It could be the nature’s way to avenge all wrongs that mankind has inflicted upon it, but surely 2020 will leave us wizened and chastised
Frontline warriors in Hazmat suits, patients spilling over in hospital corridors, bodies packed in plastic bags, piling up at crematoriums waiting for the last rites, 2020 was like a slice of a horrific Si-fiction movie. It was a year that made us weep as images of gut-wrenching pathos of migrants walking back home when their workplaces shut down, floated all around from news channels to social media. It was a year when mental health issues took a toll on even the successful ones as unable to cope, they settled for death by suicide. Tragedies ran a never-ending course as the pandemic brought the world down on its knees.
Inside the homes though there were the bright spots which made the discomfort bearable. There was a change in hierarchy with the youth tutoring the elderly and patriarchy crumbling as household chores got gender neutral. The kitchen got a touch of machismo as men donned the aprons and wielded the knife chopping, cutting, carving and dishing out stuff which improved with every try. They even dipped the sponge into soap to clean up afterwards.
The lady of the house was having her own moments of epiphany as she experienced the drudgery and toil of sweeping and mopping on a daily basis. Waves of repentance swamped over her as she recalled the not so gentle chiding and scolding delivered to the domestic maid. Promising to make amends and to treat them with kindness henceforth, she awaited the moment when she would be able to welcome them back.
The empty nests twittered with excited conversations and unruliness of children who had returned to continue working from home. Technology ruled as life was being lived in front of screen of a digital device and the old and young skyped, shopped and socialized online. The elderly, fighting shy of going digital, where now mastering the art of online payments, chatting and sending pics and forwards on smart phones with some guidance from the younger lot. Homes, neglected so far due to paucity of time, received a facelift in terms of maintenance, repairs and change of decors. The fall in traffic brought down pollution and with it a whiff of fresh air as skies turned a clear blue and gardens bloomed.
Reaching out
What ran deeper than all these superficial changes, was the groundswell of kindness which soaked the country all across. Charity was not confined to the rich and resourceful. It happened at every level and across economic strata. First it filled the coffers of the government as money began to pour into the PM Cares fund. But soon it moved out of government realm as individuals and organization began to help in cash and kind. Community kitchens fed hundreds of homeless and jobless people who had to move out once the lockdown was enforced. Moved by the plight of migrant workers walking hundreds of kilometers in scorching heat, corporates and institutions rallied to charter flights for them to reach home. Then there were the good Samaritans who offered their services at the cost of much personal risk, by burying those who had succumbed to the Covid-19 virus.
Not just charity, there were the frontline warriors including the medical staff and the cops who displayed immense sagacity and professionalism by putting in inhuman hours of work in the face of grave personal risk and prejudice.
Above the mundane and the humdrum, we also learnt to recognise our passions and interests. Art works, music and dance videos flooded the social media while images of gourmet recipes and baked wonders took Instagram by storm.
2020 was a year one would like to erase from memory. But I would still like to focus on the positive impact the pandemic had on us. I feel it would do us good if we hold on to the lessons it meted out as we step into a new year which sounds like 2020-WON!
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