Virulent times for the faceless millions, now on the road to uncertainty

Would we in the upper class place ourselves in the hands of the government in times such as these? And if not, why do we expect that the poor would? The Indian state is weak and lacks capacity

The artist Hasif Khan (@hasifkhan on Twitter) has created an artwork that best represents how India has responded to the lockdown called by the Union government. It is a painted in sombre colours, and shows a few people standing in balconies, applauding and clanging vessels. They are in buildings that face one another. They are in groups of two or three per balcony. 

Between the buildings, on the road below, there is a long and densely packed mass of people walking. They are carrying loads on their heads, including children. Their clothes are stained and faded into colourlessness.