Some Good News on COVID

 After a year of gloom and doom, no travel, online classes and shortages of medical support, heard something good, coming out of India.

Zydus Cadila, an Indian pharma company claims it will have another indigenous vaccine soon, if it clears emergency use approval after current trials. Another is a treatment for the Corona virus developed by DRDO that has been approved, to the best of my knowledge.

The cure, if it can be scaled and distributed, will have far-reaching effects. So will the vaccine, as it is fully indigenous if I understood correctly.

Both may bring much-needed relief to the many suffering, not just the patients but also their friends and family.

Meanwhile, conspiracy theories have not subsided on whether it is an engineered virus. Tough to prove either way, but we must improve both our diagnostic skills to prove it, and our intelligence to stop attempts to manufacture some, if someone is doing so.

Review of Good News- Hindi Film

They have got it right- that's the good news. The direction is competent.

In India, usually good news means either a marriage, or a pregnancy. In this case, it is the latter..at least, attempts to get there, and the twists that follow. I really liked Diljit Dosanjh in this one, he brings the liveliness required in an otherwise serious film. He is hilarious in some scenes.

The gender roles are brought out quite well, including the insensitivity of the male mostly, and the more emotional side of the female, and the ups and downs keep the story interesting. The dialogue is very good, and helps engage us with the characters, who are set up better than in most films of recent origin. First time I saw Kiara here, and she does her job well. Akshay's role is almost villainish, and he is good at playing it. Kareena too. The supporting actors add to the story, including the doctor and his wife, and their self-promotion video. :)

After Vicky Donor and the film that tackled impotence, another one that tackles a related subject- IVF. My only quibble is, that it puts down adoption. Will someone make a movie about that, please?

The Positives

In the make-believe world that Arnab Goswami and others create for us every day, it is easy to get fooled into thinking that there are only Scams like Lalitgate happening around us. Even if they are, there are quite a few good things being attempted by the government of the day. Let us give them credit where they deserve it.

Digital Locker is a great idea that might be useful for a citizen to store his educational or any other govrnmental records such as license, passport, home registration etc. digitally. It is linked or operated through an Aadhar number and a mobile or email number, so it may be secure.

Clean India or Swachch Bharat campaign. It is the first time in many years that someone has raised the issues of cleanliness, and sanitation, through the Vidya Balan campaign running on TV and radio. That is something we badly need to seep into our consciousness. If we can eliminate spitting in even fifty years, I am all for it.