“Auroville must start a COVID-19 awareness drive for its employees”

“Vaccination lag in rural India points to a looming crisis” runs the May 19 front page article of The Hindu, one of India’s national newspapers. “In a time that the second COVID-19 wave shows signs of easing, the spread of cases in rural areas and the relatively lower vaccination numbers there points to a burgeoning crisis.” The article mentions that by May 14th only 12% to 15% of the inhabitants of rural India had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, as against an estimated 30% of residents of urban and 19% in semi-urban areas. “The lower vaccination numbers in semi-rural and rural areas suggest that the impact of the pandemic will be more severe there,” it warns. 

“The article reflects the situation in the villages around Auroville,” says M. Muthukumari, a Tamil Aurovilian who for the last 12 years has been conducting yoga-based wellbeing workshops in ten villages around Auroville. “In my workshop, COVID issues inevitably come up. It appears that there are many villagers who have mild COVID-like symptoms, but they refuse to go for testing. They are afraid that if they would test positive, they will be isolated in a quarantine facility and that’s what they don’t want. They feel safer at home and prefer to treat their symptoms with herbs and steam inhalation. But as social distancing at home is not possible as people live together in small houses, infection may spread very easily.” 

Vaccination is not easily accepted. “The main reasons are fear and lack of proper information,” says Muthukumari. “People are afraid of possible side-effects or say that the vaccination offers no guarantee.” One reason for the suspicion is the death of the popular Tamil film star, Vivek, last month. A strong proponent of the COVID vaccines, he received the vaccine together with the state’s Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan and other government officials. But the next day he died from a massive cardiac arrest. Though Radhakrishnan said in a press meet that Vivek’s cardiac arrest had no connection to the COVID vaccine, the fear and hesitancy continues.

Tamil Nadu has had a long history of vaccine hesitancy. According to the National Family Health Survey-4 (2014-16), the coverage of basic vaccines in the state was 69 per cent, despite some of the best health indicators. A 2019 Chennai-based study, published in the Indian Journal of Community Medicine, said: “The main drivers for vaccine hesitancy (in Tamil Nadu) were skepticism against newer vaccines, concerns about safety and fear of adverse effects, and the feeling that vaccines against uncommon diseases are not necessary.”

In Auroville there are widely differing opinions on vaccination. “The employees are getting contradictory messages,” says Muthukumari. “They see that many Aurovilians have chosen to get vaccinated and that they are not suffering from any serious side-effects. But they are also aware that some Aurovilians are actively propagating that vaccines are unsafe or that there is no need to get vaccinated.” 

The Government of Tamil Nadu, says Muthukumari, will soon start a massive vaccination campaign. But, Auroville, too, can offer support, for example by organising workshops or talks about COVID-19 and vaccinations. “It is a very stressful time. Many Auroville employees have lost their job due to the pandemic and the lockdowns; if this pandemic continues others may lose their job as well. They also see the effects of COVID around them. A workshop will help them to better understand the pros and cons of vaccination for themselves and their families and overcome their fears. I have been giving such workshops at a few places in Auroville, last month for the employees of Creativity. I was amazed to learn how little they actually knew and how confused they were. At the end of the workshop, many were more positive and confident.”

Muthukumari is concerned about the possible heavy impact of COVID-19 on the villagers in view of the changing lifestyles she has witnessed. “When I started my work 12 years ago, people were connected with nature; they ate organic food, did much physical work, and treated any illness with oil baths and locally-available herbs and ate steamed foods. This was a traditionally healthy lifestyle. But that’s fast disappearing. People now consume more fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages, and alcoholism is on the rise. The unhealthy diets, the physical inactivity and the harm from alcohol can cause comorbid health conditions which are a high risk factor in this pandemic.” 

Her health and healing workshops address these issues, except alcohol addiction which can be treated at the Mother Care Foundation Rehab and Deaddiction Center in nearby Kottakuppam. “My work is part of the work of the Thamarai Learning and Cultural Centre, a unit of Auroville’s Village Action. Thamarai interacts with the Kottakuppam de-addiction centre when required.”

Many Auroville employees consider Auroville as ‘family’,” says Muthukumari. “They are happy to come to work, as Auroville shows them how they can develop themselves and gives them many opportunities. They will be grateful if their unit or their community would help them to better understand the COVID situation, the importance of vaccination and the need of following safety protocols. It will contribute to the sense of belonging. It is in our common interest.”