I opened today’s newspaper to read something to recuperate the positivity of mind and to trash the monotony and boredom caused by past few days of lock-down. All the main pages are conquered by novel Corona Virus, few about impending economic slowdown, some about shrinking supplies, declining job markets, spiralling death rates, falling oil prices etc. In a column, Prime Minister is proclaiming on the importance of fighting the economic slowdown, post pandemic and in another column a political leader is highlighting the importance of being more vigilant and proactive, yet another is trashing the “light-a-lamp” as superstitious, and one is tarnishing the intention of it by making it truly superstitious.
While Japan is planning for the biggest financial stimulus package to combat the threat caused by Covid-19 and USA is diligently fighting another “Pearl Harbour situation”, the wealth of the wealthiest in the world had shrunken by $408bn in last 2 months’ time and the situation is again getting worsened and becoming dark and bleak. Counsellors are trying to emanate more confidence to the readers by giving tips for healthy living, many are trying to break the chain while few are belittling the “early” lockdown. Cement demand is to drop by 15%, edible oil imports to down by 32%, Uber is helping their employees to find another jobs and Treebo is giving VRS to 60% of its employees and there is no light of hope anywhere around. On other side Tesla is planning to manufacture ventilators using car components, Bacardi is planning to produce 70,000 litres of hand sanitisers , Apple is trying to make masks in large scale and the Google maps is working hard to show the location of the food supplies and shelters, for the mankind to search for.
I hurried through the pages to get some positive vibes but could see only falling heavens and failing systems. Now, I could feel only negativity, misery and smell of graveyards in the backyards of many realms and, then, threw the paper on the table, hopelessly.
Halted for a minute, by taking another sip of lukewarm tea, with a gasp of fresh air, I glanced through the pages once again. This time, to my surprise, I could see, somehow, many positives, in between the lines of those very same columns and pages. It blushed into my mind as a revelation that, while I am sitting in the comforts of my home, the Whole World, with one intellect, is fighting together to combat a microscopic parasite, the new-age goliaths are looking beyond bottom lines of their financials by adopting virgin roads for the sustenance of the world, each and every one is thinking about the welfare of others, legislators are voluntarily reducing their emoluments to benefit the populace, medical experts are generously and vigorously devoting their will and dynamism, nations are proclaiming mammoth financial impetus to protect their countrymen, terrorism, fascism and factionalism are taking a short nap in their abodes, ego of the man is getting ashamed due to its feebleness, water of Ganges and Venice Canals are blue and clearer than ever before, skies are brighter and shinier as the fuming iron fowls are taking rest on their runways, highlands and sea-beds are more visible due to tapering emission, nature is breathing fresh air into lungs of gigantic cities , wind carries the blossom of freshness, mornings and evenings are quite and pleasant and tweeting of the birds are louder than the sound of honking vehicles, what else can be emit more positivity, I thought with a smile on my face.
Alas! there are more positives than negatives around us, and We are now in a better, optimistic and progressive World. Let us fight it together for making better tomorrow.
BIJOY P PULIPRA