The value of life

Dear diary 29/03/2020

The 21 days lockdown quarantine has changed many things. Now every day is a Sunday. Today I got up at 6'o clock as usual and made a cup of black tea for myself. The virus has changed the color of my tea also as there is no supply of milk. I took a sip of tea and took the newspaper in my hand. Yes, there is a change here also ...an e-newspaper as my society has banned the entry of the local newspaper delivery boy. My child and husband still sleeping. The newspaper was filled with only one topic ....the coronavirus that has cast its dark shadow over the whole world. And social distancing is the need of the hour. STAY HOME is the mantra of our life.       

But I got a shock looking at the first page of the newspaper! There was this picture of thousands of migrant workers stranded at the Delhi bus terminal trying to go back to their home in UP or Bihar. It was a totally chaotic situation. These people are jobless,homeless,and without food and water. The only thing they have is an uncertain future. Some of the men, women, and children have walked hundreds of kilometers before they managed to get some food. Looking at the picture it does not seem that these people even bother about contaminating the deadly virus, but only worry about going back to their own den somehow and by any means. I sat and thought about the value of our life. How uncertain our life is! God forbid if one person in that crowd carries the virus with him, what is going to happen?    Just then, I got a pat on my shoulder. My husband got up and sat beside me. I told him my concern and showed him the news. He told me that above mankind and above all our science and technology, there is still a supreme power that exists.And that is what we call God. He is the one who takes care of all those in need. Otherwise, the planet would have been destroyed long back. I realized that in this time of difficulty we should have faith and believe in the power of prayer. DALIA CHATTERJEE