I see the messages saying "A year ago this was our last normal week". It's so true and we had no idea whatsoever back then what we were heading into. 14th March last year was our last outing before the lockdown. I and my family had gone out for dinner and once we were there, seated, and seeing masks worn by the staff, we suddenly regretted our decision. We decided to avoid eating out for "a while" not knowing then that "a while" would stretch into one full year.
I and my family abided by the lockdown to the 'T' and even continued to do so after the lockdown was lifted. Only recently when we came to know that my daughter's school is about to open physically and my office (though already open) is expected to become more regular expecting physical presence, did we decided to step out a bit so as to ensure that my daughter gets acclimatised to wearing masks and following social distancing norms. So, when a friend, who happens to be my daughter's closest friend's mother suggested that we take a small weekend outing to a fancy location just to enjoy some calm and relax, I gradually warmed up to the idea.
Thus, I basically stepped out properly after one full year; this time with the new normal - masks and sanitizers. We still avoided the crowds i.e. despite being in Jaipur we didn't visit any forts or did any touristy things. We just went around the city in a car and saw everything from inside our safe haven.
Now that I think about it, it is kind of strange that the most important life event for our generations, spanning one full year, and I did not write a single blog about it. And now that I think about it, it seems unfair too. My blogs document my views on many topics; and while I shared countless memes and jokes on COVID-19 on Facebook (humour is the best way to counter gloom!?), and I expressed wonder on the Tablighi-Jamaat incidents and Pravasi Mazdoor situations also on Facebook, none of that actually made it to my personal blog.
Sometime in July (in the peak of Covid), I had to go to some government office for some work, where I met an acquaintance who was also there. He stood there without a mask and when he saw me, he came near me to talk. I instinctively stepped back to maintain some distance and he came yet closer. With no further space to back-off, I politely requested the person to maintain some distance. It was clear from his facial expression that he didn’t appreciate being told to stand at a distance. “Nishtha ji, yeh corona-vorona sab bakwaas hai. Main toh ise bilkul maanta hi nahi.” I again politely replied, “Sir, who toh aapki marzi hai but main maanti hoon isliye thoda dur khadi hoon. Vaise bhi kisi ke maanane ya naa maanane se Corona chala toh jayega nahi.” “Arre, aap bekaar mein itna darr rahi hain. Yeh sab sarkar ki saazish hai hamein dara ke control karne ki.” “Achchha? Aapko nahi pata ki economy all time low par chal rahi hai? Sarkar ko kya fayeda hoga economy ko dubo ke? Vaise bhi jo itne log duniya bhar mein marr rahe hain, unka kya?” “Un sabko koi naa koi bimaari hai. Bas sabko darane ke liye death certificate par Corona likh rahe hain. Yeh sirf duniya bhar ki sarkaron ki mili bhagat hai.” “Sir, maine pehli conspiracy theory suni hai jismein duniya bhar ki sarkarein saath mein kaam kar rahi hain. India – Pakistan ki bhi, India – China ki bhi, US – China ki bhi, US – Russia ki bhi… Aur maze ki baat yeh hai ki duniya bhar ki sarkarein, desh toh desh, apne aap tak ko dubone ka kaam kar rahi hain… Unhe agla election nahi jeetna kya?” With mindsets like this, isn’t it natural for people who are taking to feel irate and annoyed?
And yet by now, we have accepted that general public is not concerned about their own, leave alone others’, welfare and each person is on their own. So, we stepped out finally while taking all precautions and trying to teach our kids to hold their own and survive this madness where people call it the new normal and yet are trying to behave like pre-covid days. Whether anyone else takes the precautions or not – in schools, offices, public places – we will fend for ourselves and our dear ones.
