Thou shall remain practical

A woman gets vaccinated at BYL Nair hospital last month. It is not too late to change your mind and get that vax. It is proven to protect most from the deadly effects of the virus. File pic

"Hope all is well, my Lady? You weren't seen at our usual meeting spot last week …" Sir PM's voice had a hint of trepidation. "Nothing to worry, my dear Pheroze," Lady Flora comforted him, noticing his worried tone. "I had taken some time off to draft what I feel could be an important charter. I was actually hoping you can help take this to the next level, with your clout, because you have friends in high places…" Lady Flora continued. By now, Sir PM was seemingly intrigued and couldn't possibly imagine what important task Lady Flora had for him.

"Please tell me of what help I can be; I will be happy to intervene," thundered Sir PM, feeling extremely important that his friend thought so highly of him. "Well, you see, Pheroze, I have been thinking of framing some kind of a mini guidebook that I was hoping the city could follow in these inexplicable times. Tell me what you think of it, and then you could perhaps share it with your former bosses. It's just a rough draft…but I think it's high time our citizens realised the extent of this pandemic and why we all need to look out for each other in the larger picture," Lady Flora elaborated.

"Of course, it would be my pleasure," Sir PM replied. Lady Flora pulled out a scroll from her cloth bag to read out from it. Clearing her throat but without lowering her mask, she began:
"Thou shall get vaccinated: Please get yourself vaccinated and now with the third dose also available, avail of these facilities. Do not believe in rumours about its side-effects and other harm it might cause you. It's for your own safety, of your loved ones, and the people around you. It's our responsibility as members of the community.

Thou shall wear the mask properly: This seems to be one of the biggest issues in our society. Follow the basic guidelines to wear it properly - your nose and mouth needs to be covered. This is not a chin support or an eye patch, or worse, to be used as a face napkin. Wear a securely fastened medically certified mask. It's NOT a fashion statement, also, please note. It's your first line of defence in this fight against an unforgiving pandemic.

Thou shall not take the pandemic lightly after every wave: This is a concern that keeps reappearing. People let their guard down, when cases drop; life is back to being a party where even basic protocols are not followed. Nobody is stopping you from trying to lead a near-normal life, but some amount of responsibility ought to be part of our daily routines after two years of this wretched virus. The casual behaviour has become a trend now, where each time cases drop, everyone tends to break all rules as if there is no tomorrow.

Thou shall maintain hygiene levels till kingdom come: Sanitation of the city needs to be reviewed from every angle - the lack of clean public toilets; the growing audacity of spitting superchamps, paan-eating professionals and gutkha consuming gurus who are all are part and parcel of a permanent massive visible nuisance. Sadly, none of these seem to have learnt any lessons post the pandemic. It's up to civic authorities to introduce a stronger task force to keep this bandwagon of troublemakers in check.

Thou shall respect frontline workers: This needs to be a core area of viewing ourselves as a humane society, where members of the medical fraternity, our police force, and all other first responders get their due, be it better working conditions, better support financially and from a mental health perspective so they are reminded of their invaluable support throughout this endlessly challenging times."

Sir PM did a slow clap. "This is a wonderful set of points that you've raised for Bombay. I won't tell you how but I have my sources up in the building who will ensure that it reaches the right table," gleamed Sir PM. He wanted to do his best to ensure this initiative didn't get lost now as the corporation was trying its best to avert a complete lockdown. "But tell me, Lady, any reason why only five and not 10 commandments, as was shared by Moses in Biblical times?" Sir PM asked. "Pheroze, if you read the Bible, you will know under what circumstances God gave Moses those commandments. People had gone astray, were sinning and doing all kinds of evil deeds. In our times, we need to be practical; five points should be more than enough. Bombay needs to look at 2022 differently," his friend signed off as both of them headed back to their respective pedestals, hoping that the year would be kinder to residents of the city.

mid-day's Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city's sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com