2020: Everything You Need

Really? Is 2020 ending? Is what I'm hearing true? 

Yes, folks; this agonizing year is finally coming to a closure. 

Does this mean one starts partying? Does this mean one becomes complacent and lounges about on the sofa?

No; nada; never. 

The year might be finally bidding us goodbye, but the tribulations and the grief it has bestowed upon humanity are far from having eradicated. 

Look around yourself.

What do you see?

 People covered in masks, gloves and face-shields.

Dusty, deserted roads with a distant cawing of a free-spirited crow. 

Closed, debilitating shops. 

And a ubiquitous fear, a tantalising apprehension of what is to come. 

2020 has completely transformed the very fabric of personal and social lifestyle. The deadly Covid-19 Pandemic, which has claimed 1.8 million lives worldwide and has caused severe harm to national economies and the global market, has, in some way or form, taught us to be disciplined. Sanitation, an issue hitherto unattended, is now the rule of the day.  Every household has hand sanitisers, hand washes and anti-bacterial sprays. People aren't forgetting to wash their hands before they eat or use the loo. Families are becoming conscious of cleanliness and ensuring that not only are their houses clean but also their neighbourhood. 

Then there is this trend of being health-conscious. In India, every person is regularly drinking medicated liquor tea (kadha). Immunity-boosting medications are in demand. Ayurvedic tonics are also being hoarded. Everybody wants to be fit and in a good shape. 

One can jolly well say that following this pandemic, governments across the globe will enhance their funding in the healthcare sector. The utter failure of some of the most advanced healthcare systems bears testimony to the need to bring about a change, and if possible, immediate change. 

In what could be seen as Mother Nature's call towards realization, 2020 is replete with natural disasters. The Amphan cyclone in India, the forest fires in Latin America and Australia, hurricanes in California and similar occurrences elsewhere are signs of impending doom. Our Mother wishes to express her ire with her supposedly prized children-us vile, ungrateful humans, us plunderers, us exploiters, us wanton murderers. It is high-time corporations, governments and civil societies come together and materialise a comprehensive programme to address climate change and pollution rather than acting as social media activists( ahem, Miss Thunberg) lest we fall prey to shifting agricultural seasons, fragile economies and an ever-increasing possibility of an apocalypse. 

2020 has been a hotbed of political drama. A looming fear of WWIII in the beginning, then again in the latter half with the escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; political upheaval in the United States with the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter Movement and the Presidential elections (I was afraid there would be civil war), anti-government protests in Thailand and Belarus, and more recently, the ongoing farmer protests in my country. Everybody seems to be frustrated for some reason, lol. 

But, but, but...

The lockdown and the stay-at-home orders have been proven to be a blessing in disguise for several people. Many people have realised their hidden potential. With a lot of free time in their hands, people have taken to art and craft, blogging, vlogging, writing on sites like Wattpad, Royal Roads, Scribble Hub, and the popular self-publishing site Amazon KDP. I realised my dream of becoming a published author this year. I would never have thought of ever being able to do so. To think of that I can now call myself an author, more importantly, an author with moderate international repute, makes me feel...Ethereal. 

I made several friends during this journey, bloggers and writers alike. 

Welp, it's January the 2nd. 

Welcome, 2021!