“I’m sorry, Earth is closed today.”
Most of the world is under lockdown, some absolute and some partial, with people reeling in their houses. With no end in sight and time aplenty, I thought, why not write about the situation itself. Let’s see how this pandemic panned out for me and the world.
A couple of weeks before the lockdown began in India when things were normal, and there were people on the streets, I had returned to my home. I had a week-long break for Holi celebrations. The situation was far worse in countries like China, Italy, South Korea, etc. but India was yet to feel the heat. With no idea about a week-long break going to turn into an indefinite lockdown, I had brought few things back home. Few pairs of clothes, almost no daily accessories, and (a major bummer!) a single book TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking. Thank you, Mr. Chris Anderson (the author), for a great book and making the lockdown a little bearable.
But then the situation started changing. Sensing a lockdown approaching, the first thing I did was, I went and watched Pixar’s Onward in the theatre. Oh! I love movies and couldn’t miss a Pixar one. But, I now realize I should have been a little more far-sighted and stacked up books from the local library, done some shopping, and met my friends when I still could. Meanwhile, the condition around the globe was worsening, and the number of cases was increasing rapidly. India had begun witnessing a rise in cases, initially among those from abroad or those who had been abroad. But soon, they were reported even among the locals.
And then came the grim announcement — “India is to witness a nation-wide lockdown for 21 days from 25th March 2020 to 14th April 2020”. People started dashing to grab essentials. A couple of days in and everything started silencing up. The only news that the media houses had were of this pandemic. I started reading books, learning something or the other from MOOCs, and watching movies and series. I continued writing my articles related to cinema and society. My parents and I play indoor games like Scrabble, Uno, etc. every night. I was trying my best to make my lockdown productive and was advising the same to my friends. I agree that I am an introvert, so the lockdown didn’t affect me as much as it did to my other friends. But, I asked them to make their lockdown worthwhile and stop regretting. I wrote a poem titled ‘This Too Shall Pass’ to motivate anyone stumped by such bleak circumstances.
I agree this is a different environment and setting for everyone. Online meetings, lectures, classes, webinars, etc. seem to have taken the place of physical sessions and interactions. But this is good, at least in the given situation. We are not stopping and ready to continue our jobs and duties from our homes. More importantly, I salute the doctors, healthcare workers, civil servants, police force, and anyone out there, who go out and do their duty. They are risking their own lives but continuing to serve society. We must support such professionals, who despite the odds, are helping humanity battle the demons of COVID-19. We are determined to succeed even if natural causes thwart us, and this speaks a lot about the human spirit.
I look at this lockdown as a chance to learn something about managing our homes. We are all good at managing our offices, events, and so much more, but it is our parents, who for years, have maintained our ‘home sweet home’. Let’s use this chance to learn something from them and help them with everyday chores. This will also help us bond with them and create some good memories. Family time is the best time, and let’s cherish it while we are together for so many days.
Then came 14th April 2020. The day we were all waiting for — the ‘supposed’ end to the lockdown. But, both, fortunately (the situation was still bad) and unfortunately, the lockdown now stands extended till 3rd May 2020 in India. Everyone is worried about the future. People, everywhere, are losing jobs, the rate of unemployment has gone up, millions are unemployed, the economy is down, and of course, people are dying. Those who are not are worried that they might be next. Many consulting firms have predicted a recession since all the economies have tumbled. It might take a while to come out of the pit of this pandemic. But, we must not lose heart.
Humankind has faced worse in the past and has successfully navigated through those challenges. World Wars, The Great Depression, and much more have marked our history pages, but with the right spirit and determination, we have risen again, even more, prosperous and developed than before. That’s what we need — Optimism. Everyone is playing their role well and will continue to do so. But it is the spirit to continue to do that, which matters. We must all stay united in such difficult and tumultuous times. Away, isolated, in our houses, but still united. These are times when we must support one another. It is just a matter of time and right-doing on our part, and before we know, we will come back stronger.
