As the country entered day 10 of the 21-day nation-wide lockdown on Friday, Prime Ministeraddressed the citizens in a short video message at 9 am. In the video message, he requested citizens to turn off their lights for 9 minutes at 9 pm on April 5 and light a candle or a diya or even use the flashlight on one’s mobile to mark the country’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the video message reached millions of Indians,of course began to read between his tweets and react to the announcement with hilarious. While some were amused, others saw this as a social strengthening exercise.
Some expressed concern over the over-enthusiastic woman banging thali in a viral video, thinking she will burn down the city.
Somebody please control her this Sunday. She might burn down half the city block 😅 #ModiVideoMessage
— Girish (@GirishNaught)
Oh, and there were some fun NASA jokes too.
NASA has already released an image of India from 5th April night 9pm #ModiVideoMessage
— abhijeet hirekhan (@Kidwiththeheat)
YouTuber Bhuvan Bam, too, took a light-hearted jibe at PM’s video message.
5th April, 9pm
— Bhuvan Bam (@Bhuvan_Bam)
On 5 April, At 9 PM Sunday Me And My Friends In Balcony :- #ModiVideoMessage
— Prof. Boies Pilled bell 🌻 (@Lil_Boies2)
Some Twitterati also brought back the popular Happydent advertisement.
5th April, 9 pm……. #ModiVideoMessage
— The-Lying-Lama 2.0 (@KyaUkhaadLega)
But many saw good in his gesture, and thought that it will have a ‘calming effect’. Rangoli Chandel who is the sister of actress Kangna Ranaut, tweeted her appreciation and wrote that ‘diya creates an ethereal aura’.
Lighting Diyas is a very good gesture, diya creates an ethereal aura which is very calming and effective, to show e…
— Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A)
Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh lauded PM Modi’s initiative and urged his fans to turn off the lights for 9 minutes at 9 pm on April 5.
every individual hs his own part to do 2 stay home.We r proud of our Team Leader @narendramodi Let’s all continue t…
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh)
Former cricket commentator and Indian cricket team coach Ravi Shastri was all-praises for PM Modi.
To reignite the united strength of 130 Crore people, let us light a lamp | a candle | torch | mobile flashlight at…
— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc)
Some called it ‘social strengthening’.
PM @narendramodi demands 9 mins from 9pm on 5th April keeping social distancing in mind..!!Though it’s not a measu…
— Aditya Panchal (@AdityaPanchal96)
The announcement came a couple of weeks after the popular ‘Janata Curfew’ which saw Indians applauding doctors, nurses and those on the frontlines of fighting the pandemic by ringing bells, thalis and spoons from the balconies of their respective homes.
Covid-19: Ann Sullivan, John Prine & Other Icons The World Lost
Gone Too Soon
The Covid-19 outbreak has changed our world and turned it upside down. Life as we know it, might never be the same again and needless to say, the effects of this pandemic will be felt for decades to come.
Not to say that some lives matter more than others, but the outbreak took away some of our beloved icons, trailblazers and trendsetters who had achieved tremendous success in their lifetime and were gone too soon.
Here are a few who lost the battle to Covid-19.
Ann Sullivan
Veteran animator Ann Sullivan, who worked on Disney classics such as ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘The Lion King’, died from complications due to the coronavirus on April 16 at the age of 91.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sullivan’s retirement community, the Woodland Hills-based campus of the Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF), confirmed the news of her death.
Sullivan left her job to raise four children, but she re-entered the business in 1973, when she started at Filmnation and Hanna Barbera.
(With inputs from PTI)
Zafar Sarfraz
Former Pakistani first-class cricketer Zafar Sarfraz became the first professional player in the country to die after contracting the novel coronavirus on April 14. The 50-year-old first fell ill in April and was put on a ventilator at a hospital in Peshawar after his condition deteriorated.
‘Sarfraz was healthy and lively but some 10 days ago he developed symptoms of the coronavirus and did not survive,’ said a family member who spoke to AFP.
Sarfraz, a middle-order batsman, played 15 first-class games in Peshawar and retired in 1994
(With inputs from AFP)
Allen Garfield
Actor Allen Garfield, best known for his roles in films such as ‘Nashville’ and ‘The Stunt Man’, died of the coronavirus on April 9 at the age of 80.
Garfield’s ‘Nashville’ co-star Ronee Blakely shared the news of his death in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
‘RIP Allen Garfield, the great actor who played my husband in ‘Nashville’, has died today of Covid; I hang my head in tears; condolences to family and friends; I will post more later; cast and crew, sending love,’ Blakely wrote.
(With inputs from PTI)
John Prine
John Prine, an American folk legend widely considered one of his generation’s most influential songwriters, died following complications of coronavirus on April 8 at the age of 73.
On April 3 Prine’s wife Fiona had posted on social media the beloved country and folk star was on his eighth day in the ICU on a ventilator, and had pneumonia in both lungs.
Once dubbed the ‘Mark Twain of American songwriting,’ over his five decades in the music business Prine carved an image as an off-the-cuff wordsmith who forged melancholy tales with a dose of surrealist wit.
(With inputs from AFP)
