At the time of writing, 125 cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in India. The situation is pretty grim, with almost all states reporting cases of the virus, with it also leading to deaths in the country.

The government is doing its best to combat the virus. Quarantine facilities travel bans and prompt testing of people showing symptoms. All of these efforts taken by the government are laudable and go a long way in preventing community transmission of COVID - 19 in India.

The onus of prevention isn’t only on the government, however. In times like these, it is important to practice social distancing and self-quarantine yourself if you’re unhealthy to make sure you don’t act as a carrier of the deadly virus.

As of now, no cure has been found of the virus, with even the earliest vaccines a few months away. But that hasn’t deterred Indians from taking it into their own hands. Trust them to find solutions to even the most complex of problems. So what if there’s no vaccine and no set cure for the virus? These Indians have found their own ways to fight the virus, however weird they might be.

Gaumutra party

While the entire country is resorting to rational and medically proven preventive measures to fight COVID-19, the Hindu Mahasabha has its own way to fight it. Hosting a grand gaumutra party, akin to a tea party is their answer.

This isn’t a surprise since the group considers coronavirus to be an avatar that has unleashed itself across the world because it is angry at non-vegetarians. The group also believes that the virus has come to India because a set of Telangana ministers resorted to eating chicken on stage to bust the myth that consuming chicken can cause coronavirus.

“Just like we organise tea parties, we have decided to organise a gaumutra party, wherein we will inform people about what is a coronavirus and how, by consuming cow-related products, people can be saved from it,” Chakrapani Maharaj, who heads one of the two groups that make up the Mahasabha, told The Print.

The first leg of the party was held at the Hindu Mahasabha Bhawan in New Delhi. It consisted of cow urine products that people were encouraged to consume and spray on themselves, cow dung cakes and even agarbattis to ward off the threat that is the coronavirus.

As many as 200 people attended it, completely ignoring the call for social distancing and avoiding large public gatherings. With the group planning for more such ‘parties’ to be conducted across the country, this may actually be just the tip of the iceberg of the weird ways Indian are fighting COVID-19

Twitter Musings By Vivek Agnihotri

It will be an injustice if we don’t talk about the Twitter gems being dolled out by filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri. Known to have an opinion on everything making his voice heard, the director is never far away from controversy.

While we completely get that everyone is entitled to their opinion and firmly believe in the provision of free speech, when it comes to coronavirus and his tweets, they’re anything but factually correct.

He’s been consistently tweeting about remedies that can fight coronavirus, despite no scientific evidence backing the same. 

His last few tweets revolve around how turmeric, lemon and homemade rasam are useful in fighting the virus. He also shared sharing a news piece that stated that weed kills coronavirus. While we’re all for weed legalization, this isn’t the way to do it Vivek.

Chanting Coronavirus To Go Away

While it is important to take all necessary precautions in times of a pandemic, this step by Indian politicians is just mind-boggling. Videos have surfaced of Indian politicians chantingduring prayer meets, to make the coronavirus go away.

A video of India’s Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, Chinese Consul General in Mumbai Tang Guocai and Buddhist monks chanting "Go corona, go corona" at a meeting has gone viral online. They were apparently doing this to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Our ministers aren’t the only ones doing that mind you. In a video, A group of women could be seen holding a prayer meeting during the festival of Holi. While this in itself is completely normal during Indian festivals, the meeting was actually a tactic to fight the virus. 

The women can be seen singing “corona bhaag jaa” (run away corona), to seek divine intervention when it comes to battling COVID-19 in the country. 

Burning Effigies

Staying on Holi traditions in times of coronavirus, a Mumbai grouped burned an effigy of a coronavirus monster as part of their Holi celebrations. While burning of effigies during Holi is quite common, as it signifies the victory of good over evil, this practice was an entirely new take on how to fight the coronavirus.

The effigy was named 'Coronasur' as 'Asur' means demon in Hindi. A blue demon with horns and teeth, Coransur was torched by people in the city in the hope that the virus will now leave the country.

Bizarre Suggestions By Indian Politicians

If you follow our Neta Kya Kehta Series, you’ll know Indian politicians are capable of saying anything and everything. You can always rely on them for bizarre suggestions, weird advice and controversial statements of ignorance. Ask them for a bite and they’ll never disappoint. 

The case holds true even in times like these, where the pandemic has spread to all parts of the world and we’re looking at a major global health emergency of our times. Indian public servants had the following things to say when they were asked of the prevailing health situation in the country.

“We all know cow dung is very helpful. Likewise, when cow urine is sprayed, it purifies an area. I believe something similar could be done with cow urine, cow dung to cure coronavirus”

 --- Suman Haripriya, MLA, Assam

“If a person overcomes mental illness, then he/she will not suffer from blood pressure, heart attack, kidney failure, liver dysfunction, or even coronavirus. He will be able to keep himself fit and healthy.” 

--- Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh

While all this sounds fun and games, it is imperative to understand that we’re facing a worldwide pandemic, which has spread throughout our country. In times like this, it is important to follow government directives, do your bit and at the same time appreciate the effort being put in by medical authorities and doctors.

Do everything that is scientifically backed and approved by health care professionals and make sure you don’t spread any misinformation about COVID-19.