A year on, we are not out of the woods yet...

Migrants left in lakhs for their hometown in the lockdown last year. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

It has been a year already since the pandemic-enforced lockdown changed our lives forever. We learned to obey rules, stay indoors, work from home, make the best use of resources when none were available outside, discovered hidden strengths, became more empathetic of the have-nots, were hit badly ourselves, but learnt to swim in the deep waters we were thrown into, figured out how to be educated online, found out just how little we need to survive, lost dearly loved ones to a disease no one knew how to properly handle, were unable to attend funerals, celebrate new life and birthdays, weddings and anniversaries and lost and found friends through our best resource through this all - social media. There have been no other 12 months in our lives that have been this meaningful or life-altering.

As the lockdown eased, we figured out the best way to get to and from our workplaces, the more ingenious and desperate among us resorting to crooked means to get on out-of-bounds public transport.

We watched as the government floundered in uncharted waters, mulling for weeks over whether or not to completely lift the lockdown. We derided the government for not making quick decisions, as jobs and livelihoods were at stake.

We are not completely out of the woods yet. The second wave is here. But, we are a little more prepared than we were this time last year. The vaccine is here, too, but it is still not time for complacence. New cases are shooting through the roof in our city and not all of these will fully recover. How we can contribute to this is with patience and cooperation.

When the authorities say mask-up, let us not take it as a cue for defiance, a few hours of inconvenience could save us days being hooked up to a ventilator. Please encourage elderly relatives to take the vaccine. And, believe that this too shall pass.