Lock-down diary

Pandemic,

We all were introduced to this word through our history books. A global pandemic or an epidemic that appears to human life as a hungry beast, ruining everything under its influence. Spanish Flu, or Cholera all were just a mere chapter of our history book with some really disturbing images of the victims that we always turned over in a hurry. Every time, that we arrived at a chapter like that.

Other than the page of history book another place that introduced me with this terrible picture of an epidemic was my Bengali literature book. When I was on the fifth standard. We had this story set on the backdrop of the Cholera Epidemic. And trust me I would cringe every time I had to learn that. While growing up, I read about Plague, again on my history book and the destruction that followed as a result of it in Kolkata. 

But, that was it. The epidemic was just an ugly and bitter chapter of history for me. At times which would make me cringe or will make my heart beat louder thinking about those poor helpless people at that time. I will at times ask my mother about it and she will try to explain to me how brutal an epidemic can turn for the people. 

But never in my wildest dream, I thought I will be a witness to such a situation.

But it is here. Sacring me, terrifying me, and also billions of people on this earth who are as scared and helpless as me. 

And what scares me, even more, is the idea, the idea of hunger. The idea of famine.

The idea that there might be a day when we all be worried about food and not our internet connection or Netflix and Hotstar subscriptions. Yeah, maybe not all of us, but a huge and rather a very important part of our society will go through such a disturbing situation. 

Only if we were a bit more careful, a bit more attentive to our sanitation, our hygiene, and our health. A little more aware of the importance of the basic requirements of our life. Only if we knew how to fight together and not against each other.

Only if we knew the importance of the ecosystem and science. How I wish we only used science instead of abusing it day and night. 

Only if we knew how to stay at home, inside our rooms without constantly complaining. How I wish.....

But still, we can control and break the blood-trusty teeth of this hungry beast. Only if we become a little more careful about ourselves and the greater society. Only if we learn how to follow the doctor's advice as religiously as we follow our Gita, Quran, or Bible.

How I wish for us to learn that we are humans and no super creature without weakness. How I wish these epidemics remained only as another chapter of history to me. That I hated till my last breath. How I wish I wasn't a witness of such a terrible course of time. For the rest of my life.