COVID Saab & Brain Gain

Free Thinker *

Reverse brain drain is a kind of brain drain where human capital moves in reverse direction that is from more developed regions to less developed areas. In pandemic paradigm reverse brain drain is happening almost everywhere particularly in this country.

People are fleeing the cities to their villages or hometowns to save their own lives. Majority of them feel unsafe in the cities where they have been earning their livelihood or minting money for years because everyday people are dying.

While I was pondering about brain gain in a pandemic period a senior State leader (politically senior but not age-wise ) told me that more than 50 thousand people want to come back to Manipur from various parts of the country.

Nearly 50 percent of them are professionals and skilled workers and remaining are students majoring in different streams and subjects ; and some are patients stucked in city Hospitals.

The feeling is the same from Ladakh to Ram Setu and from Statue of Unity to Netaji Statue (Moirang). Home sweet home ,people want to live or die at their birthplace. That is why people are fleeing the cities by any means even on foot.

If our own people want to come back home , that is a good thing; they should be encouraged to return to their mother land ;this is wonderful . They must be encouraged to come back . With Covid or without Covid they are welcome.

See the sense of belongingness of our brothers and sisters to their birthplace. They are desperate to come back to home. Their emotional and sentimental attachment to this land is pretty high. I heard some saying that they want to die in Manipur, their motherland, if at all they have to surrender to Covid.

This is not the time to question their allegiance and honesty and this is not the time to stop them to enter . Constitutionally they have the right to move in despite Epidemic or NDMA laws.

Whether they are infected or not they have a right to come to us. And this is our duty and responsibility to receive and rehabilitate them. If some of them are infected they should be isolated and treated . Our immune system is perhaps stronger than anyone else ; it might be because of our robust gene that so far no one has succumbed to this virus.

Our Chief Minister is right when he says "let us not be panic, let's face it, we can't run away from it ; pl give us positive suggestions to encounter this challenging situation ". Covid is an imported item( everywhere it is imported except the country which developed it ) .

But still I feel that this is a virus created by mistake . Otherwise we would have the cure - medicine by now. The promised drugs or vaccines are not upto the mark to treat the infected patients; we have to wait for an authentic cure. Till then we need to stay alive.

This pandemic is a blessing in disguise to us ; because many of our people have come back . Inadvertently a kind of a reverse brain drain is taking place . Our human capital is returning to us. Many of them are skilled workers, occupational masters, highly qualified professionals etc.

Now you can start a hospital or a health care centre easily because you are getting the requisite manpower ; nurses , doctors and healthcare workers are coming back home.Again you can start a shopping mall. Some wealthied people can come together and set-up a mall , I believe you will get the right kind of manpower locally.

Just after the pandemic dust is settled we will see business ventures coming up in the State as we have got back our skilled workers and occupational masters. The returnees are unlikely to return to their dream cities for the time being.

Now they have realised the harsh realities of life outside their natural habitat or social environment.You can't get the same kind of social support you get here in your home-town or home-village in a cosmopolitan city like Bangalore, Delhi , Mumbai , Chennai or Kolkata.

Live life,stay here, hang around and explore the possibilities of doing business in your own land. I strongly believe you can do it here. Now you have the knowledge , skill , experience and exposure of certain activities or pursuits.

Imagine the possibilities -
o Motbung milk,
o Sekmai drinks ,
o Andro organic,
o Mao peach/Alu,
o Moirang fish,
o Moreh Mobile ( phone ),
o Kumbi black rice,
o Ukhrul U- morok,
o Wangkhei phi,
o Tamenglong Orange ,
o Kakching kaksoi,
o Bishempur soidon/soibum,
o Bamon Leikai hawaichar ,
o Senapati chicken,
o Chandel Hospital,
o Tera Mall,
o Nungba pig ,
o Jiri tea ,
o Thoubal pineapple,
o Singjamei sanitizers,
o Langon solar-light,
o Moirangkhom masks,
o Sega road gas,
o Thanmeiband eateries,
o Nambul Laija ( drinking water )
there is no limitation to a determined mind and a willing worker.

Now the buzz word is atmanirbhar or self reliance . I don't think we will lag behind in this mission with the expertise and skilled manpower we are redeeming back as brain gain or reverse brain drain due to Covid sab.

Those who had worked in multinationals, companies, firms, hospitals, hotels, restaurants , Spa palours, taxis & travels , ticketing & tourism , schools & colleges may start taking initiative to launch their set-up here itself.

If capital is the problem "CM gee pukning ching sinbiyu".