repercussions of Corona Virus

What! 2020!

April 25, 2020 - This day, last month, we would have started our journey to Ahmedabad and already settled there as of today.

December 2019 saw Corona Virus hissing its way through Wuhan, a city in China.

January 1, 2020 began on a sweet note.  We boarded the direct train to Ahmedabad at 5:15 AM. All excited and happy as we were finally going to our favourite destination after a long wait of one year, eight months and thirteen days, to be precise. By the way, we are, my kiddos – Payal, Priyanshu and yours truly, Priya Indra. With unbound joy and the responsibility of the big tasks that lay ahead for we were to be there only for the limited four days. The first day, that is January 2, 2020 went quite well with us visiting the only school marked for Priyanshu’s admission for the next academic session.

The second day, January 3, 2020 was very important for me as I was going to apply in the organization I was working earlier. Talks were going on since the Diwali 2019. After much discussion with important people there, and crossed fingers, at 3:00 PM, I had the job. I had already started believing that 2020 was MY year. Same day, our next stop was Gujarat University for Payal’s admission. We were received by her friend. We had a hurried lunch of Kulche chhole (we were running away from it already!). Things looked promising in the beginning but did not turn out so well. After speculating for two months over this issue and trying every trick to secure the migration certificate from Kurukshetra University, we decided that Payal would stay back at Panchkula for a year to complete her B. Com( Hons.). Her PG ( for April and May) and hostel was finalized after much scouting.

It seemed, life was finally coming to terms with me. On returning to Panchkula, preparations started for our departure. Useless and broken things were discarded. My dad made a trip to Ahmedabad, soon after our trip and got a flat for us on rent. In due course, rent agreement was received, signed and dispatched. Things were really looking up for us. Meanwhile, my dad also secured his previous job in Ahmedabad. They too started preparing to leave. With bated breaths we were waiting for the final exam date sheet from the school.

In the first week of February two flights, made by Air India, flew down 324 & 323 Indians and 7 Maldivians to India from Wuhan in China were 304 people were already dead and other 14380 infected.

While we were scuttling around for closures, TCs, etc., Corona was rapidly heading towards other countries. A false alarm was raised when we received a tentative date sheet circulated by some over excited students. My only fault was I went to school with that notorious date sheet as it had exam on the day of holi celebrations. Did school people reveal the date of last exam if that particular exam was not conducted on holi? I drew blank stares from them. To stay safe, we booked our tickets to Ahmedabad for March 25, 2020. Although we had other option as well, March 21, 2020.  I wanted to be too safe; I didn’t want the situation to worsen lest that specific exam (to be held on March 10, 2020) should be conducted later than March 18 (last day as per the tentative date sheet). That’s how I interfered with our destiny.  The last exam was on March 18, 2020.

Along with all this chaos all of us got busy with packing in mom’s house and finalizing packers and movers. My parents had planned to start on March 20, 2020 right after their goods left. But they could leave only on March 21. One day cruelly waste because of the unorganized and miserly attitude of the packers and movers hired.

March 22, 2020 was Janta Curfew to show solidarity in our fight against Corona Virus. By March 23, 2020 we had packed everything in the house with the exception of kitchen as we had run out of cartons and scotch tape.  Our transport gentleman informed in the evening, on the same day, that he won’t be able to come as the movement was restricted everywhere. He would try in other 3-4 days. That’s it! The world did not work after that.

On the fateful day of March 24, 2020, the day our goods were supposed to be dispatched, 21 days Lock down 1.0 was declared. Through the shock and horror of all of it, I kept on cursing myself for not booking the tickets for March 21. But this would have been futile with our goods not reaching us for many days to come. My parents’ transport was stranded on Udaipur – Ahmedabad highway for more than 20 days, and my brother in Jaipur, who was coming to pick us from Panchkula by car. The state borders were sealed without any warning or prior notice.

Today, we are in Lock down 2.0. We don’t know if this will be lifted on May 4, 2020 or we’ll have another extension. Uncertainty is the only thing hovering everywhere. All of us, our family, are going through these lock downs with only one thought – why didn’t I take the train on March 21, 2020. Now, we are safe and secure. It’s a great feeling that we are alive with our hopes and plans brutally crushed by something which we cannot even see with our naked eyes.

Today, for the first time, I walked up to the society gate, to collect my medicines. It was scary. Corona’s silence is deafening.

Thank You Corona! May you have your Salvation soon and be freed from the vicious cycle of life and death.