Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on society in India: An anthropological appraisal
- Man In India
- 100(3-4), 2020, p.195-208
Novel Corona Virus (Covid-19) appeared as a major concern across the world. Considering its pandemic nature, various measures have been evolved to prevent and fight with this new disease. Ways of fighting with the disease by clinical and preventive measures adopted by the state have made a great impact on public and private life. The health and social situations emerged under Covid-19 has provided a new field for anthropological research. The paper is based on what I have observed, experienced and noted during lockdown and unlock period between March and June 2020 at a place called Shivmandir located just by the side of the North Bengal University Campus near the city of Siliguri in West Bengal. The main objective of this paper is to understand the impact of lockdown and stay-home policy on economic and social life of the people during this pandemic. A special emphasis in this paper is to highlight the Covid -19 and its implications in anthropological research. The paper argues that the present socio-political system of the country has generated an atmosphere which has to some extent acted to “infantilize the common people”. This has arrested the desired social functions as well as over all development of the country for the time being. Therefore, the gap between somato-sphere and socio-sphere, which has emerged and resulted out of corona pandemic needs to be minimized through proper planning for saving the societies and nations in which anthropology has a crucial role to play. – Reproduced
Covid-19, Anthropology, Quarantine, Lockdown, Siliguri, Somato-sphere and Sociosphere