It’s March 25th,
The pandemic has interrupted the normal life of an individual
The chaos and fear of virus has created a mountain out of a molehill
Days pass, life still seems unpredictable.From high to low, from thick to thin
The virus has spared none.
From the crying poverty of a family to the grieving soul of a dear one,
From the selfless frontline workers to the greedy nature of society
From the unemployment to the stress and anxiety of an individual,
More the 500,000 people have been laid to rest
And millions of confirmed cases battling to stay alive
Just to see and feel the excitement of a brand new day.
The world that was once a happy place has now turned into a graveyard.
Months passed, days fast, hours strike unnoticed
Yet the misery and sound of soul grieving still echoed throughout the land.
To experience the plague of 2020 and be part of its history might sound magnificent but it’s not. It’s not the type of experience that we humans desire or long for. The pandemic and the nationwide lockdown have made life miserable for ordinary people.
Being from Nagaland, a small state in North-East India, where there’s lack of development and advancement, a place that we call home is being affected by the COVID-19 without any bias. Although the situation is quite mild, the fear and social stigma has made a mountain out of a molehill. It’s funny how in our community, a person returning from tour or from a different part of the state is believed to have contracted the disease.
Even when our state was free from the virus, the stigma and rumours have spread to the extent where it is impossible and awkward to even sneeze and cough in our own locality because of the way people tend to stare or suspect. They don’t realise that stigma can isolate people and it can even prevent them from seeking medical help. Stigma, isolation and stress could lead a person to have mental health issues.
As the world fights against the virus and grieves for the loss of loved ones, our state was divided within the community. The mismanagement and the carelessness of the higher officials and within the society have paved a way for the virus. As the pandemic affected our state, we are struggling to keep up with the ‘new normal.’
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only brought business, tourism, hospitality sectors to a complete shutdown but it has also caused a serious threat for the survival of daily wage earners, road-side vendors because they live by what they earn. In our state, we also see the impact of pandemic through religion in various ways such as cancellation of the various faiths offering worship through livestream amidst pandemic.
However the pandemic has opened the eye of many individuals as times like these call for resilient and strong leadership in healthcare, business, government and wider society.
Uketo Chisho
MA English
Tetso College