It’s been quite a year. Full of drama and emotion like a Bollywood pot-boiler. Close brushes
with death in some cases, an extended stay in the ICU in others and death
seemed like a permanent resident. Of course there was time to enjoy it in some
form but it was a pretty strange year. As one slowly winds down and approaches
the New Year one can look back and think of the good or bad times experienced.
Experiences could be varied, from perhaps trying out some new cuisine or
perhaps starting the journey towards being able to cook by oneself. Or perhaps
binge watching Netflix or even watching the news channels that seemed to
specialise in presenting drama of all kinds. Or maybe it was much sadder like
that of Satish Naik from the Goa Police who said, “I lost my father, son and
uncle this year. It was one of the toughest times for my entire family.” He
added that he joined the duty soon after the last rites, since he did not want
to run away from his responsibility.
Jaya Tulsiani, a retailer from Panjim said
it was undoubtedly the lockdown which was a time of great hardship for
everyone. She said “We started a free food service for people before the
lockdown. The only reason I had this setup was to help the needy and not waste
food, which I saw was not happening when the lockdown was imposed.” She said
people who needed the food could not come out of fear but the relaxation of
regulations made life a lot easier.
The fate of the daily wage earner was a source of discussion on
every news channel. Amir Shaikh, a daily wage worker said, “The best memory I
have from the last year is of having Kacha Badam Shake of Murshidabad, Kolkata.
It is my native place and I remember having that every day when I was there”.
He further added that if the lockdown would not have been relaxed then he was
planning to open a kacha badam shake shop there since it was becoming famous in
his area after the kacha badam song shot over there.
Education institutions faced challenges during the time of the
pandemic. New challenges were faced by the teachers and the students to shift
from an offline to online mode of instruction. Rakshita Naik, a student said,
“This year I had good as well as bad memories. The exams were conducted in
online mode, which made me really happy. Apart from that I could not meet my
friends physically, that was a bad memory for me.” Jayson Fernandes, another
student said, “My new year resolution was that the school should open this year
and finally when it did, I could not control my happiness. It was definitely a
different experience, but the happiness of going to school, meeting friends,
roaming out during lunch and waiting near the canteen for lunch were some of
the most beautiful memories.” He further added that things were not completely
normal but he felt really privileged to go to school this time.
“It has been a journey of learning rather than teaching for me.
I am proud I was able to master technology to teach students. I always ran away
from technology, even the usage of WhatsApp was tough for me. I am 56 years old
and it feels good to walk along with the youngsters of this generation”, said
Vinayak Naik, a math’s teacher.
Rakesh Singh, a security Guard by profession, said, “I was never
removed from my job. I was on duty for the security of people throughout the
year. I have seen people losing their jobs and going bankrupt during the
pandemic but by god’s grace I was here and my family was surviving on my
salary. Nothing could be better than that”. He further added that he was in his
early fifties, in spite of that he was fit and fine. He finds himself lucky to
have never encountered COVID-19.
Vishnu Prakash, an Army official said, “I don’t remember any one
particular moment which can be termed as a good or bad memory. For me, life was
normal and I never faced any difficulty. The life in the army camp remained the
same and in fact quite normal in the past one year.” He further added that he
was transferred to Goa recently and is looking forward to the opportunities
here positively.
Habib Siddique, a retailer, said, “For me this entire year seemed
like a test. Test for all those people, who gave excuses for not having the
time to spend with family and friends. I have spent my maximum time with my
family members. When parents grow older they just need our support and some
time and I feel really happy that I was able to spend my time with them.”
Mohammad Ahmad Khan said, “I am alive, nothing can be better
than that and I thank god for that. It is because of him that my family and I
are happy and safe.” He further added that keep doing the good work; Allah will
take care of all things and grant you with a life full of moments which can
never be forgotten.
It
has undoubtedly been a very strange year and people will look back with mixed
emotions on this year.
