Daily Times

The coronavirus pandemic is being dubbed as the most serious health challenge of the century. Much has been discussed and is being discussed about its sources, intensity, and reasons of spread, symptoms and how to avoid infection. This piece is meant to touch upon some cultural habits which can be avoided and others which can be promoted. Hospitality is most popular cultural trait in Pakistan.

In Sindh province, it is more visible in the rural areas. Autak (meeting, chatting and resting place for male) in rural Sindh is a repository of promoting, preserving and transforming folk wisdom, folklore and folk music from generation to generation.

A typical village has one or a number of autaks depending on the size of the village or the different communities living in that village. In some villages, there are autaks on caste or sub tribe basis. During off crop season, the male member sits the whole day chatting and generally discussing the village, area problems, political developments, agriculture related matters and social issues of the village and settling disputes. Visitors from different surrounding villages or some distant parts of Sindh or travellers continue to arrive at Autaks and get served with tea and food depending on the timing. At night all male villagers gather in Autaks and indulge in folklore stories, poetry, puzzles, music etc.

In most of the villages, food is served jointly to guests. It is a cultural practice incumbent upon the host to sit and eat with guest(s) from same pot. The chilm or hukaa is also smoked on turn by majority of the attendants. In normal times it is ok but, in face of present pandemic, the government and civil society organization should reach out to rural area and urge the people at Autak to abandon above practices for time being and serve food to the guest separately and do not smoke the chilm from same pipe.

Furthermore there is culture that the host irrespective of his high status insists has to carry lota glass or any other pot of water to pour water to get hands of his guest washed before and after food.

What volunteers have to do to is urge the people at autka to add soup to this highly hygienic traditional practices by the rural population since centuries

Other cultural tradition still prevalent in rural parts of the country is joint families. Depending on agriculture and livestock, general rural family size is higher, ranging from 10 to 50 members or more. Such families have joint kitchen and they sit in group of 5 to 10 members to eat from same pot and drinking from same glass. Hand washing practice is not common and washing hands with soap is rare in rural families. Arrival of close relative at home is considered good omen and eating and chatting with the guests is part of good hospitality traditions. Here too there is need to get realization among the families that for time being they should take utmost precautionary measures including hand washing with soap, serving food to guests separately and keeping at least three feet distances for the sake of family and guests health.

A typical village has one or a number of autaks depending on the size of the village or the different communities living in that village. In some villages, there are autaks on caste or sub tribe basis. During off crop season, the male member sits the whole day chatting and generally discussing the village, area problems, political developments, agriculture related matters and social issues of the village and settling disputes

Traditional method of greetings of hugging the guests, shaking hands, and kissing the hands of the guests needs to be avoided in this time of serious health risk. However, greeting with folded hand palms, in place of hand shake which is common trait in Sindh and whole subcontinent should be preferred to avoid possible contagion. In some rural communities, there is tradition where female hosts greet the male guests with their hand warped in their part of scarf. This is good practice should be continued.

In rural parts of Sindh due to lot of leisure time, particularly during off crop season, male members sit long hours in overcrowded and unventilated hotels. The cups and tea making pots are not properly washed, water is mostly polluted and smells foul. The overall tea shop environment is highly unhygienic, clouded with smoke of smokers, the floor is littered with eatables, wrappers, spits, tainted with paan and chhalia spits mixed with water dropped by costumers. These tea shops besides source of wasting time are also breeding ground for all ailments and high risk to the customers in normal times. But during this most critical health emergency, these pose more serious health threat. However, Sindh government has imposed ban on hotels and restaurants for 15 days and most of the hotels are closed in big cities and towns but enforcement of this ban in remote corners of rural parts where this kind of tea shops are common sight in every nook and carny of rural Sindh is very difficult for government. The social activists and health workers like lady health workers and those from Basic Health Centres (BHUs) and Rural Health Centres (RHUs) can play key role in urging and motivating owners to shut down until the threat of corona various is naturalized or if the owners don’t comply, report to concerned authorities.

Marriage parties have been banned but as mentioned before, enforcements of ban in towns and cities is easier but in remote parts at long distance from police and other enforcement officials it is hard to ensure complete compliance. Again the conscious segment of the population has to play their part in urging people and making them aware about the gravity of the situation.

Saudi Arabia, considered fountainhead of Islamic jurisprudence and other Islamic states has put some temporary restrictions in religious congregation. Our religious scholars, particularly prayer leaders at rural part should be approached by health workers and social activist’s volunteers and the information provided to them ensure precautionary measure.

As they say there is always opportunity in every crisis. Perhaps this pandemic is blessing in disguise. If above mentioned traditional habits are changed or adjusted and good hygienic cultural practices promoted. If ban on hotels brings change in habits of idlers siting whole day and spending the meagre family income on tea, citrate’s and other harmful ingredients. If Sindh government’s much appreciated better response to corona virus threat is sustained and shifted to improve health and hygienic infrastructure and human resources as well as dirking water conditions in the province.

If our health staff emulates example of committed doctors from china and other countries who worked round the clock for weeks to defeat the coronavirus threat. If majority of our doctors presently indulged in fleecing gullible middle and lower class with nexus of pharmaceutical abandons money making and serves with full commitment at their government employment facility.

Only then, we might be able to not only defeat the pandemic of coronavirus but can usher in a new era of health and prosperity.

The writer can be reached at gulsherp@yahoo.com