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Echoes from the Mahabharata
India’s response to the pandemic stemmed from the principle advocated in the Mahabharata, which says: “Saving a life that is in jeopardy is the origin of dharma”
The response drew on epidemiological and economic research, especially those pertaining to the Spanish Flu, which highlighted that an early, intense lockdown provided a win-win strategy to save lives, and preserve livelihoods through economic recovery in the medium- to long-term
India recognised that while GDP growth will recover from the temporary shock caused by the pandemic, human lives that are lost cannot be brought back
Stringent lockdown at the very
