Fighting With The Unknown Enemy

Renu was always busy in her work soon after she joined the first job at the MNC, selected through the campus interview. She had put her best efforts while studying computer science at one of the best engineering colleges in her city and come out with flying colors. She is very keen to know the happenings around the world and very much proficient in the subject she learned, because of which she could land in a job which she aspired for.

She did her work with much passion and enthusiasm at the office. All of her colleagues were busy in their own work and had hardly any occasion to rejoice and to party. She took the time to update herself in the domain of her job.

It took almost an hour to reach her office in the morning from her residence and another one hour and a half for the return journey from office. Bu that too she enjoyed, as there was no other way but to travel to the local train and metro.  

When she heard about the novel coronavirus, spreading in China, she never thought that it will be spreading all over the world so fast and to India. The virus was later named as COVID19, by the WHO. There were many jokes, circulating in the WhatsApp, about the virus, in the initial period. But slowly, the jokes about the virus turned into serious video lectures by doctors and other scientists. Every layman tried to upload their own versions about the disease and its possible ways of preventing it. Whatsapp and other social media were flooded with forwarded fake messages, including that purported to have been originated from WHO and real ones, because of which Renu was confused as to which one is original. She ignored those who were not authenticated.

When she heard about the use of sanitizers and hand washes to prevent the virus, she carried a bottle of sanitizer to her office, in her bag and washed her hands every half an hour with the hand wash already available in the office and applied sanitizer, whenever her laptop met with network problems, while trying to solve some important issues. As her office had plenty of extra space, the seating arrangements were changed to accommodate the staff, in such a way that everybody maintained social distancing. She bought a few masks also and started wearing one whenever she leaves home.

It was really a bolt from the blue when the lockdown was announced by the Government to contain the Covid 19 virus. But, Renu knew it was the need of the hour to save human lives, as there is no medicine or vaccine to cure. Some countries had bitter experiences of losing so many lives, by delaying the enforcement of lockdown. We lost only a few lives, taking the appropriate steps at the right time, she thought. Now she is confined to her home 24/7.

Renu has now decided to wear masks always when she goes out and wear gloves whenever she buys vegetables from the market. Her family now discontinued buying any non-vegetarian items for consumption.

She continues to work from home during the lockdown without much difficulty because her office lap carries also the necessary data to work for. Other colleagues in the IT team, made her work easy by providing all the technical support needed.

She being a computer engineer, continues her work from home and she believes her employer will permit her to work from home, even after the crisis is over and start a normal life. She thinks everyone has to adapt to the new norms for work and life. She even wears a mask some time despite working at home.   

She has now learned to live a simple life with the bare minimum wants and without any lavish spending as done earlier. She could spend more time with the family members now. She now teaches her parents and aged cousins how to operate the PC for net banking, on-line purchase of essential items including medicines, via e-commerce platforms. Now she tries her cooking skills, during her spare time.

She thinks these hard times will also pass and hopes for a better tomorrow. She intends to meet her colleagues soon after the lockdown is lifted. She is eager to visit her relatives living at other various places, once everything becomes normal.

She strongly believes that everyone will overcome this pandemic by fighting with all our strength with this unknown enemy and we all shall create a better world to live in, with more compassion and love for each other.'