Go Corona Go, Let Sanity Prevail!

Gosh! It’s already been two years since our planet found itself entangled in the snares of the deadly virus. We silently witnessed people dropping down dead like ninepins, some with symptoms, others with none at all.  I thank my stars each day that our family is safe and sound.  Never before in living memory and history of the world has any disease taken such a heavy toll on human lives.

The pandemic left not even a single aspect of life untouched. Worldwide, hundreds of thousands grew jobless as shops, factories and businesses closed down. Schools, colleges and all educational institutions went virtual.  Normal life came to a grinding halt ushering in the paucity of groceries, edibles and other essential stuff.  Prices skyrocketed.  Joblessness coupled with soaring expenditure generated a sense of angst and frustration in people’s psyche.

The proverbial last straw that broke the camel’s back was that family members were forcibly cooped up in their homes. Working parents and their school /college going offspring who usually had limited time together were herded like cattle, cramped for space. Little ones couldn’t go out to play. Senior citizens and health freaks had to forgo jogging and regular walks.  Days passed and folks grew restless and irritable. Helplessness and despair were palpable.

As weeks passed, the inevitable happened. All of us turned rude and nasty. Sparks began to fly right, left and centre. My daughter complained of owning the worst parents ever. She minimized her interactions with us, choosing either to sleep all day long or remain holed up in her room. The husband found fault with my cooking and went liberal on the ingredients.  The duo forced me to do all domestic chores in the absence of the maid.  I always felt hungry and searched for tidbits.  My spouse foul-mouthed my parents for making a glutton out of me. We quarrelled over trivial things. He often stomped out of the house threatening to commit suicide. Thankfully, after everything died down, he would return.

Mealtimes were storms in teacups. Almost every day either I or my partner would leave our meals unfinished following heated exchanges. I resorted to shrieking and howling more than before.  But I was amazed to see how the pandemic had hit my partner hardly. An introvert with a vast fund of patience he has always been level-headed. Nonetheless, during sober moments, he would apologize for his behaviour confessing that his patience had reached its nadir.  We would attain a temporary truce, only to start brawling the next morning.

So that’s the way our life has been for more than two years now.  Believe it or not but each day  I   fervently pray that everyone around me; family, friends,  neighbours,  countrymen,  in short, all mankind may be free from the clutches of the prowling silent killer …

Image Credits: CDC on Pexels 

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