Corona – How Did This Contagious Virus Change Our Lives Forever?

The first time I heard about the corona virus was back in December 2019. China had reported the outbreak of the corona virus disease (COVID-19) from Wuhan and the original source of viral transmission to humans was still unclear. We had seen such instances before, so why would this one be any different? That’s exactly how we acknowledged the onset of an unforgettable pandemic beginning in 2019.

After all, the only ‘Corona’ that I had heard of was the Mexican beer!

It is already 2021 and the virus has almost become a part of our lives now. Rather, we keep hearing about the new mutants of the corona virus and still bracing for impact. No matter how long we take to win over this deadly virus, we cannot deny the fact that this pandemic has changed our lives forever. Whatever seemed impossible earlier, has turned possible now. The normals have given way to the new-normals. With passing time, we can say if the change is for the greater good or bad.

Today, I am jotting down a list of the “new-normals” post the onset of the 2020 pandemic.

Virtual Classrooms and Online Schooling

Who knew that we would get to see toddlers taking online classes? However funny it might sound, this is how the future of our next generation is about to be.

With kids being the most vulnerable, the schools are bound to open up right at the end. Until then,  the kids have to be home-tutored. We cannot forget the numerous challenges that we faced with the onset of virtual classrooms. Parents had to literally sit down and take classes along with their inattentive kids, teachers from the older generation struggled with technology initially and not to forget those hilarious display names of the elder kids in virtual classrooms. For my 5-year old nieces, the initial phase was almost like an extended summer vacation. They were enjoying as if they got an additional holiday.

Guess, the holiday phase is over now, and the realisation has sunk in that the virus is here to stay. We have to get back to the new normal.

After struggling for over a year now, the challenges seem to have been visibly overcome. Virtual classrooms through smart phones and laptops are functional in every corner of the country, be it a tier-2 city, town or even rural areas. Kids are getting used to learning from teachers speaking in videos and even the 50+ year old teachers are tech-savvy enough now to catch hold of the mischief mongers in the virtual class.

Education in the country did not stop. We should not too.

Work From Home

I work in a leading IT company of the country and we already had an existing set of rules to avail work from home. But it was executed very differently, back in 2019. Generally, at an organisation level, we are allowed upto 9 days of WFH (work from home) with a manager’s approval on a monthly basis. But somehow, it gets very difficult to get the approvals because it was a strong belief back then that WFH hampers productivity and efficiency. So, getting an official notification from the HR to opt for a WFH was too good to be true.

Yes, micro management was an issue initially and workload still remains a hot topic after the mandatory WFH, but the work did not stop. The working hours has definitely started overlapping the family hours because of the flexibility. On the other hand, a lot of time is also saved for the family, from the daily work travel for instance. Other benefits are additional.

Well, only time can say whether we are headed towards good times or bad. But I must confess that there are days when I love WFH when I can lie down and read my favourite book during a coffee break. And then there are days when I hate WFH, when I crave to get out of my pyjamas, dress up and head straight into office. Maybe, WFH is a 70% good and 30% bad for me, as I am writing at this moment. Clearly, the percentage is subject to change, based on my mood.

Suspicion and Social Distancing

A very interesting behavioural change that I have noticed post 2020 is – the mental tussle between allowing someone into the house or not. In India, we function as a social unit. So, clearly we find it hard to ignore social gatherings or ignore guests, even if our own life is at stake.

It is not that people here are not following social distancing at all. It is just that the rules are bent according to our own whims and fantasies. A marriage is unavoidable. A distant relative coming for dinner after ages cannot be ignored. A family member travelling from the USA to India cannot leave without visiting us. And so many more such instances.

Even if all of the above instances point towards a potential virus carrier or a possible chance for infection, our social distancing goes for a toss. Not to forget, this happens after a lot of disagreements with self and within the family. Phew!

Wish we could just follow an easy and simple response as this one to avoid all the above instances – “We are maintaining a social distance for the health of our family for now. Now is not the time for unnecessary travel and get-togethers. Once we survive the pandemic, we can catch up again.”

Masks and Sanitisers – A Basic Essential

I remember being called too particular when I used to carry a 50 ml bottle of Dettol hand sanitiser in my bag, as a constant. People around me found it ridiculous and unnecessary, while I just found it handy and hygienic for travel especially when there is no availability of water. Little did I realise that I would see a day when people would buy sanitisers like gold and there would be an actual shortage of supply for sanitisers.

The same goes with masks! What started off as a need-based purchase of N95 masks to safeguard from the corona virus, has now become a trending fashion accessory. All the online retail stores are filled with choices for masks of different styles, colours, designs and what not!

For me, the climax was the day I noticed a 50-year old woman who had come for a regular  checkup in a medical clinic. She entered while I was waiting with my father in the clinic’s lobby. She was wearing a mask which was custom-made and matched with the fabric of her blouse to complete her look. This was it!

I smiled and realised that day – the MASK has finally arrived as a quintessential part of our clothing!

Online shopping vs Retail shopping

Nothing has gone up as the website traffic of all the online shopping portals, during this pandemic. Gone are the days when few leading names like Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra used to crop up when it came to online shopping.

In 2020, any company which has setup its online business and taken good care of the logistics and timely delivery, has won the hearts of the people of India. In the last year, I have personally known so many local start ups utilising the pandemic like never before. Brand new e-commerce websites were created and basics like fresh vegetables and meat were also home-delivered in tier-2 cities of the country.

I cannot forget how a small town like Cuttack in Odisha, had bounced back to a full-fledged business mode, by just coordinating over WhatsApp orders. In small towns like these people are mostly dependent on local shops. And these local shops circulated their WhatsApp numbers and started taking orders. For the delivery, they coordinated with the food delivery guys and ensured that the product reached the customer.

The trading was seamless. And I was amazed at the way the local vendors, traders, hawkers and shopkeepers never gave up. Yes, I experienced this LIVE.

Personally, I have not visited a shopping mall for a year now to purchase any kind of clothing. Well, I have not felt the need for new clothes except pyjamas maybe. But, that’s a different story altogether! The footfalls in malls are back to the lowest numbers now in 2021 again, with the second wave of COVID-19 and it so makes me miss going out for some real physical shopping.

Guess, we all have to wait for sometime more.

Food Delivery at Doorstep

My favourite takeaway of 2020 is watching my father become an expert in making Amazon orders and my mother getting food delivered like a pro from her newly-installed Zomato app. The senior citizens were getting tech-savvy and how!

Ofcourse, we had the Dalgona Coffee fads in the initial part of the lockdown and cooked almost every dish under the sky in our home kitchens. But for how long? The touch, feel and smell of the ‘bahar-ka-khana’ can never really fade from the senses of an Indian. And just when the craving was about to get out of control, the food delivery partners came to our rescue. Only for the delight of getting food delivered from your favourite restaurants right at your doorstep, I give all the delivery guys a 5 star rating.

Zomato and Swiggy operating in small towns has been an all-time high in the pandemic year.

Even the orders for local food delights like ‘Dahibara Aloo Dum’ in Cuttack, were well coordinated by the vendors and getting home-delivered. The great Indian ‘jugaad’ was working at its best.

Cooking in households and food delivery scenes have never looked the same as before.

Home Workout Is the New Cool

Yes, I was really bored with the home-workout videos of celebrities in the initial lockdown phases. But they had a point though. With the constant advice to stay at home, the one thing that took a backseat was – physical activity.

As a regular middle-class working woman, I was completing a good 10K number of steps on a daily basis. And this was not a part of any gym or workout regime. This was a result of my regular commute from home to work and vice versa. No doubt, the whole day was physically strenuous. But I had never felt more active and fresher before with all that hard work. And the best part was it did not even seem like a conscious effort towards the hard work.

But, now with the lockdown in place, we were all tied town. No matter how many times I walk up and down the staircase of the house, I might not cover 10k steps indoors. The lethargy was getting to me and even my writing took a toll.

Guess, it does not take much time for the physical lethargy to shift to the brain and turn into an unending cycle of procrastination.

So, it was time to make a switch in the mindset. The year 2020 made me believe that anything is possible even in the confines of your home. Only intent matters. And then, basic core-strengthening home workouts were bound to beckon.

It is amazing to find so many workout regimes on the internet, which do not require any equipment other than a mat maybe. So, if you have not started yet? What us stopping you? Try for yourself and feel the difference. You can thank me later.

Mental Lockdown and Loneliness Is a Reality

On a bright Sunday morning in June 2020, we lost a very prominent young Indian actor. A nation-wide lockdown was imposed for over 3 months by then. He was 34, when he died. And we would probably never know what transpired in his mind in those few months of loneliness and alienation from the rest of the world leading to his death. It’s been months now and speculations are still rife whether it was suicide or a cold-blooded murder.

He was a charming young man from our generation. The masses can relate to every step of his journey so far – small town guy from a middle class family, coming from an engineering background and chasing dreams in showbiz. I definitely appreciated his body of work, but never obsessed over him for being a movie-star. Yet, I could feel my throat choking with discomfort, even before I could process the information that he is no more. I just could not understand why. The nights that followed were bereft of good sleep. There were a thousand thoughts, yet a deafening silence within. Some deaths hit us so hard. Such a bright soul and gone so soon!

And now amidst the pressure built up for thorough investigation into his death, I sometimes wonder – WHAT IF IT WAS A SUICIDE?

My heart shudders to think about how dark the darkness becomes that it pushes one right to the edge, to a point of no-return. And especially when someone leaves just like that, without any last note or message, the loss feels beyond irreparable. How difficult it gets for the family and loved ones after such a sudden death, is beyond imagination.      

Social distancing has definitely got its own set of cons. Human beings are social animals. We are meant to interact with each other and co-exist as a unit.

With the physical lockdowns, a mental lockdown is bound to follow.

We come across so many people on a daily basis and each one is fighting his/her own battle. The least that we can do is be more sensitive and empathetic towards people in general. Before rushing into judgements about why someone is behaving in a peculiar way, let’s give him/her a fair chance. Let’s try to be a part of a support system for someone in need. All it requires is – an extra bit of sensitivity.

Perhaps, the best lesson that this pandemic taught us is – Take a pause and head for an INWARD JOURNEY within. Focus on relationships. In the end, relationships are all that matter.