Aman Tejuja
The Corona virus pandemic has shocked the entire world. It has had a tremendous effect on macro events like international trade, world economies and travel to micro events like people’s daily lives, office schedules and even food habits. This virus has had a massive effect on India and therefore my own family as well. From my parents having to stop going to their workplace to my brother having to fly back from USA in middle of his college to my very own school transforming to an online platform, it has been a very abrupt transition for my family like it has for rest of the world. My family has followed the needed procedures of self quarantining in the house and maintaining social distancing when needed to leave the house for essential items. From sanitizing our house, car and even our food we have tried to minimize transmission in all way possible in our control.
Since my brother returned from USA(one of the biggest hit places in the world), to prevent transmission to my family, he did not leave his room for 15 days, as even the food was kept outside his door and the person who was in contact with his plate was always wearing gloves. This was extremely challenging to be in the same house yet not leave the premises of the room for even a minute
Now in the lockdown, we are collectively fighting against the virus as a community and as a family and I am proud of these endeavors. These events really taught me a lot as a human being. I learnt that everyone should maintain basic hygiene of washing our hands and being healthy. We should follow the rules of the government and have faith in our system. For example ,the lockdown in our country had majority support but however the virus is still persistent as each and every citizen did not completely follow it. Lastly, I concluded from this incident if each one of us do not panic and help one another in times like these we will be successful in fighting against any problem .
Aman Tejuja
Campion School
Humanity and its struggle with a virus
By Spandan Minwalla Campion School
The coronavirus pandemic came out of nowhere. When we were flying back to Mumbai from our school trip to Bangalore in early March – was that really just a month and a half ago - the Coronavirus was still an exotic news item, happening far way in Wuhan, Hubei Province, in China. We were still washing our hands only before meals. And I was still eagerly planning for our family trip to the US during the summer holidays in May. Then all of a sudden everything came crashing down. We started reading reports of how the virus had invaded Italy and Iran. People were falling very sick, many were dying. Soon the Italian government declared a nation-wide lockdown. We have Italian friends who live in Chennai – they were unable to go on their annual trip back home. In a few days, the virus had claimed its first victim in India. By then WHO had declared COVID19 a worldwide pandemic. Our helps at home, Lata Aunty and Nawab Uncle, travel by train every day. My parents decided to tell them to stay at home – for their safety and ours. On March 22, the government declared a nationwide lockdown. Only essential services were kept open and everyone was required to stay at home. Within a few hours our hustling and bustling roads became completely empty. The blaring horns, the street peddler, everyone had gone quiet. The only sound one could hear during the day was the cawing of the crow. The fact that the previously unchallenged rhythms of life were cast aside in a matter of weeks has brought home the fragile nature of human society. I will never forget the images of hungry migrant workers and their little children – deprived of income, homes, and transportation by the sudden declaration of a nation-wide lock down – walking hundreds of kilometres to get home. These scenes have helped me put my own minor pandemic related inconveniences into perspective, and have given me new appreciation of the disturbing levels of inequality and poverty in our society. The apparent helplessness of science against the coronavirus has amazed me. I find it remarkable that we are battling this pandemic using the same tactics (social distancing, masks, hygiene) employed against the Spanish Flu a hundred years ago. Clearly, we are less capable - and more vulnerable to the forces of nature - than I had previously understood. But then it will be science that will rescue us from the clutches of this virus. This pandemic has also made me feel more connected with all other humans on earth, as we undertake our common fight for survival in an indifferent (sometimes hostile) universe. This is a struggle for the entire humanity. Petty human conflicts and hatreds have no place in this. Is it too much to hope that our experience with this pandemic will not be wasted; that we will emerge from this crisis as a humbler, kinder and more considerate race?
Today, the son of an average earning man, cannot have a ‘normal’ childhood, a poor child cannot eat, an old lady sits alone without any love or care, and many parents desperately struggle to make ends meet.
Yet, I, the luckiest of the lot, write a reflection. Covid-19, a heavily infectious disease, has already claimed 1,19,701 lives, left millions without rations and crashed every single market. Yet, my life has been but ever so slightly altered and all I have to do is cut all interaction. I still have school, I still have food, water, and family. I used to consider myself unlucky as I have to do schoolwork, but people are dying, the virus is spreading, and i can afford to write a reflection. We have reached a global standstill, every company, bank and shop has been severely affected, yet, I was saddened because the courier services stopped before my rubiks cube arrived. Day by day, I’m learning new values, of which gratitude is the profoundest. I am unexplainable thankful that my family and loved ones remain safe, and that we all are coping up. I am thankful to those who are donating money to fund research and medical equipment and to those who are treating the patients. However, I fail to comprehend how fortunate I am, to be able to write a reflection, while the world suffers. Balance has always been an integral part of the universe, but we have disturbed it. Now we pay a heavy price, and this is just the beginning. However, it intrigues me how I am able to see myself writing a reflection, even then. Anhad Singh
DESPERATE TIMES Corona Virus has taken the world by storm and if not all, majority of the countries are affected severely and are in lockdown. I though see this as a once in a lifetime opportunity to do new things. Anyone can sit around and complain about the harsh times, but it is one who uses these bad times to do good who really succeeds. COVID-19 brought along many challenges with it, and it itself was the greatest to overcome and still is. Personally, this disease has me cornered with me spending the morning attending virtual classrooms, the afternoon doing house hold chores and the tiring evenings finishing up on the pending work for the next day’s classes. Even though the day usually is tiring I have taken to a new hobby due to the lockdown which is the guitar. In these times it is very important to keep our morale up, Do our duty as citizens and stay at our houses and hope for the best because at the end of the day we can only overcome this treacherous problem by working together and cooperating. Of all the bad this disease has brought I think it is how we deal with it that will teach us how to adjust to absolutely any scenario possible. This lockdown has made me truly a better person since now I am forced to help and do work which I normally do not do. Of all the harms our actions have caused it is our mindset that hurts us the most if we all change our mindset and stay at home we will be rid of the horrendous disease named COVID-19, a few days living life normally without any luxury won’t hurt us. I wish this disease dissipates quickly and we never have to see the likes of this disease ever again. Although personally, in this experience the good memories outweigh the bad. So stay home, stay strong, and stay safe. Devansh Choksi