Archana Masih contributes in-depth features that help readers understand the context behind and beyond breaking news. She writes about military heroes, human interest stories, politics, India's history and travel. She likes yoga, period dramas, enjoys discovering interesting people from history and is working towards visiting all states/UTs of India. You can e-mail the author at archana_masih@rediffmail.com
'Unless the State is a welfare State, unless the State has more welfare measures, it will not be able to deal with these kind of sudden situations.'
Far from the metros and big cities, the coronavirus crisis in the country's districts, towns and villages is being led by district magistrates.
The responsibility of keeping the pandemic under control lies with the DM or collector.
Subrat Kumar Sen, the young district magistrate of Saran, north Bihar, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih how he and his staff are combating a crisis that no one has confronted before.
'This week will be crucial and we are prepared.'
'Times will be tough, but we will get by and by the grace of Lord Balaji.'
I do think a younger population structure is an advantage against this virus, but there are other important factors such as the capacity of the healthcare system," says Dr Jennifer Dowd, associate professor of demography and population health, University of Oxford.
'Since it was the last day of flights, the feeling was weird. There were hardly any aircraft on the ground or in the air.'
'Anyone who takes the eye off the movement of the virus should be prepared for unpleasant surprises.'
'You can only see it when you look for it. Seek and you shall find.'
'Dr Abdullah is the oldest and tallest leader in our current political landscape and it was very kind of him to come and see us.'
'Right now there are two battles, the one in our heads about the pandemic and 2, the actual pandemic itself.'
'Healthcare workers treating coronavirus have been among the hardest hit.' 'It is scary, but this is what we signed up for and became doctors.'
'We have to accept that the infection is now in the community and we can't isolate everyone who gets it.' 'Instead, what we need to do is to find out those who are most at risk of death, isolate them and save them from the rest.'
'The BJP would not have brought him into the party if they did not appreciate him.'
'He too can become a good BJP worker like Rajmata and those from his family before him.'
'This was the first ever visit by a President in a re-election year so it sent a strong signal of the priority of the relationship and the desire to continue to strengthen it.'
We are becoming more cruel and less civilised
Nitin Singh, tourist guide, spent 75 minutes with Donald and Melania Trump at the Taj Mahal. 'They were very down to earth and listening to me intently as I told them the story of the Taj and the Mughals.'
'I am sure every effort will be made to showcase Rashtrapati Bhavan to President Trump.'
'I was told that Agra has never been cleaned, spruced and scrubbed like it has been for Trump!' A tourist who visited the Taj Mahal over the the weekend gives an account of how the city is gearing up to welcome the Trump Parivar.
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