Somrita Chatterjee

Abstract Drama Inspirational

3  

Somrita Chatterjee

Abstract Drama Inspirational

The Cursed Pandemic

The Cursed Pandemic

6 mins
65


Ira was working on the new assignments that have been on the mailbox on the current week. She was thinking it to be Thursday and an additional weekday would let her jump into her weekend. The entire office was filled with conversations around the Covid- a new Novel Corona virus which had started spreading across nations in the world. Ira was not bothered. She was thinking to finish her work on time.

Oh then she gets an email on the meeting invite for Thursday with the Onshore Team.

“Damn it, it’s still Wednesday”- Ira sighed.

Ira turned back and rested on the chair. She could hear three people having conversations on the Covid.


“Hey, sorry for the interruption, but what is this tranche regarding this Covid, why it is so much in the news- its really on the nerves now.”- Ira interrupted.

“Ira, this is really serious- entire organization is really thinking to introduce BCP(Business Continuity Planning) across all locations. That means we may need to work from home if they provide us with systems and honestly no one knows what this virus is, how deadly it is, what are the impacts and how long this gonna be there. Hope you are following the news. The Managers and leadership are having continuous meetings on this.” – Prakash replied.


Ira signed again. “Was she too casual about it? “ Was she really not thinking this could impact the livelihood, the economy and more importantly the lives of each and every citizen across the country?”

“I will come back to you guys”- Ira replied to the folks.

After a couple of hours, Ira made a move to finish the day and go to her home. It was around 10 pm. She grabbed a coffee and slowly went to the parking lot. Her mind was probably jammed on the thoughts of the conversations of the pandemic. She drove home.


The next morning, she prepared herself a bright, hot cup of tea and went through the national news. The news was everywhere. She couldn’t believe it. She went through all the articles on how it has affected countries like Italy, China, UK and has probably hit India and the US now. She saw disturbing videos. She went through all the most probable symptoms and how are the vaccine status- which has not been started manufacturing. She feared. She gulped. She saw major setbacks ahead.


Ira lived alone. She was a resident of Bangalore Urban. She recently moved into this apartment 2 month’s back. Adding to her living, she had a parrot and an aquarium full of fishes, although living alone wouldn’t be actually a proper statement to quote so. Her family was from Delhi.

She started to dress up for the office. Landing on the office, she had a couple of meetings lined up in the afternoon – the subject line was to deal with the crisis of the virus. She started to feel it.   

 The next few days till Friday the next week, the meetings continued. It was the end of April. The IT people called up to set up systems in her house. She was going on a flow. And now she would spend all her time in the house. Whoa! Howzzat !!!!That weekend she packed up her and sighed… probably this would end in a couple of months and I can visit my family around the end of May. She got up the morning and saw the most devastating news “The Lock-down News”!


She calls up her friend and asks to check on the news, she sees her texts and sees the urgency of buying things. She sees calls from family asking her to buy all the essential items she can buy and hoard around a month or so. She felt terrible. The social distancing norms were getting her nerves.

Over the next two days, she stored most of the items she could as an individual. She was feeling the way that she is doing the things first time in her life. She bought 25 kilograms of rice, 15 kilograms of rice flour, 5 liters’ of oil, 4 salt packets, and 2 carats of eggs and 2 kilograms chicken. She was feeling like an achievement. Nevertheless, like all she really felt the need have the hour of the “ME” time she always wanted and it was never enough of the hectic schedules and responsibilities. She was enjoying some part of this phase which gave her a lot of things to uncover and cover, UN-learn and learn and apply and then re-apply.


The Pandemic was a mystery to Ira. She saw numbers flooded. She never faced this. Her parents never faced this. Was this even real ? Yes, this has to be. People are dying all across the world. Countries are affected, people are stuck or people are safe in their homes. There are people/migrants travelling to their hometowns. There are enterprises closing down. There is no inflow/outflow of money. Economy has hit its level. There are donations going on, everyone on a page less or more, jobs cutting down, layoffs all across. Where was this leading to? Do we not understand the severity? The power was not there in the common people- the worst thing. Is this a political war? Should this be considered as a third World War? Or a Bio War? What is the approach? Weeks and weeks went on thoughts of it.


Ira always had a mathematical side to analyze things… She will go through most of the numbers, facts, and figures and try to draw a conclusion to it. It’s not that she would impose her thoughts but they definitely it was a more empathized approach. And with time she realized that it eventually made sense and made sense to everyone. She never really liked to argue on things, she believed it’s a waste of time and never pleasing to anyone. She understood it works for her soul as well.


She was getting stressed day by day… she understood… It was beyond her anything effort… all she can do is to perform her activities continuously for a period of time. She ran out of time for all the possible ideas and notions for coming out of this situation. She gave a pause and let that sink in. She worked days on her projects, painted in her weekends, stopped seeing the numbers and most importantly kept checking on her family members and close friends. She did on a span of 3-4 months. She felt in the base.


There is a saying…. “Sometimes we should not think what’s coming, sometimes we should live with it, decide what that it is and acceptance is the key.” 

The curse is still on… she just started living with it…. And hopefully it will just have a cure in its time.

The third quarter of 2020 is about to start…. And she sinks in!


To be continued.....

                                  


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