Partha Kar: 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani'—the anguish of the Indian diaspora

I have a strong sense of deja vu, witnessing the scenes of carnage in India as covid rips through the country. Perhaps I’m feeling the pain more intensely because, having seen the impact that covid had in January in the country where I live, I’m now seeing it replicated in the country where my heart lies. Thousands in the Indian diaspora—especially those working in the NHS—are watching with similar, heart wrenching anguish and worry about families and friends. It’s frustrating, as somehow India seemed to have dodged the bullet the first time around. Yet a toxic mixture of political myopia, religious sentiments, and perhaps a degree of overconfidence has culminated in a mostly self-inflicted rise of covid-19 and …