3 Cs or C Cube

Please don’t get perplexed by the title and as the blog progresses, readers will understand the appropriateness of the title.

We have a way of expressing things in triplets or sets of three. In our childhood, we all would have heard the importance of possessing 3 Rs – Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (and not 3 Rs of the image above, which is a today’s take), which basically highlighted the need for education. We all would have heard of 3 Ws that was mainly used in the context of good lives associated with sailors – Women, Wealth and Wine! Similarly, understanding and realising the criticality of 3Cs and adjusting to the new way of life is of absolute relevance in today’s context – Corona, China and Cyclones!

Corona is unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon and social distancing, masks, washing hands and avoiding crowded places are new normals. China is a superpower that wants to rule the world. Actually, it’s expansionism knows no bounds. Having established its economic supremacy over the entire world by becoming the global manufacturing hub, it now wants to establish geographical supremacy by lording over seas and land masses. So it’s pursuing ambitious road corridors projects that are basically aimed at dumping Chinese goods into countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Taiwan, Vietnam and consolidating its military fortification on the borders with these countries. It’s dominance ( the appropriate word would be Dadagiri) of South China Sea is now a global concern. Unfortunately, it’s our neighbour with whom we share a long border and hence multiple troubled spots. In a way, it’s unfortunate for China too that mighty India has the ability to check its evil design. And the third C is for cyclones- first Aamphan, then Nisarga. The way monsoon has covered the entire country ( spread has been the fastest in many years) and wreaking havoc in Central and Eastern parts is also not normal but in a manner of speaking, cyclonic. And what would you call Tiddi dal or the swarms of locusts destroying our crops? Aren’t they a kind of cyclone?

And C cube is basically representative of volume or the dimensions plus the depth of the issues affecting us! These are not ordinary issues that come and go or are encountered frequently! These are grave once in a lifetime issues that are leaving such a deep and lasting impact on our lives that our future generations may lead an altogether new lifestyle! And here I am not only talking of Corona ! We are so used to everything Chinese that even our idols, to whom we offer prayers everyday are made in China. Next generation may like to be more aatmanirbhar or self dependent! And the abuse of nature by our generation is definitely making the next generation more alive to environmental issue and that’s the context of cyclones!

We are deep into a malaise and while we should all look skywards for divine help, let’s not leave everything to 3 Gs – Government, Gallantry (of our forces) and God! Let’s get up and do our bit!