ABSTRACT
Kerala’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020-21 has brought to the forefront two aspects regarding the role of the leadership. One was the inspirational role played by its first woman Health Minister, Ms K.K. Shailaja, “Teacher”, 1 and her team consisting of public officials drawn from across the state and the police. The other was the effectiveness of bottom-up initiatives involving people at the grass roots. As a result of these the preparedness, planning and implementation proved more effective than the top down, talk down one-person centric approach.
