Let’s have a moral compass that is in working condition

There were 350-400 people partying at GCS Banquet Hall. Pic/Hanif Patel

Garba organisers are trying to slip through the no-garba net, by organising Navratri dances, in the hope that they will not be caught. A report in this paper cited a policeman checking on a hall recently, from where emanated loud music and lights were visible.

On checking, the cop found a Navratri garba function in full progress, with a crowd of people participating frenetically. It was a shocking and audacious flouting of rules.

The organisers were caught. Invites had been reportedly sent on social media. While police action is one thing, it is time people used their heads and did not respond to these invites, even if somehow, organisers and event planners manage to bend the rules.

Why do we need a system of checks, when our own logic should tell us that such events can be extremely dangerous and are a definite no go? Do we need the police to step in all the time and shut down the dance session or ensure that we do not attend at all? We have seen the number of cases breaching 500 once again, and this is a reminder that we exercise restraint.

There is also something to be said for the fact that the government has banned dandiya-garba. There is a good, solid reason for this and we need to understand that and respect the rules.

This is what doctors and frontline workers have been worried about for a while, setting in of the fatigue factor and the festive season. Combined, they make for a cocktail of concerns.

We are not over the outbreak yet, even though we may wish that we are. Vaccinations are in, but we do see the odd breakthrough and we must remember that not everybody is vaccinated. Let us pack away our dancing shoes and garba sticks for one more year.