May 26, 2021 Commentary from a place below

 May 26, 2021 Commentary from a place below: It was the full moon. Although the storm had hidden it, there were parts of the World where it could be seen. A very good bondhu shared a picture – the Flower Moon I think it is called. In the storm ravaged West Bengal and Orissa it would be the Buddha Purnima. A day of peace was ravished by the cyclone. The view from AC 140 was not especially violent, the trees were moving rather threateningly but the rain was not as bad as anticipated. Other places did not fare too well, the Sundarbans and the coastal areas offered shocking images of destruction. Storms are predictable. Indeed, the prediction technology has become increasingly accurate and thus the destruction, at least to human life, can be managed. In the meantime, the shock and awe media were ringing its hands with the disappointment of Calcutta being largely spared by the storm, denying the display of shocking images. We will know later how many perished and there will the standard recovery protocols. Storms, in spite of their fury, are not new. They happen all over the World and there are coping mechanisms. However, the scourge of the last year and more has denied us the ability to predict or manage. It is all trial and error and hoping for the best. Some say lockdowns work, look at Delhi, numbers are sharply falling. The numbers are even falling in Calcutta. There is something curious about these numbers, the digits have become partly the reason for the desensitization. They come every day and, in some places, they are considered to be inaccurate. Do people trust numbers based on their point of view, or on the merit of the numbers? An international newspaper made claims that the numbers from India are grossly inaccurate and the number dead are far more than reported. A constant reminder that things are not as they appear. Yet in other places the numbers determine lifestyles. Masks come off when the number are good and there could be quick retreat to caution when the numbers change. The numbers do not get past just what they are – the numbers. They often fail to tell the whole story – not only about Covid, but about the storms we all endure in our lives or the celebrations that we enjoy. This numericalization of every aspect of life can create an anxiety because we chase the numbers – are they going down for Covid, are they going up for vaccinations, is the GDP going up, how many are unemployed. As the category number for the storm decreases and wind speed dies down, we will be relieved that it did not bring the destruction to Calcutta, but there will still be stories that will linger which do not get captured by the numbers. The stories of heroism that we never hear, or the stories of misery that we focus on. I realized that as I was preparing a video documenting the ways in which the support from the colleagues at Wake is beginning to play out in the communities and people who are being touched by the efforts. Not high numbers, but touching stories. And I wonder about the most important number, as asked by Beatles: “Will you still need me, will you still feed me When I'm sixty-four.” Ravaged by the storm.