Select Reference from Indian Cultural Texts and COVID -19 Pandemic
Literature has a magical charm; it criticizes, defines, illustrates and guides the life in different situations and contexts. It is worthy to turning towards texts, classics and literatures that have understood the people’s reactions and responses in crisis situations over a phase in human history. Literary and cultural narrations have been the specimens of the constructs of people’s understanding, and have equally been adaptive in odd situations. A time when the deadly pandemic COVID -19 has shaken our social structures and economic systems, the human condition has almost been shattered from the spread of the deadly pandemic, and consequently the exigencies are affecting the psyche of the people at large , literature and cultural saga are set to find options to create certain alternate behavioral approaches.
If we look at our social condition, every moment there is a fear of an uncertain future that has challenged the mankind to mitigate the concerns of nature and environment .The routine affairs of life and our institutional processes have suffered greatly in leaving people with job crisis, limited and restricted movements , crisis of migration ,mega exodus of labour force and resultant chaos. Consequently it has created a smokescreen , our emotional visions are just getting blurred , if we choose of finding a space of our own. A sudden outbreak of Corona, somewhere in November 2019 hit the world with its devastating and fearsome attitude resulting in the loss of millions of lives across the globe. In an age of fast growing economy and technological advances where every now and then, new innovations and growing achievements in the domain of life sciences and public health, medical and health systems etc have made human life comfortable and safer, the life of the people has suddenly come to a halt under the sudden attack of COVID- 19. Its uncontrollable, gigantic power has engulfed almost the entire humanity.
A natural shift towards the understanding of sanitization , health measures , nutrition , sanitation , immunity , necessity towards the experimentation and inventions of tools and devices towards catering to the devastating nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has become the obvious part of the discourses in every day affairs adding to a lot of dimensions and insights to understand the anthropological, sociological, political, cultural and economic upheavals . Literature, by virtue of its power to heal and elevate the heart and mind of the people during such a crisis situation , is coming up as one of the major inspirational strengths . Right from the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, doctors started recommending a few caution and safety measures that shall cater to the maintenance of health and bodily needs to fight against such a giant size virus attack. There is an alert consciousness among people for washing hands frequently , sanitizing body and the environment , avoiding contact zones , crowdie places , setting preferences for healthy food , growing reliance on herbal products, more recognition to the medicinal plants , trust and faith in Indian and alterative systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Siddha,Yunani and Yoga , Naturopathy and Homeopathy , and also a number of references as healers. If we evaluate the knowledge traditions in folklore streams and cultural texts of India, we find several instances that can facilitate our acquaintances towards a better learning and understanding of sustainable development, where man, nature and environment have to be certainly, in some balanced equations.
A number of reasons related to public hygiene, disposal of garbage in municipal corporations, needed consciousness on the arrangements of frequent trash , cleanliness of public toilets and washrooms , personal hygiene ,systematized sewage , rain water drainage systems, water purifiers , air purifiers , cleaning of trash centres etc have gained immediate realization during the current pandemic situation. Civic bodies and administration, across the globe , is exhorting the citizen for developing better attitude towards educating people as to the requirements of healthy surrounding and environment towards safety measures during the phase of COVID -19. It is seen that the added consciousness towards the minuteness in people’s behavior at public places such as avoiding the touching of nose ,eyes and face ,use of masks , preference for the Indian style of greeting-‘Namaste’ instead of handshake, and significant ‘Surya Namaskar’ as Yoga tradition, towards a justified maintenance of social distancing , and working on people’s own and independent way , have found setting up of an appropriate and normal behavior. It is equally promoting the patterns of logical needs to keep oneself safe from the infection of deadly Corona pandemic. Self isolation, technically called, being quarantined for at least a suggested period of incubation with a follow up of the intake of immunity booster, healthy eating habits and a reliance and faith towards healing powers contained in the natural herbal products have become the widely spread advises of discourses and texts that have often helped people to sustain in the contagious environment of COVID-19.
The Indian style of greeting ‘Namaste’ goes quite in consonance with the recommendation of maintaining social distance that wins the ground of healthy hygiene. Similarly, Sun , the powerhouse of energy, and the god of immense sources of energy towards the mass growth of the life on earth , well deserves ‘Surya Namaskar’, although technically a step or the first gestural exercise in Yoga culture, emanating again from one of the oldest Indian knowledge traditions, the reference of which may be found in Patanjali’s Yogsutra . Our food artifacts such as ‘Indian Kadhi’, spices, yoghurts , a regional food and drinks , medicinal beverages like Kadha(decoction), and Kahva popular in some parts of country with their ingrained nutritional values of healing , nourishing and elevating the spirit and psyche, reflects upon some pretty good patterns of healthy living and hygiene that lay the foundation of Indian culture , which people across the globe have preferred to accept and welcome with safety measures towards hopes and survival during COVID-19 ,and uncontrollable outbreak and spread of diseases as part of it. There is a growing concurrence that avoiding handshakes and taking folded hands Namaste as an option to it , can prohibit the transference of germs, skin diseases and sweat.
We have seen the disappearance of many species of insects and animals as an alarming situation and a serious concern for the environment. Environmentalist Elizabeth Kolbert states that , “In the history of life, people have worked out what the normal extinction rate of species was .It was generally quite low .The defining characteristic of our time is extinction rate across pretty much all groups of organizations are way higher than normal-perhaps up to a thousand times higher .(p10)
Disappearance of some species of animals and that of flora and fauna on earth and in the water bodies also add to the causes for ecological imbalances. Over and exaggerated exploitation of the environment and natural resources is causing the risk to the existence of mankind itself. It is appropriate to cite Charlene Spretnak who states that, “our situation as a species is the following : the life support systems of this almost impossibly beautiful planet are being violated and degraded causing often irreparable damage ,yet only a small proportion of humans has focused on this crisis.”(p3)
Going back to the history of civilization , we find Mesopotamian civilization as one of those oldest civilizations where references to outstanding designs and plans towards sewage and drainage system known to mankind, hint at the values , believes and behavioral patterns of living life in a healthy environment is inspiring to look at . A considerable amount of pride in almost every culture stem from the artistic and cultural expressions like music , literature , fine arts ,and even spirituality that have been savior to the causes of physical and mental illness all across the globe, and “culture is understood as being constituted through signifying practices that generate and organize signs into discourses and representations.”(p22). It is, therefore, an infinite corpus of shared values, beliefs , assumptions , behaviours and norms that is an ever growing phenomenon that influences a society or a nation to develop, experiment , innovate , introduce , reward and reinforce individual or group’s interests to take up projects , plans and activities that, potentially ,can contribute to its growth in particular and as a distinguished model for others who may follow up similar or new ventures towards the growth of the existence of mankind. It is, therefore, important to understand the expected behavioral approaches and researches to counter and act towards a problem or a crisis, and for the purpose of discussion, here, problems and issues emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic to bring criticism and sustenance to life .
The humour and mirth , the happiness and the hopes towards the survival in any pandemic has been seen to be guided by a lot of stories, classics, epics, stories and literature that have helped people to overcome stress , anxiety , negativity and depression -the causes behind many a disease which people find difficult to bear with . A number of literatures across the globe , and Indian great epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata have much to offer the stories of patience , courage , creativity , human resilience that have altered the experiences of the people during epidemics and pandemics .They have a lot of narratives that speak volumes on the need to make a balancing equation between man and environment , or man and the nature around for not being victimized from the attacks of unknown mysterious reasons behind sudden emergence of pandemic like situations such as COVID-19. An episode from the Ramayana speaks of the treatment , healing and recovery to normal health of Lakshman , the younger brother of Lord Rama when he was attacked by the poison carrying arrow - ‘Nagphans’ , and it almost took away his life . He falls completely unconscious in a combat episode with Meghnaad, the son of Ravana .There are references to its cure and treatment to cut the poison, and purify the body through a specific medicinal plant that could therapeutically treat the body of Lakshman through its ingrained medicinal values and anti-venom applications, referred as ‘Sanjivini’ in the epic, as suggested by Vaidya Sushen , the doctor treating Lakshman .
Hanuman brings the plant to everybody’s surprise and happiness, and interestingly, in this episode ,out of thrill and excitement, Sugreeva rushes to procure the said, and suggested leaves . Here, it is also interesting to find the warning that comes from Vaidya Sushen, who stops him to be careful and conscious before touching the leaves of Sanjivini, the medicinal plant. Vaidya Sushen explains that such rare treasures in Nature cannot be procured, received ,experimented or exploited out of one’s ordinary will and need or at one’s leisure , futher the doctor says that such a treasure will be effective only when the reception and taking away of them from their source shall come with the permission of nature . Though symbolic, the narration and account that it constitutes in Indian culture and ancient history , speaks to make a fine balance between man and nature. Nature seems to reciprocate to whatever we transact from it.
A similar reference appears in the visual portrayal of the Ramayana directed and produced by Rama Nand Sagar .There in an episode where Lord Rama and Lakshman ,in their association with Sugreeva , the King of Kishkindhya, decide to send their soldiers led by mighty Hanuman , Jamvant and Angad to search the location of Sitaji. They come across an unexploited and mysterious place with an immense beauty of nature with fresh water and unnoticed flora .There was lot of delicious food and potable water along with rare precious treasures where they got fascinated to stop , out of their hunger and extreme tiredness . Naturally they were in need of energy , food and hope towards their survival to take on the journey in their spirit to set things right .No sooner did they try to procure and consume the fruits and fresh water there to renew their energy ,and meet their hunger and thirst, there appears a lady ascetic with her extreme prowess and surprising presence to stop them from consuming the fruits and all other natural product .She forbids the troop to have the fresh water, fruits and other things to satiate their hunger unless permitted and allowed for it. She is endowed with the duty from the creator of the mother earth to take care of that particular part of the land with its rich precious treasure , unknown and hidden to the world outside . In the course of conversation, the troop comes to understand the lady ascetic to be a messenger of Bramha , the creator.
Later she recognizes each one of them, and not only helps them to meet their requirements of food and thirst but also shows them the right direction towards realizing their aim . This incidence, again, indicates the rich store of resources in nature and its pleasures unseen and unknown to the world of mortals. This is a symbolic interpretation to respect nature.
This is how the equation exists in reciprocation between man and the environment not only towards the healthy growing of an individual, group or system but also reflects upon the needs to understand the balance of the equation between man and nature .Anything and everything to be experimented for fulfilling one’s desire and ambition in the race of defining development , need to be certainly checked if is done at the cost of the loss of nature and the environment . There is an intimate relationship that perhaps exists between man , ‘nature’ and environment towards a healthy growing society else the consequences can be in a form of reversal of the responses or the attack that suddenly emerge in the society of men as is the COVID -19 pandemic.
The age old life narrating stories from the Indian mega epic and classic the Mahabharata speak of the discourses on man’s equation with nature and environment. Going by the visual text and portrayal of an episode in B R Chopra’s the Mahabharata based on the mega saga of mythology and history many narrations can come as guiding force in the contemporary phase of pandemic. Plurality in several discourses as part of Indian culture and tradition, is reflected in the deliberations of Krishna, the all encompassing Hindu avatar of the Almighty and a figure with which every psyche in India finds association and relevance. Krishna’s discourses on the equation of man and nature, specifically in the episode when Pandavas, led by Yudhisthir as Yuvraj, were asked to leave for Khandavprastha , an alien and barren land with no human being and civilization established around. Krishna asks Arjuna to make an invocation to Indra, the god of rain to let the Khandavprasth land receive the rain showers to make the land fertile. Arjuna follows it , and accordingly it results in the growth of beautiful flora and fauna, nourishing the people on land , and their growth. The subsequent richness of man, nature and environment, and the prosperity over there attracted Duryodhana , the Yuvraj of Hastinapur, and other Kauravas, with their greed, for the rich land of Khndavprastha , and this eventually led to the great war of Mahabharata. The rain, the sun, the land and the natural resources are the godly charisma towards leading the human being grow with intelligence and competence enough to keep the human race hale and hearty. Too much of exaggerated experimentation and invention at the cost of nature’s treasures and resources may mislead the growth of mankind and even reciprocate in different manifestations of prosperity as well as crisis situation, and for the purpose the situations like COVID-19 towards the expected behaviors and researches for balancing the equations between the act of human , ‘nature’ and environment.
Indian medicinal system of Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Yunani and Siddha speak volumes of expected researches and entrepreneurial activities that shall lead and counter to fight against a pandemic like COVID-19. Starting one’s day everywhere in the world today, with lukewarm water, Kadha and other medicinally prescribed drinks with ingrained values of herbal products, and many other beverages have proved precautionary in the fight against deadly Corona diseases. Indian traditional knowledge tradition and traditional value system given in the cultural texts offer an alternate understanding of the human condition and the cause for its being devastated during a pandemic like COVID-19 .Here, under the current situations, human being has realized the limitations to play and experiment at the cost of human resources. Much is there in the store of nature, environment , cultural discourses ,evolutionary phases of man on earth , anthropological analysis of human being’s attitude and inclination towards society and civilization, where and when we are required to look back in terms of different cultures of the world with special reference to of Indian culture and tradition. Human being can easily trace various thought provoking and inspirational episode and instances towards estimating , evaluating and understanding the propensity of human growth and its equation with nature around, and the environment before and now .It is a high time to make a working analysis of the concerns on climate change for the healthy growth of mankind.
Works cited and consulted
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Dr Ravidra Pratap Singh, Professor of English, University of Lucknow -226007 rpsingh.lu@gmail.com