Gulf Today Report
Even when all seems to be lost there is still some room left for redemption. Amid the coronavirus crisis a ray of hope shines — and it is dancing its way into the hearts of millions.
For once the doctors in the thick of the action in India decided to put aside the strain of handling patients — risking their lives in the pursuit of care for the victims — and danced to the tune of singer Pharrell Williams’ hit number Happy, to their hearts’ content. The video of the dance has gone viral on social media.
Amid the lockdown 60 doctors —from Surat to Kochi, from Gurgaon to Kanya Kumari — refused to be locked down in worry and panic and started unwinding like never before. They danced in their respective homes and hospitals, according to a report in a section of the Indian media.
The video was titled, The Song Of Hope and was shared on April 25 which marked the completion of one month of lockdown in the country.
The video also sought to emphasise maintaining mental balance during the coronavirus crisis.
India was nearing 30,000 coronavirus infections on Tuesday, second only to China in Asia, a steady rise that would make it difficult to lift a nearly six-week lockdown that ends this weekend, health officials and some government leaders said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has allowed some farm and industrial activity to resume in less-affected rural areas after the shutdown of the economy left millions without work and short of food and shelter.
But with about 1,500 new cases each day on an average over the past week, the government is facing calls not to ease further and instead keep the world's biggest shutdown in force beyond May 3, even though the economic distress is deepening.
"India is still on the ascending limb of the epidemic curve and so to ease the restrictions will mean the cases will multiply uncontrollably," said Dr SK Sarin, who leads a government group tackling the outbreak in the capital, New Delhi, one of the hotspots.