Speaking Of Asia Ep 1: Do not mock India, learn from its Covid-19 troubles

9:26 mins

Synopsis: Join The Straits Times' associate editor Ravi Velloor, in this series of podcasts based on his weekly columns on Asian issues, as he distils his experience from four decades of covering the continent.

Ravi argues that while much of the global media has focused on the shortcomings of the Indian government, he sees this as a hybrid, with the effects of the coronavirus as an act of nature - made worse by human errors and emotions, complacency, power play, religion and class issues, and of course, utter misgovernance. 

He covers the following reasons for India's seeming Covid collapse as the world watches on:

1. 1st factor: The complacency virus (2:50)

2. 2nd factor: Why and how the Indian elections became coronavirus super spreader events (4:19)
3. 3rd factor: How an ancient Hindu bathing ritual in the Ganges that takes place every 12 years, became another super spreader event (5:53)
4. 4th factor: Only about 2% of Indians vaccinated with their second shot (7:03)
5. Paying tribute to the real heroes of India's underfunded and collapsing health sector (8:00)

Read Ravi Velloor's columns: https://www.straitstimes.com/authors/ravi-velloor

Produced by: Ravi Velloor (velloor@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Fa'izah Sani

Edited by: Adam Azlee

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