Path Beyond Pandemics
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ISSUE 2 • JUNE 2021 Path Beyond Pandemics ARTS & CULTURE DIASPORA BUSINESS Tagore: Global Polymath Connecting Communities When Office comes Home! FROM THE PUBLISHER Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom! JUNE 2021, Volume - 1 • Issue - 2 he unprecedented second wave of COVID-19 caught India EDITORIAL TEAM unawares as it wreaked death, destruction, and despair across Managing Editor the country. There has been an Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr. unending stream of reports and visualsT depicting the scramble for medicines, Consulting Editor vaccines, protective gears, beds, and oxygen Vishal Duggal that snuffed out thousands of lives, leading to heart-rending wails of relatives and Consulting Creative Director lengthening chaotic queues at crematoriums for Priyankar Bhargava last rites. Further, the looming shadow of economic downturn due to continued disruption of business activities caused by lockdown has Editorial Advisors only accentuated the gloom. Rajshree Datta & Shashi K Jha The suffering from the century’s worst pandemic has been colossal and all-pervasive Sales & Marketing but, we a bunch of eternal optimists at Namaste Raju Sarin Bharat magazine, believe in holding on to hope even while reporting the grim truth. Mankind of the virus. Advisor (Content & Ideation) has to emerge wiser rising like a Phoenix from As stated earlier, COVID-19 is also the Alok Srivastava the COVID-19 ashes. We need to learn our consequence of man’s limitless exploitation of pandemic-lessons well to preserve the delicate Nature. But as Winston Churchill aptly puts it, Editor (Arts) ecological balance that is the key to the survival “Never let a good crisis go to waste”, let us Bipin Kumar of human race. brave the onslaught of COVID-19, think afresh, It is in this spirit that we need to follow the emerge more disciplined and contented and Chief, Administration message of the World Environment Day change the way we have conducted ourselves so C K Singh celebrated on every 5th June. The Day again far even though life would no longer be the brings to the fore the harsh truth that we same for many many years to come. IT Team human beings have acted recklessly and ended Given that India’s health infrastructure Dr. Sudhansu Saurabh up committing excesses against environment, a was found to be grossly inadequate to cope with Amit Saharan major reason for the continuing outbreak of the fury of Corona 2.0, it forms the Cover Story of our June 2021 issue. Reinforcing the need for Sarun Maurya COVID-19 that the globe is reeling under since March 2020. upgrading the healthcare system and equip it We need to emphasise that the country will with the ability to withstand any unforeseen PUBLISHER AND CEO ultimately withstand and sail through the pandemic, we have roped in eminent medical Rajesh Kumar whirlpool of doubt and despair unleashed by practitioners and administrators who have the pandemic’s calamitous resurgence. penned down in-depth, comprehensive articles Head Office Invoking the spirit of John Henry deliberating on various issues including the M/s Template Media Newman’s famous hymn Lead, Kindly Light, measures that need to be taken by the 2nd Floor, Yuvraj Sadan, B-537, Namaste Bharat promises to get our readers Government of India to build a robust Vasant Kunj Enclave, New Delhi umpteen stories of optimism and inspiration to healthcare edifice. 110070 enable them to pick up the pieces instead of Namaste Bharat urges the Government of fuelling despair among the Indian diaspora India to increase budgetary allocation on health Website spread across the globe, helplessly watching which would not only ensure availability of www.namastebharatmagazine.com their kith and kin struggle for oxygen, beds, adequate healthcare but also upgrade the vaccines, etc in the country of their origin. Our critical care infrastructure to meet healthcare Published by magazine also attempts to capture and emergencies. Template Media LLP highlight the diaspora’s overwhelming spirit of Happy reading Namaste Bharat! giving back to the country of their origin as Printed at Corona resurgence has made it all the more relevant with Indians abroad deeply concerned Dharam Reprographics, with how things are unfolding in their B-4, Basement, 16 Kundan House, motherland in the wake of the tightening clasp Nehru Place, New Delhi - 110019 RAJESH KUMAR PB Namaste Bharat JUNE 2021 Namaste Bharat JUNE 2021 3 18 COVER STORY Saga of Monumental Mismanagement From Lab to Jab Path Beyond Pandemics 2,89,09,975 infected, 2,71,59,180 recovered, 3,49,186, dead, 23.27 crore vaccinated till June 07 Academics in Action Rallying to help Homeland 06 DIASPORA 10 Connecting Communities LITERATURE The Global Polymath ECONOMY Fighting for Recovery CON TENTS 42 ARTS Super Illusionist 48 INTERVIEW “The mystery of jungles always captivated me” BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE 50 When Office 45 Celebrating the word Reaches Home! across Bharat PERSPECTIVE 54 Opening a Pandora’s Box of Diseases CON TENTS DIASPORA CONNECTING COMMUNITIES The world heritage city of Bath in England now has a latest addition to its glorious landmarks: the first-ever Lord Jagannath Temple to be established in the UK and Europe By Richard Pooley ath, a bustling city of about 90,000 people in Before saying more about this exciting south-west England, attracts over 1.3 million development for the many Hindus who live in and non-British tourists every year. It is renowned around Bath, you need to know some more about the world over for its Baths (hence the city’s what makes Bath special – its intellectual power, B name), constructed by England’s Roman rulers its literary heritage and even its politics! some 1,950 years ago. It is also famous for its The city has two world-class universities—the 18th and early 19th century architecture, University of Bath and Bath Spa University. The especially the Royal Crescent, the Circus and University of Bath was established in 1966 after Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon. This bridge receiving its Royal Charter and has consistently is one of four in the world which has shops all the ranked among the top 150 universities in the way across on both sides. Bath is a UNESCO world. Apart from its innovative engineering World Heritage City, the only city in England courses, the University of Bath is famous for both and one of only four cities on the entire planet to its flagship MBA and its Translation and be awarded this accolade; the others are Interpreting Studies programmes. Simultaneous Edinburgh in Scotland, and Rome and Venice in interpreting has been taught at this university Italy. And now Bath has a new addition: the first- from the start. By comparison, China only started ever Lord Jagannath Temple to be established in teaching courses on Interpreting after establishing the UK and Europe. diplomatic ties with the USA on 1 January 1979, 6 Namaste Bharat JUNE 2021 Namaste Bharat JUNE 2021 7 England Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress of Bath at the temple while India still does not have a single university with a complete focus on Interpreting Studies and The idols are made from a fully-fledged ‘Interpreting Laboratory or Suites’. the auspicious Neem tree I understand that the lack of qualified professional interpreters of Indian origin has often forced those (Azadirachta indica or in India negotiating with the Chinese to over-rely Indian lilac) while paints on the Chinese side’s interpreters. As someone who on the images are made has taught international negotiation skills for many from organic materials. years to business people around the world (and co-written a book on the subject), I find this extraordinary. Perhaps someone from the Indian Education Ministry and the Indian High his own seat to Foster, who had been a local Commission in London, should visit the University councillor for eight years. of Bath to learn about what they are doing in this In the May 2015 General Election, Foster stood field. down and the Liberal Democrats lost the seat to the Bath Spa University, previously Bath College of Conservatives, but then regained it two years later, Higher Education, got its full university status in retaining it in 2019. Before becoming the MP of 2005. It is known for its Grade I-listed buildings of Bath, Don Foster served as a councillor for eight the 14th century, and for its courses on creative years. Foster is now an active member of the House writing, religion, music, and the performing arts. of Lords, as Baron Foster of Bath. Jane Austen (1775 – 1817), author of world- I mention all this because Patten, Foster and famous novels such as Sense and Sensibility (1811), the current MP, Wera Hobhouse, are Pride and Prejudice (1813), and Mansfield Park internationalists, as indeed are many citizens of (1814) which have inspired many blockbuster Bath (the city voted by a large majority for the UK movies, lived in Bath for 6 years. She set many of to remain in the European Union). It was Foster her novels in the city. who encouraged the idea of having a Hindu temple The Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties in Bath, and the Hindu community led by the dominate the politics of Bath. Chris Patten, the last Rajhansh family met him several times to discuss Governor of Hong Kong and currently the the possibility. Foster always attended the annual Chancellor of Oxford University, was the Member Lord Jagannath yatra (Chariot festival) in Bath. of Parliament for Bath for thirteen years from 1979 Current Liberal Democrat councillors, especially but was unseated by Don Foster, a Liberal the former Mayor of Bath, Cllr. Paul Crossley, have Democrat, in 1992. Like Mamata Banerjee in the also been instrumental in making the temple recent West Bengal elections, Patten, as the happen.