Ruchira looks back at the year 2020, the global pandemic. It changed our lives and lifestyles. An exclusive for Different Truths.
The departing year 2020 will go down in the history of the world as the blackest and worst one in living memory. It will not be erroneous to say that this year humanity faced the biggest ever catastrophe since the end of World War II seventy-five years ago. At some point of time or the other, most nations across the globe have grappled with manifold disasters – famine, deluge, earthquake, cyclones, pestilence, forest fires, and more. Only this time it was one of a kind, unprecedented. And the form which it assumed went beyond human imagination. Corona or Covid 19 quietly tiptoed out of snowbound China last winter, spreading its tentacles and claws across the length and breadth of the globe. Mankind was taken aback, rendered utterly helpless as the silent sinister, formidable adversary strode the world like a Colossus laying its icy hands on kings and paupers alike.
For sixty days and more (depending on individual countries), life came to a standstill, globally. Vehicular traffic thinned, streets looked deserted and empty.
For sixty days and more (depending on individual countries), life came to a standstill, globally. Vehicular traffic thinned, streets looked deserted and empty. Schools, colleges, and educational institutes closed, as did malls, gyms, and multiplexes; markets, grocery stores yielded place to online supplies and deliveries. Hand washes, sanitisers flew off the shelves thick and fast. Restaurants, eateries, and pubs also shut shop.
People remained cooped up within their homes. Forced leisure, idleness, lack of movement, space, and privacy made people jittery. Sparks flew by the dozens in many cases culminating in mental disorders, domestic violence, and divorces. Worldwide, economies of even powerful prosperous nations nosedived, resulting in job loss, retrenchment, slashed salaries and similar grim situations. The tourism industry too received a severe jolt.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, new trends and lifestyles have evolved and are here to stay. Who could have imagined tiny tots barely out of their diapers, being taught online?
In the aftermath of the pandemic, new trends and lifestyles have evolved and are here to stay. Who could have imagined tiny tots barely out of their diapers, being taught online? Social distancing has compelled employees in most sectors to work from home, their office comprising nothing beyond a desk, a computer/laptop, not forgetting wi-fi connection of course. Most establishments have learned to cope with skeletal staff. In fact, some globally renowned top-notch companies are mulling the idea of incorporating WFH into their work culture for good.
The year 2020 also witnessed an overwhelming, unending saga of deaths. In villages, towns, and cities cutting across continents, Covid victims went down like ninepins. Viral deaths were supplemented by suicides and deaths linked to ailments and old age. The list of names tossed up in this context includes footballer Maradona, political bigwigs Pranab Mukherji and Motilal Vora, noted danseuse Amala Shanker, Bollywood glitterati Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Sushant Singh Rajput, and choreographer Saroj Khan. Covid also claimed the life of Tollywood thespian poet and littérateur Soumitra Chatterji. I am sure many would agree with me that Covid could have been tamed earlier if only the general public had faithfully adhered to social distancing and wearing masks. Instead, common people seemed to run amuck both during the lockdown phases and afterward. Flouting rules and throwing vigil to the winds people mingled in public places unabashed and maskless. In case you thought only Indians were unruly, undisciplined, then think again. The overall picture was the same everywhere.
Personnel associated with the healthcare industry deserve special mention. Risking their lives notwithstanding, they rendered yeoman’s service to the masses.
Personnel associated with the healthcare industry deserve special mention. Risking their lives notwithstanding, they rendered yeoman’s service to the masses, testing, treating, nursing them around the clock.
Covid 19 is still at large; lockdowns are being re-clamped in areas /countries with soaring cases. The vaccination process is already implemented, but doubts regarding its efficacy and success rate linger. Roadblocks continue to appear in the shape of new strains/mutants of the virus. Nevertheless, the worst seems to be over. And it is only a matter of time before Covid 19 is wiped off the face of the planet. On this positive note let us look forward to a bright, sunny, and Corona-free 2021!
Visual by Different Truths
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