Fragmented Thoughts on India Dealing With The Second Wave
I was really hoping for a movie-esque ending, how a terrible pandemic was the cause of the dreaded 2020 and that my world can finally move on in 2021.
This is another one of those Covid-19 pandemic posts. Given that I’m currently in India, how can it not be? The daily number of cases have gone to previously unimaginable heights & it’s the opinion of public health experts and citizens that there is no near end in sight. This is the current reality we live in, a pretty grim one.
Given all this context, I can’t help but go back and introspect about what happened over the past couple of months. A lot has happened, probably the wildest experience in my twenties. In India, daily cases dropped down to 15,000 late February after we broke a record for the highest number of daily cases during September 2020. I was really hoping for a movie-esque ending, how a terrible pandemic was the something in the past and that my world can finally move on in 2021. Now, it feels almost naïve to put a timeline on when things will get back to normal.
The days felt structured again and even though I’m not a terribly social person, I loved being around people.
The months between February-March were a respite to the entire country(some more than others). Covid-19 fatigue is a real thing and as cases dipped, friends of mine in the graduating batch actually considered final year trips, higher education plans and just fun things to do that we missed out turning 21. Although it wasn’t the safest, I distinctly remember going out every week and actually demarcating the end of the week with an activity. The days felt structured again and even though I’m not a terribly social person, I loved being around people.
Then we heard more reports about cases rising in a couple of cities. The Kumbh Mela became a topic of debate and comparisons were made with all the accusations against the Talbighi Jamaat the year before. These were headlines but I chose to believe that this would be a localised affair and things wouldn’t escalate to how they were before. Looking at the situation now, I think the entire nation held the same opinion.
In my memory, the shift was immediate.
One day, I could go out to a bar and wear a “mask” just to get in and quickly remove it complaining about how hot is and the next day everything shut down again. Unlike the first time however, there weren’t any glamorous Houseparty events or weekly Zoom calls with friends to catch up.
The mood felt eerily similar like we lost all the time between December and February, how we went around in a big circle just to get right back to where we just peaked.
Personally, work and college commitments simultaneously occupied most of my time but I felt myself slipping back to old ways. My reading slowed down, I stopped watching movies that seemed interesting and I went back to watching comedy podcasts for hours together.
IPL was going on and although it was a controversial event right from the start, it was a distraction I had indulged in right from the start just to kill those four hours a day and maybe, just maybe avoid the news completely.
However, as the weeks went by the pandemic successfully infiltrated all my social circles. Although the months of August- September were pretty crazy, there wasn’t someone me or my parents really knew who had Covid-19. Suddenly, one day after another I see friends talking to me about losing their loved ones and snazzy journalist outlets covering the plight of an ICU only to cut to how funerals are practically happening on the street in Delhi. It felt suffocating, like everywhere we turn there’s just one constant motif.
We all have our coping mechanisms and just when we thought we could shrug off all the things we should have done in 2020 and accomplish them all in 2021 ; the virus comes back and decides to have a staycation in India.
As I’m writing this, I’m living with the reality that it’s impossible to avoid the constant talk about funerals,beds, Remedesivir and Oxygen. It’s practically impossible to not get a Whatsapp forward,Instagram story,Facebook post(pick your poison) literally begging for funds to save someone’s life. In a sense, I’ve become immune to it all because I quickly avoid reading about the situation that the person asking for money is in and swipe away for my own sanity. Empathy is a finite resource, and it’s something I’ve run out of a long time ago.
As the requirements flood social media, the people who get the most traction use catchphrases & ad copy tactics to make people actually read. It can’t just be “Patient Critical: Funds required” it has to be “Patient Critical : Oxygen below 90, aged 40 and with 2 kids: Funds required”. How does one even react to this?
Friends have left social media but for some odd reason, I’ve stayed. It’s probably because it’s simpler to be amidst other people’s thoughts than be stuck with your own. There are days where I see a meme page make a really funny edit and it absolutely makes my day. The bar is so low, a good meal, a funny conversation, a good book literally anything can take me out of the constant Covid-19 funk.
The latest iteration of this Covid-19 drama is the vaccination drive.
It isn’t like the world is traumatic enough, now we have to play probably the worst mini game in history to save our life. Since vaccines are in constant short supply, the posts regarding open slots are often sporadic without any schedule. Over the past week, I’ve seen social media shout out tips to win the Co-win game. It’s a 10 part post about how to sync up your Twitter, Telegram & the online portal to win the lottery. The ultimate flex isn’t an updated profile picture, it’s the Instagram story with “I got vaccinated” template.
Amidst all this, two “years” have flown by. I was 20 during January of 2020 and now I’m 22, even though January feels simultaneously like it was a distant memory & just yesterday. There are many things I’ve learnt, but I just hope I can be little more accepting moving forward. A little kinder, not thinking that each day is more than a checklist waiting to be ticked. These are things I’m hoping for because as of right now(again), all we can do is hope.
