Much like any other pandemic in the history of the world, the 2020’s covid-19 is also one of the outbreaks that would remain imprint in the history of 21st century. The pandemic had been brutal to every human kind and almost every living species just like a sudden nightmare that have made the entire world upside down. Right from territorial blockades, to job losses, abnormal pay-cuts, scarcity of goods and accessories, substantial drop in oil prices, jerk of food insecurity, we all have seen how the entire economy just got crumpled within a month irrespective of one’s economic status, race, creed and religion. Yes, the whole world yet skeptic on its emergence, its survival and a question on its continuation if it would stay being a part and parcel of our day-to-day lives or there is an end to these monster attacks. Still countries like United Kingdom, United States and a few European nations are facing the lockdown crises, and almost all Nations bracing themselves up to face the unprecedented wave cycles of this pandemic despite the 2020 is coming to an end.
Yes, the year 2020 which we welcomed and celebrated last January 2019 with all new prayers, wishes and blessings gave us a real big shock as everything came to a halt out of the blue and we are all made to embrace something which is now called ‘the new normal’. So, how this 2020 have been to me and what it exactly meant to me? If I say precisely, in my professional life, 2020 have been the same to me as most times I have been into writing works from home and as such it brought no difference to me with the work from home culture. Whereas personally, it had been a platter of mixed emotions to me where nothing much have changed directly but indirectly have given me some beautiful visions, heartwarming experiences and completely inspiring lessons. I also feel thankful for being with my most supportive partner, my husband who had been constantly with me throughout the pandemic and have always been understanding when it came to making adjustments to this new normal hygiene norms. So that way, things went smoothly and I can say, by God’s grace the corona year haven’t lopsided my little peaceful world. Although yes, staying abroad have been one of the biggest concerns this time as due to the lockdowns I couldn’t visit my parents this whole year. It not only made me miss them terribly but had also showed how important it is to stay near your families especially during such trying times and that it is a family which is one of the biggest supports than any. Well, apart from the negative experiences, today, through this article I would like to share with you a few stories I have known which is not related to me but these are the true stories of some of my closest people through which I would like to tell you what 2020 meant to me.
The first story is about my parents residing in Guwahati, Assam. My father is a retired officer of Veterinary Department , Govt. Of Assam and my mother is still working as an Economics Government Teacher. My mother has always been fond of gardening and knitting works since her young age and she happily has been continuing with it. But my father after retirement haven’t been associated with any such activities apart from his official and personal work. But with time, as my mother had to face the lockdown scenarios getting sufficient time at home, her gardening and knitting skills got expanded where she had re-started her kitchen garden in the balcony and in fact had made a dozen of hand-sewn masks of different colors, knitted different table mats and traditional garments in her free times. And gladly, thanks to Covid-19, my father who usually passed his retirement days reading newspaper and watching TV and sometimes we see him sneaking around the kitchen had also started his own kitchen garden on the roof top where he has occupied a much bigger space than my mother. Today, this kitchen gardening is giving him so much of happiness that it has become his top stress buster apart from his regular walking schedules.
A similar story adds up to the same excitement and thrill where one of my friends’ father and my dearest Uncle after his retirement had dedicatedly started his gardening skills. Today, they reside in Chennai in a flat and in such a minimum space in the balcony have planted almost all vegetables barring a few, and has got a variety of flower pots that have made his entire balcony just go pink, red and green. Today, he has also opened his Instagram page where within a month he got more than 600 followers and also been interviewed by a local media channel in Chennai to share about his neatly pruned garden and vegetable plantations.
Another awe-inspiring story which I would like to share is about a woman, Jonali who is a sister to me and who’s path-breaking journey during the pandemic is something which I found to be worth sharing. It was right after the peak of the covid-19 toll in India, most probably between April-May, where she suddenly lost her job as an Interior designer due to the pandemic wails. Not that she was not backed by other opportunities but it all seemed unpromising to her that she decided to drop them off. She says, it is sustainability that this pandemic has taken away from her. But it is again the same pandemic which made her realized where her true potential and her happiness lie. It was her constant blogging skills that have given her an additional support to go forward and today she is working as a co-entrepreneur supporting her mother-in-law, a handloom (Assamese Mekhala Chadar) entrepreneur of Assam under the brand Kaxhori. It was due to the corona impact, where Kaxhori experienced a huge downfall and just remained a lost hope. But it was Jonali’s will power and emotional strength that today Kaxhori got reborn again in the month of September and they have started their journey on a full swing.
Last but not the least, there is also a story about a guy, Ashish who have also experienced the same rise on his business curve during the pandemic. A wedding photographer by profession who happens to be one of my acquaintances from Assam, Ashish also went through several downfalls in his career due to the strict lockdown phases with hardly a few assignments in hand where at times his business also got at stake. But then it was again the same pandemic that triggered him to think something beyond photography where today he is into making short films, music clips along with his team and have been constantly involved into it and just didn’t care to turn his back. Today, they are tied up with a huge number of assignments that are almost floating everywhere in the social media platforms, among the youths of Assam through his amazing breakthrough.
So, through these above narrated stories I would like to share with you all that no matter how harsh and evil this year had been to all of us, somewhere we needed a break to breathe deeply and think and find out our true potentials. Every story that I have narrated above has been very inspirational and motivating for me which gave me a strong message that despite negativity if we have the willingness from within, with sheer patience, positivity and determination, no matter how worse the situations could be, there is always a way to find out that will eventually lead us to happiness. Apart from the healing of nature, relationship-rebondings, hygiene consciousness, I believe, this year of pandemic had also given a ray of hope to each one of us to understand what truly matters to mankind is not the materialistic life but much beyond that could actually keep us happy and contented. It had taught me that it is not always of walking alone in life but to walk together, cooperating with each other and being mindful to what we do. Hence, although at times, with the negative reflections around the world, this year has been passable to me during some phases but again contemplating on the new developments and new lessons gained 2020 was not that bad. Let’s all pray for a better future ahead, make ourselves prepare to face this new normal world and apply the Japanese concept of mindfulness.