Between extending lockdown and lifting it, India must walk the middle path

The lockdown has worked. But an overdose of it could kill through long-lasting side-effects. It should be systematically loosened or de-escalated

It’s unlikely that Jair Bolsonaro knew how well-timed his letter to Narendra Modi was when he used the Ramayana legend of Lord Hanuman bringing the Sanjivani Booti to save Lakshman’s life, while seeking hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol from India.

It will be something if his staff has such a pucca Hanuman bhakt that he would also ensure the letter would arrive pretty much coinciding with Hanuman Jayanti earlier this week.

Nevertheless, it makes us reflect on the same lore as we assess the prospects of the three-week lockdown being extended (we hope not), fully lifted (we pray not), or systematically loosened