Gopal Prasad Bashyal
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has reigned the human community, the pages of fundamental rights of people in the constitutions around the world are abruptly shattered. First people ignore it, and then they can’t restore from it. Look around yourself, you’ve lost a lot. It’s not necessary to turn around 360. You just stand up 90 if you’re able to do so. I’m sure nowadays you’re alone. The most beloved one, who accompanied you to your bed, has been shifted to the next world after uncountable days of silent pains and a couple of panic-stricken nights strained in the ventilator which might have been possible since you’re a relative of a high-profile governor or government official. You needn’t worry much as there is no single-file procession, and you don’t know where the deceased body is cremated and when. Perhaps you notice the mourning dove that calls for the final reminders of your beloved ones.
Stepping out of the cabin earns you a risk of exposure. Therefore, if you dared peeping through the joint of window panes, you’d shout, “Oh my God! I came to know why the town remained so peaceful these days! I saw the ambulance wreckage loaded in an army truck. Staring eyes on a lolling head suggested that the virus must have attacked the driver on duty.”
The army and the police vehicles are wheeling to remove the corpses scattered on the streets. After that the dead bodies in the houses next-doors will be evacuated first and the virus-affected members might be labeled with red tags. There is no certainty that the red labeled people are driven to isolation cabins because the streets elsewhere need cleansing immediately to stop virus transportation. The main streets require massive efforts of the governments that can pay least attention to the remote villages. The lives in the distance are supposed to be safe since the rapid spread of the virus left no one to report about the devastating pandemic attacks.
Mobility is suspended and severe screaming of people is unheard. No plane flies on the sky because the crews are in isolation and the management is in lockdown. You cannot imagine the union of family members returning from abroad since even the neighbors are not allowed to visit from adjacent areas. The pandemic virus has challenged the human race and their slogan of being so-called ‘social beings’ and has forced them to maintain social distance. Unfortunately, along with carelessness, the family distancing became inevitable for the sake of maintaining generations.
It’s said that love kills lives of lovely children. The cruel virus stopped an old mother wrinkled with several terraces in her nearly a century-old face from hugging her children and grandchildren who had arrived home after long luxury life in the city. The spouse left affected as the infected partner shared bed. The children begged farewell with their lovely mother from distance and lost her lap forever. A postnatal mother was forbidden to let her baby suck her breast as the virus made her breast a beast. The babies keep the mouths open asking for their mother’s hug and care but she’s compelled to shake her hands, run to the ventilator and disappear. She’s not hugging them because she loves them. The children are not allowed to run to their mother when she reaches to the yard. The way of showing love is changed. There is no more hugging. No more kissing and no handshaking, either. Only namaste is tolerable if it’s from a distance.
Among the social media rumors, thousands of scholastic quotes have spread. Whatever the baby tries gives a little leisure of futile engaging. In a minute, she cries, “Papa, I’m dying of living hell.”
The pandemic has changed the ways of living. There is not any hurry to wake up and get ready for tuitions. The helmet teachers, who were bound to take classes at different schools in a day, have got the maximum pleasure of lockdown. The people with big bellies are not compelled to sweat early in the morning as the morning walk groups are fixed in the middle of streets for hours. The school children look much happier as there is neither a big backpack of bulky books nor homework to finish. However, they sometimes grumble at losing tasty junk foods in the lunch box. Instead, they learnt to eat homemade foods and also began to help in the kitchen a little. There are only a few scandals of corruption as the projects are stopped and the offices are closed these days. The general expenditure and development funds are saved. The bureaucrats feel embarrassed since there is no surplus. Rather, they worry if they receive full pay and when. Interestingly, the numbers of patients and corpses cremated in the holy rivers have also considerably decreased. One of the biggest advantages is environmental cleanliness. The earth is clean. There is less smoke, less pollution and no noise of vehicles. This helps to keep the air clean. The small ventilation or crack of window offers very clean air and makes us fresh throughout lockdown. The traffic police report the rate of traffic accidents dramatically decreased. The virus seems affecting fairly. It doesn’t discriminate among races or classes or regions. The people of any professional fields might be affected. There is rare crime report these days since the criminals are sincerely obeying lockdown.
This pandemic illness has shown some post-crisis symptoms. Since the neighbouring and other donor countries are observing much more serious situation, there is very little hope of support from outside. This little external and internal support cannot restore the nation’s economy. At the state of emergency, the army and other forces receive first priority for consuming available resources like fuel, grains, medicine, vehicles etc. It’s justified with their lead at maintaining peace, providing treatment and care, security of resources, governors and officials. There is no rational system of receiving supports of the government. Only the strong ones will grab whatever is kept aside as support to the people. The pandemic will destroy the middle and lower class lives as they lose employment and self-employed activities for living. The government cuts budget on education, agriculture and other service sectors. The huge group of youngster is left idle. It can easily result a kind of violent riot. No more ethics at the cost of appetite and survival.
The worst thing is to grumble at fantasy of evils. Every dark cloud has silver border. Perhaps it’s urgent to find the value of our performance. The pandemic has taught us to love the nature and obey her systems. People have begun to realize their power and limitations. They now feel the value of motherland. The ways everyday activities are performed have changed. People have begun to think critically what good qualities need to be saved for new generations. For example, Namaste is popular. Both the sentimental affairs and the aggressive reactions against the difficult situation are not supportive to overcome this unexpected challenge against human beings.
Cool down!
Although the way forward is suspended and halted, the novel avatar will inevitably cherish the illuminated faces of phoenix.
This is the way of human civilization.
[Gopal Prasad Bashyal is an author, educator and researcher from Tansen, Palka, Nepal. He writes both in Nepali and English, and loves to delve deep into contemporary issues with great precision. Stories and essays are his cherished genres as a writer. He can be reached at gopalbashyal@gmail.com.]