In a state perennially given to fruitless political strife, ingrained bureaucratic arrogance and rampant corruption, the sheer earnestness of Keralas recent face-off with Covid-19 surprised Malayalis more than anyone else. In the post-Independence history of governance in Kerala, nothing similar had ever happened: The government actually made moves in a consistent manner to attend to the well-being of people. The handling of the massive floods in August 2018 had elements of this, but that was essentially an area-focussed, intensive rescue effort. The adversary, water, was right there under ones nose. The coronavirus, however, had put the whole state under its alien shadowand it was invisible.

The response of the LDF government to the virus threat was remarkable in its determination and zeal. It is possible to argue that sheer existential terror brought about the shift from lethargy, incompetence and indifferencewhich has characterised governance in Kerala ever since the state came into existenceto committed involvement. There certainly could be truth in it. But even to channelise fear into a combat mode, a spark is needed. However much one may dislike to say it in times of totalitarian dreams sprouting everywhere including India, that spark could be leadership. The state everywhere is a leviathan with a hazy mind. It cannot be a leader. A person becomes the face of the state.

One can say emphatically that in the corona crisis, Keralas CM Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan represented that leadership. He became the face of Keralas corona resistance. His daily press conferences came to be more eagerly watched than The Ramayana reloaded. The person directly in charge of the Covid battle, Comrade K K Shailaja, the health minister, complemented Vijayan in her own unadorned but firm style. She is a natural leader minus the weight of seniority and patriarchal authority that Vijayan commands. In a Kerala thats slowly but inevitably shifting from its male supremacy paradigm, being a woman has only worked in her favour, if that mattered at all.

What sets both these communists apart from the usual politician, communist or non-communist, is a simple trait: a grave, no-nonsense approach to issues. If Vijayan is ponderous and magisterial, Shailaja is sprightly and unpretentiousand tough. Vijayans style, along with obedience, triggers fear and caution. He has the additional advantage that he controls both the party and governmentwith an iron hand. That goes a long way in the smooth transmission of the processes of decision-making and implementation. You could call him a dictator if you wish. But the description wouldnt exactly fit, either. Shailajas leadership has a feminine forcefulness that inspires teamwork. Both are communists first and communists last. Virus or no virus, the party comes first.

Theyve worked hard. And considering the corona predictions for the immediate future, its going to be a long haul for them. Surely they must be enjoying the rewardswords of appreciation that rarely come a politicians way. Both Kerala and Shailaja hit international headlines several times. One suspects it was not just the spirited fight Kerala put up against the virus that attracted media attention. The capitalist media seems to have been fascinated by the fact that communists were accomplishing such a feat. And that a lady comrade was the field commander.

Ranged behind these two were the government personnelthousands of officials, health workers and police who didnt go by the clock and often risked their lives in the physical handling of patients. In the no-mans land of Keralas bureaucratic quagmire, health professionals had always stood apart as a different breed who, in general, stayed committed to their responsibilities to the people. They were the foot soldiers leading the corona fight from the front. The participation of thousands of women, in various capacities, gave the battle a different synergy. Platforms of womens empowerment like Kudumbashree and ASHA delivered priceless service. The police, not always extolled for humanitarian concerns, was exemplary in carrying out their new role as guardians of public health. Add to it over 2,00,000 volunteers who provided hands-on support at the grassroots.

That is only one part of the story. The other part derives from Keralas historical tryst, in the sixties and seventies, with a development model born out of socialist ideals and democratic convictions. Arising from a humanist perception that could be described as Left and Gandhian, it sought to directly touch the lives of the people in key areas like education and health. That was how a multi-level healthcare network was created which, in a poor society like Kerala, produced results equalling developed nations in the human development index. Equally radical was the broadening and strengthening of democratic institutions at the ground level through a process of decentralisation in which women, for the first time, occupied key roles. These two networks of democracy, despite being battered by vested interests both inside and outside successive governments, have precariously survived and today they are the backbone of the fight against corona.

The success of Keralas corona battle is much more than the sum of its parts. In the final analysis it was underwritten by the progressive values infused into the Malayali psyche by Keralas historic Enlightenment spearheaded by great humanists like Narayana Guru and Ayyankali. Those values have survived murderous onslaughts by sectarian forces and underlie all civilisational leaps in Kerala. The corona fight was such a leap. it was an expression of Keralas democratic commitment, however flawed; secular credentials, however bruised; communal harmony, however besieged; scientific temper, however cornered. Thats why to each one of those women and men be they SC/ST, BC, Dalit, Hindu, Moslem or Christian who fought the corona war, it was beyond the pale of imagination to segregate hospital beds on a religious basis as happened elsewhere in India.

Paul Zacharia

Award-winning fiction writer

(paulzacharia3@gmail.com)

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Keralas successful battle against the virus - The New Indian Express