On the streets of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, you may come across "Yamraj", the God of Death, urging you not to add to his "workload". On a unique but essential coronavirus awareness drive is a local artist who has put his art to best use by urging locals to follow Covid protocols as the pandemic roars. Dressed as Yamraj, the man went around several localities on Friday urging everyone to wear a face mask and maintain social distancing.
The man is seen wearing a black and gold dhoti, (as Yamraj has been popularly shown to wear in TV shows and movies) elaborate headgear, jewellery and carries with him a golden gada (mace). The artist, a member of a local NGO, completes his look with a face mask and a cut-out of a loudspeaker with a message in Hindi for the 'residents of Earth'. The photographs were shared on Twitter by news agency ANI.
"Dharti vasio, humara workload mat badhao, mask lagao aur distancing rakho (People of Earth, don't increase our workload, wear a mask and maintain distancing)," his quirky message read. The comic spin however sheds light on the grim reality as the fatal virus continues to kill thousands everyday across the world.
In pictures, the man is seen addressing several people, possibly asking them to follow Covid protocols. In another photo, curious onlookers are seen walking behind the artist as he moves on to his next stop. He is even seen with a buffalo in a photo - Yamraj's mount in Hindu mythology.
"We are trying to raise awareness among the people as Covid cases are increasing rapidly. Wearing a mask and maintaining physical distancing is very important," the artist told news agency ANI.
The man's awareness drive comes at a time when India has been battling a massive surge in Covid cases resulting in curfews and stricter rules across the country.
In Uttar Pradesh, a night curfew is in place since Thursday in Noida, Allahabad, Meerut and Ghaziabad. In Bareilly, the night curfew will be imposed from today. The country's most populous state reported 39 more COVID-19 fatalities on Thursday pushing the death count to 9,003, while 8,490 new cases took the infection tally to 6,54,404
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a meeting with Chief Ministers on Thursday, stressed on the need for creating micro-containment zones and extensive testing as a means to combat the second wave of the pandemic.
(With inputs from ANI)
