This article is contributed by Mr. Sugato Roy

The severity with which the COVID pandemic has brutally inflicted the society can be gauged every day in the mainstream media and from the various social media platforms. With the development of rapid digitalization in the media industry, people now have very easy access to all sorts of news whether national or international, and are constantly being bombarded from various news feeds, many of which are based on facts and many of which are not genuine. Whatever be the fact, the general masses have been extremely and severely affected mentally and socially by such news and real-time exaggerated stories that have caused more harm to the already suffocating and gasping environment.

The media as such in an unending rush to augment their TRP and circulation are too much highlighting the pandemic. This has created gloomy vibes everywhere and as a result, positivity has taken a back seat. On top of that pandemic and lockdown has created a sense of despair, hopelessness, desolation, and gloom in the minds of the entire populace. Many people have lost their jobs, self-employed professionals and small entrepreneurs including start-ups have been drastically affected financially. All these mental challenges have affected and crippled the mental well-being of most people in general. One will notice that the top-of-the-mind topic for discussions nowadays in any communication is the pandemic, its side effects, causes, and symptoms. People have forgotten that during this time of the year previously the summer vacation trips to the mountains, the best prices of mangoes, the IPL, wedding receptions, and the earliest date when the monsoon will hit were discussed. Sadly, this infinitesimal virus has crumpled the basic fabric in our society leading to abysmal social depression.

To cap it all, social media, as well as other sections of society, have been constantly flooding the environment with promotional insertions highlighting the various symptoms of COVID 2.0. These symptoms range from sneezing, coughing, stomach upset, conjunctivitis, loss of taste and smell to a feeling of sluggishness. People have forgotten that during this hot and humid season, all these symptoms mentioned are quite common and maybe not at all related to the pandemic. Even for common cold and cough, many people might experience shortness of breath or slight discomfort in breathing. What has unfortunately happened, ordinary people even if they are suffering from such mild symptoms are sunk in a fear psychosis that they have been affected by the pandemic. Undoubtedly, a chilling state of affairs has evolved which has played havoc with the mental well-being of almost all people. Unfortunately, as a result of this, certain unscrupulous medicine traders are having a field day by charging medicines infinity times higher than their MRP.

This reminds one of a story in America where a prisoner facing the death penalty was told that he will be killed by a king cobra bite but was pricked by two ordinary harmless needles. The prisoner died instantly thinking that he has been bitten by a poisonous cobra. Doctors diagnosed the vicious effect of negative energy in the prisoner’s mind that led to his instantaneous death.