Shreshtha Jha/Ghaziabad
We are sailing through a horrible stormy phase – COVID 19, most commonly known as Corona Virus. My God ! what a pandemic it is, came without any hint and existing without a cure. It is wrecking havoc on mankind. I was wondering whether it is nature’s way to tell to show some respect to animals and not to kill them to eat or for fun or is it just a coincidence that a creature out of nowhere attacked a human and gifted his genes and generations and communities this deadly disease. Whatever it is, it is no less than a nightmare. And the worst thing is that it is spreading in multiplication, crossing boundaries, affecting people all over the world. People have been instructed to stay at home, stay isolated, no greetings-no meetings, no travelling – suffocating it sounds. Wait …there is more – people are being kept in quarantine camps for some good while for a proper scanning and suspected or detected ones literally are facing an exile period; cannot meet families, cannot see their loved ones face-to-face in such tough times despite a fact that a caring family can heal the wounds faster than anyone else in the world but then every person wants his family to remain safe, secured and healthy by all means – so gulping down this helpless feeling and a rational thought together is like gulping down some poison. I wish doctors and scientists could do something fast to heal and cure the ailing world. Hope is the only anchor we can cling on to and courage is the only solution to stick to.
There is a universal saying that every coin has two sides, everything has its own pros and cons. Negative side definitely got mentioned first, since the dark is still prevailing and light is farthest from the sights. You might be wondering what could be the positive side of this. Well this isolation time is the best thing that has happened to humans like us who are the loyalist puppets of the technological era. Though the reason behind this imposed-isolation is terrible but this is emerging to be the best possible solution to keep yourself and your family safe. Also, the most positive thing that has emerged out of it that we are getting all the time to do all those things which remain unattended due to hectic professional schedules and more because of our being totally engrossed in spending our time out of home, be it casual hangouts with friends or spending time at malls, theatres, pubs, etcetra. All week long people remain stuck in the cubicle boxes in offices and evenings are spent at gyms or pubs (though pubbing-clubbing are generally kept for weekends by many people, but there are people who manage their pub-times in weekdays as well). Now everyone has got restricted to their homes, managing even their office work from homes. So many sweet elements just popped up before us, that got vanished with the arrival of techno-savvy times. Just go back to the time when you would come from school and after finishing up the noon-meal, you would just take out your toys and stuffs; just remember the time when you would grab your drawing books, colorsets, lots of pencils, colourful erasers and spend time sketching different random and at times weird sketches; when you would just want to avoid studying and crave to watch cartoons on television; or just drag out the ludo-snakes and ladders-chess boards and play nonstop and so many times, engaging even the entire family. Grown-ups though would prefer reading storybooks and novels or would engage in canvas painting; they would even take time out to sit with family and sip-in tea/coffee, munch snacks and talk their hearts out about everything happening around.
Even watching movies and shows together on television, or waiting for mom to cook delicious dishes and even at times offering help in cooking or serving, used to happen a lot in those old golden times. Turning nostalgic? Why just recalling those times in your head, make them happen once again and why not. I say even count the stars at night if there is a clear vision from the windows of your room. Sit quietly for some time and think about those minute things that you totally forgot about while you were busy living your own choked up life. Open your closet, take out the clothes that require ironing, take out the clothes that you no more wear either because they don’t fit you or because you no more like them. Stock them up and keep it aside for donation. Clean the mess in your cabinets and throw the crap into the dustbin. Do you see your music system around? Dust it properly, clean it and turn it on, listen to the golden oldies and to your favorite rock music too, I say, sing along, sing aloud. Get inside the kitchen, give your mom some coffee to sip and you do the cooking. If at all you are a bad cook or do not know how to cook at all, this is the time – learn it. Cooking, baking, grilling, bar-be-que-ing – learn the art, as it will help you make self-sufficient when you will be away from home and will have to do everything on your own. Just take a step out in your garden, water the plants; smell the fragrance of the flowers blooming in there, just for a while stare at them, admire their beauty, admire the nature, admire the diversity of the nature. Sit there under a tree or on the grass bare feet and look around – glance at the nature’s beauty; look up at the blue sky; breathe in the air, the fragrance of the fresh soil, look at the dewy drops on the leaves of the plants you just watered – freshness you feel within, isn’t it !! Chuck away your office laptops and files and stuffs for a while, take out a copy/register from your cabinet (everyone has stack of such stationery items at home, you just have to search what is where), write something, whatever you feel like, even it’s a daily diary-writing routine. Write down your experiences while at home, write down the things you are attempting to feel like a human for once and not a robot, pen down every feeling, every thought of yours. Not every time it is required to be vocal about feelings; writing is much more powerful and amazing than voice. Read as much as you can, its high time you make yourself knowledgeable about every bit surrounding you. Read good books, finish up your incomplete novels, google your favorite topics and gain as much knowledge as you can. Bored of reading serious stuffs? Kids’ comic books will come to your rescue, read them, they are going to give you a fun time – refreshing your mind and making you laugh; after all, laughter therapy too is considered to be a medicine for a sore mind. Sit down on your floor (or roll out your yoga mat), meditate.
Take deep breaths, focus your brain on good thoughts, positive ones, think about the future you still have in your hands, the future that still lies ahead to be designed in a newer, better way. Try to connect spiritually. Let your heart, mind and conscience connect together with the divine thought that is already dwelling within you. You have your mini temple at home, sit before Almighty, speak to Him. Share your thoughts, your worries, your feelings, your accomplished-unsuccessful plans, seek His blessings, light up a diya/candle, light up the incense sticks (agarbattis) and let their aroma fill up your senses. Feeling positive already? No doubt you already are. Most definitely keep yourself abreast with all the news and information pouring in about your neighbourhoods, country and the world. And of course, it is important to stay connected with your friends and dear ones, so whenever free, ask about their well-beings. There is one more beautiful thing that should be done actually everyday for a positive lookout towards life – self-analysis. Talk to yourself (definitely not in a loud tone, otherwise you might be mistaken as a fool), listen to your conscience, feel happy and proud about the good things you have done, list out the mistakes you committed intentionally-unintentionally and take out ways to rectify them. Check out your Karma, because if anyone who knows the raw truths about words-actions-things and about all the whats-whens-hows-whys in the truest transparent sense, other than Almighty, it is You. You can hide your lies and deceits from mankind, but you will inevitably remain transparent to your soul and God. Secondly, when you indulge in self-talks, tell yourself that you are amazing, wonderful, capable, talented, confident and strong in every way. Self-strength reassurance is must every minute. Tell yourself that you are beautiful in your own way, that you are God’s unique creation and you are born with purposes assigned to you only, by Him; and that you as good as anyone else around. Remind yourself that good values and ethics are the only way for a blissful life and that core values like humanity, cooperation, resilience, peace, harmony, unity, tolerance and empathy are ought to be followed and advocated in a true manner. Give a minute to Almighty and thank Him for assuring you of His presence and His blessings, thank Him for the shield He provides to you and your family during troubled times. Just look at Him, you will feel a gush of positivity storming inside you. Already smiling? No wonder, you are. Now think, how actually busy a person you are. Now think what actually you were missing out on. Downs and lows will be gone soon, as darkness is temporary. It is the light that stays forever. Make the most of this time while it is available.
