A spectre is haunting the world
Mortifying and terrorising the human race
Lives have been lost and no relief is in sight
Foreboding the onset of some dark days.
Starting from China, it has spread across
No country has been spared by its wraith
A merciless menace which has targeted man
Irrespective of his caste or faith.
The high priests were expectedly caught napping
Woefully unequipped and blissfully unaware
From knee-jerk reactions to empty rhetoric
Unable to contain the panic and scare.
While scientists and doctors rack their brains
To put an end to this calamity
The ensuing chaos has brought to light
The injustice prevalent in our society.
While some have the privilege of working from home
Others must show up come what may
For though their employers are themselves absent
They will lose their wages for the day.
While some can hoard and stock goods in bulk
Thereby creating artificial scarcities
Others stare at empty shelves
Unable to buy the most basic commodities.
While some can avail the best treatment
Get check ups done in private hospitals
Public healthcare in dire straits
Awaits others with queues interminable.
While some step out if and when necessary
In their private vehicles, alone and secure
Others have no option but public transport
Susceptible to an infection from a fellow commuter.
Thus even in times of a pandemic
There exists a divide between the rich and the poor
One is safe, the other is exposed
To a disease which has no cure.
Our nation is heading toward troubled times
The coronavirus as we prepare to fight
Let us also spare a moment
For the underprivileged and their plight.
For this is a war which we must wage
In the interest of humanity
May the eradication of coronavirus ring
The death-knells of a disease called inequality.
Shukr Usgaokar is a final year law student. A bit naïve, he still believes that words and ideas can change the world.
Featured image credit: Aditya Rathod/Unsplash