CORONA KAAL

 

People have always wanted answers to big questions. Where did humans come from? How was the universe formed? Which came first the chicken or the egg? What is the meaning of the life we are living? These are questions that do not have explicit answers, yet people have proven to be successful in finding answers to them. But this was before an apocalypse hit us, the entire human race.

 

Now the only question that people want an answer for is “when is this getting over?” Ever since a nationwide lockdown was imposed by our Prime Minister, people have been waiting for the restrictions to ease and for things to be normal. The question I ask is “ are things ever going to be normal?” Yes, restrictions will be eased, the lockdown phase will be over, the virus will have passed but will things ever go back to the way they were before? Will the Mumbai locals be cramped with passengers? Will tourists flock in huge numbers to see Taj Mahal, the monument of love? Will devotees wait hours in line sweating profusely, with their bodies pressed against each other to catch a glimpse of Lalbaugcha Raja? We are looking towards the future with utmost uncertainty, no one can perceive what it holds for us.

 

The one positive thing that this pandemic has done is to induce the spirit of awareness, the constant want of people to know what is doing the rounds from government schemes to the global fight in formulating a vaccine. According to a statistical data released by the Wall Street Journal, the number of people consuming news in the United States alone has seen a surge of 57%. Although the average level of trust that people across countries have in media is 44% , at this point of time in world history people can only rely on media sources for information.

 

All this leaves us wondering what life was like before this struck us.

 

Other than that it has also made us hygienic. Washing our hands every time we enter our house or are about to eat, covering our mouth every time sneeze or for that matter when someone else sneezes too. These habits have now become a part of us. I

This pandemic calls for solidarity, the oneness of all Indians, but most of all it requires trust in our government. We can fight this together. Stay home, stay safe.