Day 18 – The Jumper Problem – #IndiaFightsCorona #Lockdown21

Ever since COVID-19 has created havoc in the world, there are different kind of intelligence that is visible, largely on social media. This group is very much interested in different kind of capacity problems and do a great favour in quelling some irrelevant myths floating around.

Here are few things that this group of intellects has highlighted –

• In the initial days, while the world was still coming to terms with the reality of COVID-19 and its impact on our everyday lives. The group compared India against a skewed data set and concluded that India is faltering in its ‘capacity’ of testing.
• Some went on to question the entire selective testing strategy citing that this was purposefully being done by the government.
• The image below is from March 17 HT.

• Right or wrong the strategy to have selective testing seems to have worked in India’s favor so far. Besides, proximity to China had put severe risks to South Korea as compared to India.
• Anyway, the second capacity problem that the intellects grappled with is whether the clapping and utensils banging going to eradicate COVID-19?
• No one made any such claims but the intellects helped in quelling any doubt being circulated about this on whatsapp or other social media.
• Next came the real test of capacity planning when PM Modi announced that on April 5, 2020 at 9 p.m. people should shut down the lights at their houses for 9 months and light diyas, candles and mobile phone torch lights instead.
• The intellects immediately jumped in with their varied level of expertise in Electrical Engineering to cite grid failure.
• The national Power Grid custodian had to issue a clarification to all the warriors that this is not an unusual activity.
• Everything went smoothly on April 5, 2020 and there was no grid failure or power tripping or any kind of voltage fluctuation or low ampere current.

The new-enlightened me understands the line of thought and the typical analysis that goes behind this type of cold calling on the capacity problems.

With this new found logic, I think there would be two unique but similar type of problems that will happen in the country.

Both are the ‘Jumper Capacity’ Problem.

• Taking the multiple logical conclusions given above, one can hypothesize that the day lock down gets over, we would run short of car jumpers.
• Car jumpers are specialized external probes that help in triggering a car battery, after prolonged period of non-ignition.
• So, its fair to assume that there would be a disproportionate demand of car jumpers and more so for the ones that come with a battery.
• The regular car jumpers may not be able to solve the problem alone as we would not have another car to kick start the chemical reaction.
• This to me is the next horizon for our Whatsapp knowledge factory champions.

The other and the more serious ‘Jumper Capacity’ problem is the one required for the Indian and world economy. With stalled consumption, no factories running, credit lending frozen, no tourism etc, we have a serious problem in hand.

In my blog coming soon, I shall try to put some thoughts on the more serious ‘Jumper Capacity ‘ problem i.e. the one required for the economy.

Till we meet next, keep reading 🙂