Monday Brief

1 The Covid19 cases in Mumbai and state of Maharashtra have been rising rapidly again amd situation is turning into a alarming one. With yesterday registration of 1361 cases in Mumbai region , which is 131 days high since 16^th October 2020. Yesterday the total number of cases in Maharashtra stood at 11,141, with total number of active cases almost touching  the figure of 1 lakh cases. The total number of deaths in Mumbai now stands at  little above 11,000 and in Maharashtra death figure stands at 52, 750.

A 3 member central team that visited the state during last week, has attributed a lack of  fear of disease in people and pandemic fatigue as among the key factors responsible for the spurge in Covid cases since Feb 21. The team also observed that the virus is spreading to unaffected areas, although most cases are asymptomatic. It is also said that those who are opinion makers, like political leaders and doctors may themselves not be following Covis appripriate protocol. The other reasons which are responsible for the increase in cases may be due to recent gram panchayat polls, marriage season, opening of schools hot higher grade students and crowded public transport system. The team also reported that in certain areas senior doctors have not been attending critical Covid patients, leaving the management to junior doctors, affecting critical case like oxygen therapy, ventilator management etc. The team also believed that the health machinery also may have become lax after cases started declining after last September. The team also pointed out that people are thinking this wave of surge in cases is less severe, and they arenot following strict quarantine practices.

The team gave a brief to CM, Chief Secretary and principal secretary of health and advise them to increase the efforts of all the concern in controlling this epidemic.

I can not vouch for rest of Maharashtra, but being Mumbaikar I can definitely say that there is no control of govt  machinery over the citizens of the biggest metropolitan city of the country , here people are flouting basic covid precautions like wearing mask, social distancing, over crowding of public transport system namely buses and local trains. If you come out of your home, you will hardly feel the presence of Covid in day to day life of Mumbaikars, there is normal traffic of pre covid days, people moving freely without masks, jam packed buses and local trains. Naturally all these actions are going to increase the covid cases, and unless the administration wakes up there is bound to increase in  number of covid cases in Mumbai. Rest of Maharashtra may also be going through similar situation except other areas in Maharashtra are not having local trains.

All the above clearly means that the administration of various cities in Maharashtra have failed in their basic duties in cotainning the virus.

2 Two days back, it was golden jubilee celebration of the start of cricketing career if India’s first super star of  the game of cricket, yes I am talking about the greatest opening batsman to grace the Indian cricket, Sunil Gavaskar. When he made his cricketing debut against the mighty West Indies in March 1971 in a 2^nd test match of 5 test series with West Indies, no body knew in the world that this little 5’4” tall Indian batsman will rule the cricket world for next 16 years. In this series he scored 774 runs with three centuries and one double century. Even after 50 years this record of 774 runs in an opening series by any batsman still stands. After this series he establish himself in the Indian team and till he retired in 1987, he must have played all the test matches barring few when he was injured. As an opening batsman he faced the most fierced pace bowling attack ever present at  one time in cricket, From West Indies Micheal Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts Joel Garner; from Australia Dennis Lillee, Geoff Thomson, from England Bob Willis and Ian Botham, from Pakistan Imran Khan & Sarfaraz Nawaz and Richard Hadlee ,from New Zealand. That too in an era when helmets for cricketer were not available, there were no thigh guard, arm guard etc.

In the start  of his career he was not a One Day International (ODI) player, and once in 1979 World Cup he scored 36 not out in 60 overs, but during the fag end of his career he started scoringas fast pace, and he scored his only ODI century during 1987 World Cup against New Zealand, where his strike rate was over 100.

He was the first real super star of Indian cricket, and he was instrumental in forming players’ body, and as a leader he was the man who used to discuss about the increase in players’ fees per day per match with generous allowances even when travelling overseas.

He was the batsman who broke Don Bradman’s record of 29 centuries, and he was also the first batsman in the world to cross the figure of 10,000 test runs. Be it pace or spin he could face the both with an equal ease .All the present day cricketer still learn how to face pace and spin by watching his available videos.

I can go on and on describing about his cricketing feats, in the end I would like to add that he was first Indian batsman who taught others to have self belief, so that they can face any bowling attack on any pitch in the word.

Awaiting your comments and views

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

8^th March 2021.