Hello everyone. I don't post normally, just a silent spectator here but what transpired today early morning is important esp during these trying times.
I was asleep in my room and around 3 am I felt a man standing near my bed. When I gathered my senses, I took my brother's name because he sleeps in the adjacent room. But then I could sense a weird body language and no response from the figure in the dark. When I got up from my bed towards him, he ran and jumped from the nearest window through which he had entered the house. I tried to wake up everyone in the House and quickly realised my Phone was gone. I looked for a torch light because it was pitch dark outside (thanks to no streetlights or no power) and heard the noise of the man falling on the ground.
I quickly gathered some sense and delinked my phone sim from bank details, google login and WhatsApp . I couldn't help but feel helpless over all the crucial information we tend to store in our phone these days. And today being a Sunday, I couldn't even go to a physical store to deactivate my sim. I have tried it over the customer care and Twitter but I'm not sure unless a get a duplicate tomorrow. Today morning I filed an FIR in the nearest Police Station.
I know the damages could've been much more considering laptops were also in my room. But at the same time, My phone is gone. More than that, the pain of having to see it go right in front of your eyes is another level. Overall, I write this to give out an extra warning to be precautious esp in Covid times. Just a week back, a rickshaw driver had narrated his plight during the Lockdowns and I couldn't do much but empathise. Now I understand maybe increase in crime is bound in such times. My landlord also couldn't do much.
Anyway, I felt like it would be responsible of me to put it out there in front of aspirants - who like me are struggling with minimal resources in an alien city, all trying to fulfil this IAS dream. Take care and Mask up all. AND be extra vigilant.
@mehuifs yes. Thankfully. Still scared to be honest. Thank you so much for asking.
@whatonly Thank you so much. Yes, sleeping will be a problem now. I still can vividly remember the encounter. Till one becomes a victim of crime, everyone thinks "This won't happen to me" but it very much can.
@Jammu Yes. True that.
@SunnyParashar Please throw some light on need to revamp notes. I also have Sociology optional.
@Sherkhan1428 This case study dilemma is also similar to the argument by a few NIMHANS doctors in their letter to the Press/Media- stating mental health issues due to reporting of the doom that COVID has caused. It may pose questions on Journalistic ethics of reporting what the truth on ground is and projecting something milder for the sake of 'mental health'. Both sides had compelling reasons. Being an avid Twitter user, I too faced this IPL dilemma. I think there can be no one solution to these cases.
@Patootie Totally agree with given arguments. Even I was sailing in the same boat. But the said letter definitely did make me think about a certain responsibility that even the Press have while carrying out the noble task in a pandemic. Let me elucidate:
1. The letter talks about how in the age of social media, IT and all the more- a pandemic, the Press serve as our eyes and ears as we are shut inside our homes. It becomes like this peephole through which we form perceptions about the prevailing disaster. This has a tendency to disturb one's mental peace to the extent that it has now become a hidden mental health epidemic.
2. It also cannot be overlooked that a lot of hoarding and panic buying is in turn hampering our chances of beating this pandemic.
3. I think hysteria and panic inducing coverage should be minimised. But then again. It is not so simple.
4. Also, increasing cases of suicide among COVID positive people is another huge concern. I mean it is a sad state of affairs when one does not even consider the option of fighting the disease and chooses death instead.
As I mentioned, I think the greater good definitely lies in reporting facts from the ground. But I would again add respectfully that all isn't rosy even in this side of the picture.
Journalism and reporting have been going on since ages but how an individual perceives the world in this age- mostly away from extended family, constant chatter of social media, amidst a pandemic has changed by leaps and bounds. I think there is more we can do to ensure some kind of sensitivity while reporting- like we expect while reporting suicide cases.
It isn't an open and shut case at least for me. It has surely left me thinking and I did not take a stand for the greater good because I thought we were discussing the dilemma, rather than answering a UPSC ethics question.
@whatonly @Akanksha_Jain Don't even get me started. I know the series has been problematic on a number of fronts, and this one- rightly so. I really enjoyed Kota factory because I could relate but then I choose to let this one slide because every mainstream media in this country portrays North eastern characters in a stereotypical light.
Trust me- for a control freak like me- I'd let this one go. All my life I've fought that stereotype and this time, I'd just wanna say- Everyone has their own share of struggles. I know I might put many people off but in the long run- and keeping the law of averages in mind- ' I don't think anyone has it easy '.
