Looking Back At 2021: Corona Struggles & Little Victories!

2021 was hard on many families. Ruchira Ghosh narrates her ordeal – but also the silver lining that emerged from it.

Phew! Another Covid ridden year is behind us now. 365 days of struggle, agony and suffering  untold.

During the transition phase between the two Covid waves (September 2020-March 2021), many ‘lucky ones’ bought property, got hitched, and some even managed to make babies.

A real desperate situation

Five days into the new year my husband’s spinster aunt —  who ‘brought him up by hand’ and who  lived with us — passed away. In  a way it was a relief because the poor old octogenarian had been bedridden over the past  five years or so and was growing more eccentric with every passing day. It may sound brutal but in the given circumstances  it  meant one less mouth to  feed. Real desperate situation, let me tell you.

In  April, one jab of  Covishield left me hovering between life and death. Almost simultaneously the second Covid wave became active. Close on its heels came the second lock down. Normal civic life  came to a screeching  halt. Skeletal banking services hit funds. One fine morning we discovered that food supplies were fast depleting. Plus, there was nobody (I was confined to bed) to  run  the kitchen.

During that cataclysmic moment our  daughter quietly stepped in  and took  over the household’s reins. As  funds were insufficient already, she withdrew  fairly  large  amounts from her salary account (she is a practicing physiotherapist) to replenish the groceries, pay  newspaper, mobile  recharge and power  bills. To add to our woes, the refrigerator conked off suddenly. We touched her for the repair costs. She gladly  obliged.

My  daughter  is all of 27. All along she had  been rather  lethargic  and self-centred  in her mannerisms. But  this sudden change of behaviour was an eye opener. That she  could be dutiful, level- headed and caring  was amazing indeed.

Never miss real stories from India's women.

Register Now

I must  admit that she ruled with an iron  hand. To cut costs,  the housekeeper/maid was sent packing. The  father-daughter duo managed to keep the house clean enough. She cooked rice/roti  and different  types  of  pulses/legumes for lunch  and dinner. Some days when we could afford it, a veggie/side dish was added. Dairy/ fruits/snacks  were conspicuous by their absence. The summer months were terrible, the meals albeit frugal, but we  managed to ward  off starvation!

July brought glad tidings…

The young lady resumed  her clinic duties. She efficiently juggled her kitchen  and professional duties. Arising  at the crack of  dawn she would cook in bulk quantities to last from lunch through dinner. During evenings,  home after work, she managed to put hot food on the table. After dinner and a bit of study, it was bedtime for her.

Months passed. Slowly, money from our meagre  interests/ investments  began trickling in.  Things began to look  up. By the onset of the festive season  and winter, we were more comfortable. Not only did we manage  to entertain outstation guests, we also managed to get routine health check-ups (self & spouse) done. Between ourselves, we also managed to procure a few other essential items  of  personal use.

Personally for me, the greatest blessing (call it a major feat) has been  the fact that my daughter  has worked tirelessly, relentlessly on my atrophied  leg muscles (fallout of Corona) and finally put me back on my feet again. I can  now walk normally and free. God bless her!

Image credits Parastoo Maleki on Unsplash

Comments