you are back from the walk. After you are back from the walk do not get in close contact with the family until you have completely sanitized yourself. Please keep in mind that even one mistake can lead to a big disaster.
There is another important lesson I learnt. It’s important to educate people especially the ones who feel they are living in an island of purity and nothing can happen to them. There is an interesting study done by National Training Laboratory in Bethel, Maine in which they state that by teaching others what needs to be done, people retain 90% of the knowledge they share.
Even in the corporate world, many companies are promoting the culture of shared learning because many professionals are facing the challenge of how they can stay relevant in a world which is constantly changing. When one goes an extra mile by educating others one will never forget the actions one needs to take to safeguard oneself in the current situation.
In today’s world, it’s very easy as one can do this by making few phone calls. You should also request people you are educating on social distancing to educate others whom they know so they can also always remember these important lessons which can play a big role in helping our country sail through the current phase in the shortest period of time.
The writer is Subhash Gehlot currently working as Executive Exports India and South Asia with Schindler India. Mr. Gehlot is passionate about Technology and its use in Marketing and Operations. Prior to joining Schindler India, he worked as a freelancer for three years, Mr. Gehlot is also a trained firefighting volunteer, he supports firefighters whenever they are in need additional man power especially during critical times.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal.
