24 Apr 2020  |   04:29am IST

Separated by corona but connected by love!

Family is much more than a word, it’s a feeling of warmth and love that neither time nor distance can change. But there are many in Goa, whose loved ones are stuck outside the state for over a month now separating families

Aditi Malhotra,

Picture a situation where a woman went for a work meeting to another city for just a day leaving her young kid with her husband to manage sine it was about an overnight only and now has been stuck in that other city for over a month. Imagine the plight of that mother and that child and even that husband who is to manage the home and the kid alone without any domestic help.

 

Or imagine an old couple, whose only son is stuck in some other part of the country, unable to sustain on themselves,  completely dependent on their son for the smallest of things possible. They are stranded, stuck, and devastated. These aren’t fictions or plots of a film in making, but a crude reality that many families are facing today.

 

Yes indeed time and distance may not be able to change your feelings and emotions for your family, but forced distance and time can definitely leave you distressed. One can stay away from family by choice, but when such things are imposed due to external situations, it can be devastating. And in current times coronavirus and the lockdown as a subsequent result are elements that are implicating the family lives of many.

 

 

“We relocated to Goa in September last year. This is our primary home. My son was working in South Goa but he shifted home, the day my husband flew to Delhi to be with my mom in law who lives alone. Our daughter is studying in Amsterdam. But now due to the lockdown we are all stuck at our respective places and don’t know when things will get back to normal.

 

So in Goa, it is our son, dog, and I. We are in a gated community so that has helped a lot. Now even though we would ideally like my husband and mom in law to fly to Goa, that is not an option”, shared Arti Jaiman, a resident of Bambolim.

 

“I had to fly to Mumbai to receive my 20-year-old son as his USC University closed due to COVID19. I wanted to be with him through the 14-day self-quarantine by which time the lockdown happened & borders were sealed.   It’s so hard being away from my fiancée Maneck Contractor and my HAPPY SOUL company and employees, and my home and life in Goa.  The possibility that I will turn 50 in May without him to celebrate by my side is deeply saddening.  We would have been apart for 10 weeks.

There should be some way forward perhaps that you are allowed to travel over state borders. You can't keep families apart for so long. Solutions must be found!” shared Pooja Bedi who now has settled in Goa with her fiancée Maneck.

 

Joyjeet Mukherjee an artist and blogger who came for a vacation in Goa from Delhi has a long story to narrate, “We reached Goa before the lockdown and had our return flights on 24th of March, but the flight got canceled. On 25th Lockdown began and we got stuck here.

Luckily we booked ourselves an Airbnb 1bhk apartment this time with a kitchen and all other facilities and the owner was kind enough to offer us a very reasonable long stay deal and had been really helpful and constantly been in touch for everything. Who wouldn't really want to get locked down in a place like Goa, I don't mind that either. Even if we couldn't step out even once during our month-long stay but we are still in Goa.

The only worry is my Dad who is 73+ is alone back home and also taking care of our 5 years old Labrador and with no domestic helps available these days, cooking and managing everything alone”

 

 

 

Nupura Hautamaki, a marketing professional says, “My mother is stuck in Mumbai during the time of COVID crisis, the only good part is that she is with my brother at his home, but still the uncertainty of when she can travel back leaves us all in despair. These are the times when one wants to be with their loved ones at home and safe, but all we can do right now is hope for our better times together soon.”

 

 

Well, the times are really trying and some of the families are in worse situations. Yes, lockdown is important, but some solutions should definitely be found wherein families could reunite and be together at home. At least some measures should be implemented wherein after evaluating situations of those in desperate needs should be granted some relief to travel with of course tests and precautions are taken. Let’s hope for better times soon!