A year after: A nation altered by the viral second wave

India has the highest seven-day Covid-19 case trajectory seen in any country and the grim distinction of most single-day infections in any country ever since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. With a dearth of key drugs, beds and the return of restrictions across major cities, the nation is coping with its own contradictions.
Curated By: Madhu Kapparath
Published: Apr 22, 2021
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Image by : Amit Verma

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On February 21 last year, Sunil Rampuria hosted a vibrant group of Italian tourists at Gaj Kesri, his elegant art hotel in Bikaner. Two weeks later, the Italians, journeying onward on the tourist circuit tested positive for the coronavirus, the early cases in the news that triggered contact tracing. The hotel went into a complete lockdown, with most of the Bengali staff leaving for home. When Gaj Kesri reopened in early November, sporadic guests from New Delhi-NCR and a few destination weddings kept them afloat. "But the situation now looks worse than last year," says Rampuria, "we live in the hope that there will be good times too".