The COVID-19 disease is caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus.
It spread, it captured, and it killed. What was required were
across-the-globe leadership qualities to take quick
decisions, initiate immediate actions, and implement
lessons already learnt from the past public health crises.
Instead, we had leaders, who believed more in faith, both
religious and personal, as Alam Srinivas explores in the
first article on faith, free will, and determinism. Coupled
with this mindset was the failure of the Indian
administration to act and react. Even as the WHO flagged
the global threat level to “very high” on February 28, the
Indian government lost valuable time in gearing up to the
threat, says Vivek Mukherji. We also explore the damning
impact of COVID-19 on specific industries. Gopinath
Menon, a veteran in advertising, says that the sector is
looking down the barrel, which shockingly does not have a
safety net. If the crisis lasts beyond May in India and other
parts of the world, one can safely write an obituary of the
