The government of India has recently had to deal with a significant number of naysayers who claim to have problems with its choice of vaccine. They say there weren’t enough tests conducted to gauge its efficacy and have been asking for answers to a whole lot of annoying questions. The government has, quite rightly, refused to be open about how it chose these vaccines, why they were selected over other options, and whether they work as well as their manufacturers claim they do. It has also, rightly, refused to hold open press conferences to address these concerns. Everyone knows, by now, that press conferences are overrated. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time we had one.

As anyone who bothers to read this column regularly will testify — my thanks to all five of you readers — I have always been a staunch supporter of secrecy as far as the government is concerned. We have been taught to ask too many questions in the years since the British left our shores, and this habit has now grown to alarming proportions. We ask for information constantly, and I believe this has begun to affect the speed at which wheels turn in our already-slow country.