Civil rights group plans online homage to Corona spate every Friday starting May 7

Counterview Desk
A civil rights organisation, Rashtra Seva Dal (RSD), which claims to work to promote democracy, secularism, Constitutional values, equality and scientific thinking, has decided to offer collective homage for victims of the corona spate, which it says is both “biological and ideological.”
Titled "Friday Flame: For a Fear Free India", and proposed as anon-line homage and tribute, the on-line shraddhanjali, says an email alert to Counterview by well-known linguist Ganesh Devy, president, RSD, “will include lighting five candles or diyas, symbolising Courage, Unity, and Hope, Freedom and Equality, and two-three minutes short speeches in memory of the the departed.”
The homage is proposed to be paid in five successive weekly on-line meetings held on Fridays at 6.00 pm beginning May 7, and will be held on all successive Fridays, May 14, May 21, May 28, and June 4). On the June 4.
Says an RSD announcement, “Hundreds of Rashtra Seva Dal members and like minded citizens will observe a day's fast to symbolically reaffirm their commitment to Courage, Unity, and Hope, Freedom and Equality. Many eminent thinkers, scientists, doctors, artists, writers, activists, cultural figures, community leaders and citizens from all part of the country will join in...”

Text:

The Corona Pandemic has been among the most devastating tragedies in the remembered history of India. It has so far affected nearly 2 crore persons. Nearly 4 lakh new cases are reported coming up daily. One likes to hope that this number does not rise to 7 to 8 lakh daily by mid-May as is being predicted by experts. We are not thinking of the 3rd Phase as yet though there is a near certainty that another deadly phase may affect India.
The figures are larger or at par with the figures of victims in other remembered natural or man made calamities in modern India's history. The Spanish Flue in 1918-19 affected 1 crore and 70 lakh persons. The Partition of India and Pakistan resulted in the death of more than 10 lakh. The Bangladesh war saw 2,69,000 persons killed in the subcontinent -- Pakistani, Indians and Bangladeshis.
The Killari Earthquake killed over 30,000 and the Kutch earthquake took the lives of 18,600 persons. The figure of the dead due to the Corona Virus illness has crossed 2, 30,000 today.
It is going to increase as the days and weeks pass, and one simply does not know how large it will be if the dreaded 3rd Phase hits us. The tribal and rural districts which had so far remained relatively unaffected have started showing a high incidence of Covid from the last week.
How do we as a society respond to this hydra-headed calamity?

Ganesh Devy

One way is, of course, to enhance the country's healthcare infra-structure, to add to the human resource in the sector and to accelerate manufacture of vaccine and oxygen. Millions of families have already been devastated by the Corona impact.
They have lost their dear ones, lost jobs, lost opportunities, lost hope. And the biological Corona epidemic is, sadly, coupled with an ideological corona. What we are facing is not just an individual's tragedy. It is a large, unprecedented and universal catastrophe.
The least we can do in this situation is to remember and pay homage to the victims of all kinds of Corona.
Our prayer for them should be a prayer and also a tribute for the courageous Indians who lost their lives fighting hatred, contempt and injustice.
Rashtra Seva Dal works to promote Democracy, Secularism, Constitutional Values, Equality and Scientific Thinking. Therefore, the RSD is convening an on-line homage and tribute. The on-line Shraddhanjali will include lighting five candles or a diyas, symbolising Courage, Unity, and Hope, Freedom and Equality, and two-three minutes short speeches in memory of the the departed. Homage will be paid in five successive weekly on-line meetings held on Fridays at 6.00 PM beginning Friday, the May 7 till Friday, June 4. (May 7, May 14, May 21, May 28, June 4).

On the June 4, hundreds of Rashtra Seva Dal members and like minded citizens will observe a day's fast to symbolically reaffirm their commitment to Courage, Unity, and Hope, Freedom and Equality. Many eminent thinkers, scientists, doctors, artists, writers, activists, cultural figures, community leaders and citizens from all part of the country will join in these meetings.
---
Social media links to RSD: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube

Comments

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Is U.S. fast losing its financial and technological edge under Trump’s second tenure?

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra* The United States, along with its Western European allies, once promoted globalization as a democratic force that would deliver shared prosperity and balanced growth. That promise has unraveled. Globalization, instead of building an even world, has produced one defined by inequality, asymmetry of power, and new vulnerabilities. For decades, Washington successfully turned this system to its advantage. Today, however, under Trump’s second administration, America is attempting to exploit the weaknesses of others without acknowledging how exposed it has become itself.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

On Teachers’ Day, remembering Mother Teresa as the teacher of compassion

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ It is Teachers’ Day once again! Significantly, the day also marks the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta (still lovingly called Mother Teresa). In 2012, the United Nations, as a fitting tribute to her, declared this day the International Day of Charity. A day pregnant with meaning—one that we must celebrate as meaningfully as possible.

Gujarat minority rights group seeks suspension of Botad police officials for brutal assault on minor

By A Representative A human rights group, the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat, has written to the Director General of Police (DGP), Gandhinagar, demanding the immediate suspension and criminal action against police personnel of Botad police station for allegedly brutally assaulting a minor boy from the Muslim community.

Counterview

Search This Blog