In the words of Anne Frank,
“Dead people receive more flowers than living as regret is stronger than gratitude.”
I slept peacefully that day, thinking of all the food that I will cook & devour, the video games I would play and the songs I would listen to on loop. Ironically, the show had just begun, as the country was going behind the curtain for a week. Unlike the actual symbolism of the curtain in drama, the real show had sparked behind the curtains for us.
Clouds of loneliness had set in and drops of shattered dreams were about to drizzle. Many people feared the aftermath - the pain of hunger on the faces of their innocent kids, loss of livelihood and an abrupt pause on their income. The ones living on the road were expecting some company. Well, who doesn’t like company? But thanks to my privilege, I had nothing to do except to lie on my bed till afternoon, get up lazily and do nothing. I listened to my playlist and binged almost every show I came across. I had nothing to bother about as my papers were postponed.
The masses, (including the elderly ones who once enjoyed the regressive daily soaps) were glued to television (news to be precise). Amidst all of this, the age-old Ramayana and Mahabharata have aired once again, reminding people of the powers of the almighty. It felt as if the fall of humanity had begun - cash crunch, people losing lives, broken families, the ultimate test of love and friendship happened during this time.
Games like Ludo were never so fun. Some games and social media handles that helped us survive are banned now but back then, were the only source of entertainment. We prayed for Italy, a place once known for the famous painting ‘The Birth of Venus’ but made up to the headlines as a major center for the outbreak of the deadly virus.
We reached the point of time when we lost many gems of our film industry, including a young man whose public character assassination continues under the veil of justice. The Indian media lost its respect and so did the ruling party (Bihar elections, if you remember). And of course, the ever-loving neighboring countries that have never let us get bored.
Donald Duck is my favorite from the Mickey Mouse series. Though it may not make any sense over here, I enjoyed watching it. Comfort show, as we call it. The long wait to The Dooms Day got over and the day class 12th examination results declared. Things turned out in my favor, for the first time I suppose, I got what I wanted; Dooms Day wasn’t so bad after all. It became an excuse to catch up with faraway relatives.
I would like to skip a part here, starting my college life because remote learning hasn’t been any fun. A few days back when my friends and I thought that we would finally meet, our destiny said fuck you to all of us. Now, we are back to the blank screen of our electronic devices. Once again we have to tap multiple times on the screen of our devices in a particular pattern to make “full use” of online teaching and call those lazy friends to get their attendance marked just to realize how meaningless life has become.
As humans, we are always evolving. I don’t know whether ‘evolve’ is the correct term but I believe the pandemic has changed us all in ways more than one. Our bodies took a lot of time to adapt to our lifestyle in the pandemic. This was a time for self-reflection for me and now, I feel, I am prepared for challenges that adulating will throw at me. I know it sounds weird and insensitive but the pandemic brought a much-needed pause in my life. Yes, that’s the only silver lining – all of us found something during this difficult time. We all found our broken pieces.
Well, we are in the second wave and the virus has got out of hand now. It has started targeting families on a much larger level. One just cannot stay positive now because of the worsening situation of our country. It feels like the curse of Sisyphus. I never texted ‘stay safe’ to so many people and never prayed for so many people. It hurts to see that even medical professionals are crying over their helpless condition. Humanity is on its way to rock bottom now. I fear talking to people now, as I pre-empt that something related to the deadly virus is going to be discussed in a minute or so. I feel suffocated, I feel sad. Maybe my tears can heal a few souls, the bodies of those who couldn’t find peace even after their passing away.
We are living in uncertainty and it's high time now that steps are taken to avoid the ultimate death of thousands of people. One dead body becomes a reason for the cremation of five others. We’re playing a crying game – we all lose but the winners, well, make it to the graveyard.
Amazing!
Great one, Saahil!