EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU MUMBAI WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020 WEST 5 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE People from north eastern States COVID-19: religious places step up precautions amid scare face racism, ‘Chinese’ slur in Pune Press Trust of India stoups installed at the en­ instructions from the Arch­ Panaji trance of churches to avoid bishop’s Palace to adopt any Punekars point to north-easterners as carriers of coronavirus, taunt them in public places From avoiding handshakes them being acting as breed­ such measures, priests are to modifying traditional reli­ ing grounds for any kind of taking these initiatives on Shoumojit Banerjee K. Pritam Singh, who gious practices, churches in virus. their own. Pune hails from Manipur and is Goa are taking various mea­ While holding masses, “Holy water has been The fears surrounding CO­ general secretary of Associa­ sures in view of coronavirus priests are informing people temporarily reduced from VID­19 have fuelled an old tion of Manipuri Diaspora scare while priests at various about various precautions to the entrance of the church prejudice against people said there were cases of stu­ temples have started wear­ be taken to keep novel coro­ to stop any possibility of from the north eastern dents from the north­east­ ing masks. navirus at bay. The sermons spread of virus. Also, the Ho­ States who are living and ern States being branded as Apart from restricting now also include preaching ly communion is not given in working in Pune. The label ‘coronavirus’ in jest. “At flow of holy water at stoups, on food intakes to boost mouth but on hand of Chris­ ‘Chinese’ attached to them times, even so­called ‘edu­ many churches have immunity. tian devotees,” he said. now comes with added xe­ cated’ people take potshots stopped offering commu­ Fr Eremito Rebello of the Priests at several temples, nophobia, insensitivity and at us while there have been nion to followers in their Church of Our Lady of Snow including famous Man­ verbal attacks in public incidents where shopkeep­ mouth as has been the cus­ at Rachol village in South gueshi temple in North Goa, places. ers or other people call us tom. Parish priests have Goa said on Tuesday that have started wearing masks Last week, Hmingtei ‘Chinese’ in public places emptied out holy water though there are no formal while on duty. Chhangte, a working profes­ like trains and bus stations. sional from Mizoram, was While we do not want to ac­ subjected to humiliation in cuse anyone, we just de­ Reliance Mart after a shop­ mand a little sensitivity in Woman, per in the same aisle created these grave times,” he said. a ruckus, saying she could Another professional, mother be a carrier of COVID­19. who works at a multination­ Spectators holding banner inside D.Y. Patil stadium at Navi Mumbai during the Road Safety Narrating the ordeal in a al company, said people quarantined World series T20 match between India Legends and Sri Lanka on Tuesday. * VIVEK BENDRE Facebook post, Ms. from the North East faced Chhangte said the woman dians, he said. area. ities. North, South, East or prejudice at the best of Press Trust of India covered her face each time In another case, a wo­ “It is our humble request West, no part of the globe is times, making them feel alie­ Nashik she passed by her and when man, who did not wish to be to Pune’s citizens to desist secure from its scourge,” Mr. nated from the mainstream A 23­year­old woman and Ms. Chhangte asked her named, said she was startled from passing such racist Souriio said. even though they were In­ her 54­ year­old mother what the matter was, the wo­ to hear cries of ‘Coronavirus comments or taunts, which Mr. Souriio also said they dian citizens. were admitted in an isola­ man began to scream and aa gaya’ (coronavirus has hurt members from the had met the Pune Police “Since we look different, tion ward in the district ci­ shout, gesticulating that Ms. come) when she went to north eastern States. This is Commissioner and the De­ we are anyway subjected to vil hospital in Nashik in Chhangte had been purchase a protective face a virus that is afflicting peo­ puty Collector to apprise such xenophobic and racist Maharashtra on Tuesday ‘infected’. mask in the city’s Sanghvi ple of all races and commun­ them of such incidents. insults. Now, I have sinusitis for suspected exposure to While the staff intervened and I if I sneeze in a flight or novel coronavirus, health to calm the woman down, an air­conditioned room, I officials said. The woman Ms. Chhangte, who has been wonder how my co­passen­ had gone to Dubai on Fe­ living and working in Pune Cabinet may discuss IPL today gers or other people will bruary 27 and returned to city for a decade, left the Alok Deshpande on March 29 and the final on and in case of any decision, react. Will they get angry Nashik on March 3 and was store feeling insecure and Mumbai May 24, during the T20 crick­ the House will be informed that I am not taking precau­ quarantined after she com­ disheartened. With confirmed cases of CO­ et league’s 13th edition. first,” said a senior Health De­ tions as I am ‘Chinese’, or plained of throat pain, cold “We have received at least VID­19 rising, the Maharash­ While the government is partment official. will I even get a chance to ex­ and cough. Her mother 10 reports of racist or xeno­ tra Cabinet is likely to discuss pondering over the possibili­ A senior minister of the plain to them that I hail from was admitted as they were phobic incidents from peo­ the postponement of Indian ty of postponement of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) go­ a north­eastern State?” she together over the past one ple from north eastern Premier League (IPL) match­ IPL, Mumbai is already wit­ vernment, said certain sanc­ said. week, a doctor said. States, because of their fea­ es scheduled to be played in nessing another cricket tour­ tions are inevitable to curb tures. Women, especially, the State. nament, which is attracting the spread of COVID­19. “We are very uncomfortable ven­ While Health Minister Ra­ large turnouts. Legends of have to ensure the safety of turing out of home. They jesh Tope said in Nagpur that the game, including the likes people, and impose some face ‘coronavirus’ taunts “events like IPL can always of Sachin Tendulkar, Brian restrictions to avoid the while going out to buy groc­ be organised later,” the issue Lara, Brett Lee and Jonty spread. The issue might be eries or even taking children is likely to figure in Wednes­ Rhodes have been participat­ discussed in the Cabinet to a park,” said S.K. Souriio, day’s Cabinet meeting. ing in the Road Safety World meeting and we will come to former president of the The State government is Series. The five­nation vete­ a decision,” he said. North East Community of understood to be contem­ rans’ T20 league, being The Mumbai Cricket Asso­ Pune. At times, those creat­ plating writing to the Board played in Mumbai, Navi ciation (MCA) however is ing a ruckus do not even of Control for Cricket in India Mumbai and Pune, is inci­ continuing with preparations have the courtesy to listen to (BCCI), the parent body of dentally an initiative of the for the marquee clash bet­ the explanations and protes­ IPL, regarding the same. State transport department. ween Mumbai Indians and tations of people from the Mumbai is scheduled to host “The issue is important Chennai Super Kings on north east who say they are at least eight matches, in­ and we are monitoring it. March 29. (With inputs from not Chinese citizens, but In­ cluding the season­opener The Assembly is in session Amol Karhadkar) Muted Holi celebrations Press Trust of India Ahmedabad/mumbai Holi celebrations in Gujarat and Maharashtra remained muted under the shadow A SPECIAL PUBLICATION FROM THE HINDU GROUP of the coronavirus with re­ vellers enjoying the festival This coffee-table book opens a window to the practice of Buddhism in of colours enthusiastically but ensuring adequate pre­ Japan, right from its arrival in that country 1,000 years ago to its growth caution by keeping off ‘rain through the worship of deities of Indian origin. Benoy Behl’s images dances’, otherwise a illuminate the pages and present an invaluable account of Japan’s links staple. One of the organisers with Hinduism and with its Buddhist past even deployed hand­held thermal detectors to check if any of the guests was un­ der the weather due to coronavirus. Prominent Holi party sites like the Rajpath Club and Karnavati Club in Ah­ medabad did not organise rain dances. Mumbai and most parts of Maharashtra also had a subdued Holi with appeals to revellers from authori­ ties to participate in the festival of colours after tak­ ing necessary precaution against the contagion. Officials and staff on frontline duty on the streets of the metropolis and other major cities said crowds were thinner than previous years. Most preferred to play with dry colours to avoid water wastage, they said, adding that no untoward incident was reported till late afternoon. At several upscale resi­ dential complexes in Gand­ hinagar, people were seen celebrating the festival of colours wearing masks. “People are indeed wor­ ried about getting infected by the virus. Instead of not celebrating the festival, so­ ciety members decided to enjoy the occasion wearing masks.