Can it be the new world?

An annual vacation was long due and almost left out in 2019 due to the busy schedule. The frequent visits planned to hometown also hit a pause as exams closed in. The travel group had zeroed in on an all terrain Malaysian trip covering the jungles to beaches to cities to hamlets by April end post. This was after a long deliberation which got us all exhausted.

The MBA exam dates were pushed from then to unknown as university had its own battle. As the Malaysian trip was getting closer, out of nowhere the university declared that the exam will be conducted in Sikkim in the university campus. Finally a travel to Sikkim via Bagdogra and Siliguri to Rangpo was inevitable and saw me staying in university hostel and living the real student life once again. While no sanitizers were available anywhere throughout my journey, I had stocked enough considering that villain who was troubling some neighboring countries by then.

The lazy me had scheduled single exam a day to enjoy the exams, get good sleep and as always study whole syllabus without any exam tension. I had been immune to the happenings of the outside world as the exams were on my head and isolated in the hostel room overlooking the valleys of Sikkim with beautiful mountains to distance beyond imagination. However once 3 exams were done, the university called to the exam center and shared the life outside my current world. This virus was growing popular and Sikkim government had given two additional days to conduct exams. 

Ironically this was the first ever time I booked a flexi-flight ticket thinking of a Sikkim and Darjeeling trip, if time permits. There was not many options put forward but one more day we are allowed to be in hostel and had to vacate. The only default option was write two more exams that very day. This didn't leave me with much time but wondered how life will be outside and as always wished by the time I was done with exams the virus will be tamed and forgotten. 

First scare came when the university campus hospital did a test on me and said total 5 points allowed and 4 you get if you travel from a particular state to the campus. I was left with just a point to play with which was given if I happen to have a cold, cough, breathing difficulty or any which symptom they chose to consider. Me being well known for breathing difficulties by birth, decided to take that ride on the luck that carries us when we are out of our hometown. The nurse gave me a reason to worry when she asked me to stay back when other students were allowed to leave to rooms. Fortunately her constant efforts to prove me sick didn't work out and I started realizing that there is something different in this villain that the people are really getting serious.

The exams were given as planned by university completely opposite to my original plan and gave three university exam a day sitting morning, afternoon and evening with office calls in between. Next day a long drive back to Bagdogra was in the making. Without exaggeration the Sikkim borders closed behind me for no entry and exit. Let's call it another spade of luck for now or the prayers of our beloved pious world working. 

After an overnight stay in Bagdogra, came to work town where there was no thermal check or stamping on wrist for travel. I had gathered that mild symptoms could mean life taking a different direction. My heart filled with self doubt of clearing this health exam considering the weather I was returning from. I landed with a tautness in my heart and fear in my mind. Be it the villain himself or the world around, the exit to the taxi stand was a long one where in reality no one cared about this lonely soul being mobile. 

From the time the flight landed, the office calls had kept me busy and didn't realize that I had reached home with a suitcase full of clothes to be thrown to laundry. Multitude of things to be sanitized and could be potentially dangerous. Many things were thrown to the mid day harsh super star the Sun in the balconies of my apartment to do its job of virus killing while we handled the clothes like a hazardous chemical being worked upon in those unknown labs in hidden corners of the world. Office for some reason had asked me to stay at home for others safety as I returned from Sikkim which was yet to open the account for the unseen enemy attack. While Sikkim guys let me in while coming from this work town who had already opened its account. This was a new counter set on the paradoxes that was in store from then on. The world had started to say the magic number of fourteen everywhere by then. But I had to be at work  next Monday to sort out the future for my team and the grand next steps. Monday was quick and by then Tuesday had come, new sunshine had come bringing the new way the world would live while I was busy in the opaque cubes of IT life which often showered emails, rang non stop calls and meetings without knowing whether world had gone to sleep, beautiful raindrops had kissed the dry grass or the real catastrophe had struck the world or finally was it too late to board the Noah's ark. 

As some not so brilliant move, the government suggested people to travel and be safe with their family for the upcoming festival in March. My world was busy crowding the bus stands and railway stations as they never knew probably that was a one way ticket for many. By now India had declared that no one should be coming out of house and it would be a complete lockdown!

Until then I had always wished our police really enforced the rules religiously so this country gets some discipline. The order in chaos as people claim about India was never something I believed. But I was fascinated to see the dedication and duty bound officers of my country suddenly coming to life as an activated sleeper cell of assassins. People finally started fearing the police but still not the real microscopic villain. Many Indians found ways to sell things, open shops, backdoor sales, liquor black market and what not to capitalize and save for their future generations.

The opportunistic sellers flourished as the panic buyers blossomed in every corner as mushrooms in rain. Often the fear of not getting enough food and water made people buy and pile more than the shut government warehouses. As a result of which the country started to consume more and began the endless growth of the waistline graph. This continuous hunting and eating made people acquire more to add these assets of junk food to the portfolio of their kitchen. The portfolio was filled with non performing assets, by now we had started to hear that immunity boosting Vitamin C and D can protect us. 

Every lemon in the locality was squeezed with immense intent to save the lives of the people by the believers. While people continued to hide from Vitamin D due to the fear of police and a spread of virus. Meanwhile many predicted the food in India will get exhausted and the purchase cost is going to go high. This reinstated the panic buying to the benefit of the shopkeepers who probably successfully spread it like butter on toasted bread. 

The whole world had started to work from home and IT companies had declared to the media and planets beyond that this is the best way of working and many will be doing it forever. While we were yet to get our restricted special power computers delivered, company tasked me to test and setup 26 systems in one day as we couldn't bring more people to office due to safety issues. Now that it was hardly a week from my Sikkim adventure, I was as always ready for next.  

With the latest news from internet media, companies are welcoming a work from home culture in India. Employees love them to be with family and home towns and employers for thinner real estate and other infrastructure cost. A country where power cuts are decided by the amount of rainfall and the strength of the wind, a country where internet bandwidth is promised and shown only in the graphs of the speed test website, a country where phone networks die out shamelessly while we keep porting to newer providers endlessly hoping for better reception, our leaders had promised a work from home India to the world! This is the beauty of positive thinking!

The planet had started to change and its people too, everybody started enjoying their time with family with dedicated work hours. It was probably the best break most working class people ever had since they started their rat race. But in few weeks the media was filled with panics due to religious issues, panics due to travel restrictions, panics due to various other factors where hunger being a major one. The people working from home suddenly understood there are many who needs to be fed and we need to contribute to the society for this perk to keep a healthy world around us. The truth is just that we never cared while all these were always there. Suddenly we found a new purpose to help the needy whom we willingly chose to ignore earlier while we were caught up with our rush to succeed in life as someone had already told us that its a competition only few succeed.

All the travel modes were restricted for couple of months and people were getting into the rhythm of content living when they realized that there was really no need of multiplexes, luxury discos and various other luxuries that modern world had sold to them for few decades now. The basic necessities of food and shelter was in popular demand once again while everything else was secondary. Then there came a narrow window to sell the spirits of the holy world which brought miraculously laid high spirits on our population. The panic buy pattern was seen again in it, presuming that no more such window would come again. The world had started to see animal life flourish on the planet again, the endangered animals coming out in open and spread their message. We had slowly started accepting the fact that we humans were the one destroying the planet Earth and had kept our astronomical world busy to find the next planet so that the destruction can be extended as we have now mastered it!

We were almost buying into the idea in between the beating of plates at 9 p.m. for the angry virus to get frightened and run away while we showed our togetherness to the world. We were made to believe that it was matter of few months and told to put ourselves into the deep freezer until the virus disappears. The world around us had started fighting it head-on while we were hiding in the comfort of our living rooms watching the TV series that we never knew existed. The medical workers, the police, the enforcement, the people who now started getting respect from general public were all in the game of fighting it while we kept waiting for it to finally get bored of us and just disappear. Many articles predicted a disappearance, some ridiculed Chinese gave a fake strand of the virus to India, some were already raging internet wars on China, some others working on hate blogs, while many YouTubers and Vloggers worked on new comedy to keep us engaged and entertained. 

By then we had acquired every single mask we can get hold off in the neighborhood and every single type and brand of sanitizers we could think off. Our greed for these life savers reached a new height which reminded me of  my colleagues laughing at me for keeping a sanitizer with me while working all these years at office desk. Things had changed and every trip to local markets needed a mask and frequent sanitizing. While many paradoxes were noted until now, it was interesting to see that the safe distance boxes and the neglect they often received and population which doesn't allow a safe distance as a matter of fact the density doesn't allow it. I mean the over populated country where parents and family are still busy promoting second and third child for personal investments and future growth. In reality, the investment just gets split among many kids, be it time or money and finally none reaping the profit the envisioned before starting the project.

In vegetable shops, our aunties would select and deselect every single item with ease, like a check box on your big basket app touching and spreading their touches everywhere. Every single Vitamin C  was touched before the selection of one after discounted driven negotiations. We continued following some bloggers and articles requiring us to wash with turmeric and hot water and sun light and many such acts which needs its own blog. But the fear kept us busy doing it, and of course constant shopping was inevitable as daily we had started to try new dishes and snacks. 

Whole world started baking suddenly that the all purpose flour and yeast had become most sought after, the celebrity world was busy publishing their cakes and bakeries as they were sure stardom was sinking with no movies or parties. The Page 3 had started to share the past glories while recent masked faces and cloth clad bodies never got any attention they wanted. Some advised in public to stay home and secretly conducted parties, while others openly challenged all conducting the way they want. The result was as expected the contact of the contract killer in the town who had by now got acquainted with our ways and had acquired the license to kill! 

India relaxed the lockdown and got their public back to streets with the realization that this was the beginning of the new end of life for many but being a population rich country or maybe businesses couldn't hang on more as they were cutting loses and credits mounting with government defaults incurred, many of the lock down rules were dissolved. The masks were now used like Indians used helmets, in front of police, on their hands, necks and pockets. 

There was a sudden surge in the sales of the cycles probably everyone started thinking more cycling is more health or not sure any article/vlog came on it. But now roads are filled with cyclists and morning walkers, early risers had increased and yoga packets are selling as hot cakes online. People avoid public contact but do group activities in apartment complexes and I don't want to call it a paradox, it is up to your judgement. 

We want others to wear a mask but we will only wear when we have enough oxygen in our lungs. We have really learned to live simple during these times that we are happy with a neck protector cloth but no mask..The religions are tested now, the faith is pushed hard and Gods are busy praying for our good, but no one can save us but us. - you reap what you sow and the rudeness with which we treated this earth, we need to learn it the harsh way.

With the many first time events, we were the first to start the work back from office too. The office was no more the same, restricted work place, highly maintained social distance, frequent sanitizing, full day masks, no physical meetings or shared keyboards, it was completely new world. But even when many still thinks working sitting in a lonely office at home is fun and spending time with family alone. We cherishes seeing each other from far and sharing a joke from twenty feet distance with no risks to anyone. Then came the Sunday lock down from the brilliance of the best of brains in the country, this led to crowded streets of Friday and Saturday with no way to avoid a contact or catch a cold from a flu carrier. People started celebrating their freedom once again post 1947 suddenly without remembering that the virus was still at large.

We were busy ridiculing the world around and their inability to contain, meanwhile we started hitting the peak daily and breaking prior records, wish our stock market moved like these numbers daily even though there are no avenues to spend it anymore. The lack of respect for each other, be it family or friends made many hundreds spread to thousands while thousands worked on ten thousands. 

Until now we were contact tracing faster than CIA and was proud, but now we understood why other countries were not working on undercover to find out whom you met and what you did but contain yourself. Altogether we did brilliant to hold back but now it seems to be getting out of our hands. We are the only one who can contain it and we have to contain ourselves for it. The world might change completely as every century our ignored planet witnesses a pandemic but we humans doesn't seem to change at all. Now the roads are normal, markets are normal, sales are normal, Alas! - we have a long way to go before we are sane and ready for this new normal.

The work has to go on, the world has to move on, the mind needs new stories to be busy on...Am sure we all share many stories and now eagerly waiting for zoom meeting with those lost friends of ours whom in reality we hardly cared to find but now this friend of ours in the form of virus had made us learn that what we need always is each other and the love we share. We always treated the world as we only mattered and rest all is temporary but this danger man is teaching us now, if we disrespect him we also will be temporary in this world! 

It can never be stopped as there is no end to it as there was no beginning to it. I never had to name the villain as the world have only one common enemy who is there at large lurking each streets, day and night, waiting for next victim. We need to be together than ever while we stay alone and fight in silo!

This beautiful pandemic times had taught us one important lesson of all, we need memories to live and not materials alone. What keeps us going today is the nostalgia, the childhood memories, the college naughtiness and collages of yesteryear. We need to paint more colors to the otherwise empty canvas of our life which is just busy piling up the banks. We long today to travel more, our desires to be with our loved ones are endless today and we now feel choked with the overflowing self-love which we had almost forgotten to a level that it never existed. The world will be different tomorrow and it will be a new world, and the reason is nothing else but us, as we disagree to see it how we saw it! Hope whoever is left will be make up for whatever is left in their lives!  

Let's live like we have COVID-19 and protect others from us. And treat others as they have COVID-19 and protect ourselves from the invisible enemy - The Virus.