Life Under Quarantine

It was just one of the regular quarantine evenings that the nation had been accustomed to, amidst the global pandemic situation caused due to this so-called COVID19 Virus on 24th March 2020. 

Isn't it really an Irony? A virus with such a petty name is showing the impact of a nuclear Bombarding, which in this case here wasn’t just restricted to a State or a Nation but the entire human settlement all across the Globe Economies have started to shatter, Market stooping down its lowest, Death tolls shooting up with an unimaginable multiplication factor. The long-predicted World War III is seen taking shape but this time, it’s no nation affair. The World Democracies all together in unison is waging a war against an enemy that is not even visible to our naked eye.

Our country wasn’t far back in this endeavor. We had already been under partial lockdown experimenting all ways and means to curb the outbreak of the virus by educating the nation to observe social distancing, imposing a ban on public gatherings, shutting down malls, multiplexes, Offices, Sports clubs and all such mass gathering vicinities which could turn out to be a breeding ground for the virus and when ultimately even after innumerable attempts to suppress the widespread of the virus, the cases were just rising, the PM finally declared a state of Complete Lockdown of 21 days effective from midnight of 24th March 2020.

At that very moment, I had my eyes glued up to the TV Set like all others hoping to hear something Cheerful, a statement of relief, anything of a sort which would soothe the tension prevalent around me. But Alas, to my dismay I heard our PM’s concern over the reckless, insensitive behavior of certain segments of our society, disobeyal of social distancing at places which had forced the judiciary to impose a strict containment across the nation.

Shutting off the TV set, I clearly remember seeing my family looking into the eyes of each other with curious faces. After all, we had clearly understood the fact that we were told to do something, But “How to do it” we weren’t left with an answer to it nor was anyone. The next moment we heard noises from the street below. On rushing to the window pane we saw herds of people just flocking in and barging into shops for buying..Naaah!! I would rather prefer using the word hoarding groceries, dairy products, daily use items in quantities inconsumable for them. We rather preferred to stay indoors as it wouldn’t have been a noble decision to be out at that moment. The following day our CM addressed the State, putting all our  curiosities to an end. “How to do it “finally had all the answers.

Its been almost 22 days to lockdown now and we are no more terrified by the fact that we have been held up in our Houses. Thought to be a  situation of boredom, it actually turned out to be a bliss. A bliss for people like us who were running in this mad rush of earning, living an unstoppable life, a life wherein we were staying with our family but weren't living with them.

For me, these 22 days have held a memory that I would cherish for a lifetime. It helped me fulfill my long-awaited thoughts that would have never accomplished, had this not happened. I have lived these days to the fullest helping my beloved wife in all her activities, guiding my toddler brother in his studies, having long hours of Non-Stop Conversations with my family and finally finding time to pursue my passion of Writing, Sketching and a newly added one to this list cooking. Yeah, I never came face to this hidden talent of mine.

This would all come to end one day and definitely that is what all of us want. Because the picture isn't the same for all. There are people stranded far off from their families, people struggling to survive as they have no earning nor a shelter, a class of society is left with hunger. The Labor class of our nation is crossing miles on foot to be with the ones who make them feel secure. The suffering of a nation cannot be diminished and we strive hard in whatever means and ways we can to help rebuild the nation But at the end, it's this one thing we all should promise to ourselves that no matter what, we would imbibe the lessons that this lockdown would leave us with, in our lives and ensure to take time out for the things we love doing, things which actually mean to us, things we can't imagine living without because at the ends, that is all that matters.