Who would have thought that the masks first donned during the Carnival season of the 15th century would make such an impactful presence six centuries later? Albeit with a major difference! While the masked balls of that bygone era were confined to elaborate Royal entries, pageants and triumphal processions to celebrate marriages and other dynastic events of late medieval court life, the present-day mask has brought together all the rich and the poor, the prince and the pauper, the good and the bad on a level playing field!
The mask donned by bandits, smugglers and robbers to conceal their identity as they made away with their booty, has come to stay, all thanks to an unseen virus, which has succeeded in bringing the world down on her knees.
Akin to two sides to a coin, there are two sides to the mask. You must admit that it comes in the way of that rapturous smile which exposes the beautiful set of teeth and sets aglow the face, eyes twinkling! Or forces you to stifle that guffaw which used to make those around you split their sides with laughter; or the itchy nose that is dying for a good sneeze. Or the double masks that leave you caged in, almost suffocating, without a wisp of fresh air. If this is bad, just picture the front liners, complete with a misty face shield over it, induced by their breath and blocking their view, not to forget the PPEs which leave them, soaked to the skin! Though a bane to many, it proves a boon to the thieves who roam the night to plunder or stop you on a lonely deserted track to rob you of your cash and your cards, knife pointed dangerously at your ribs! Not to forget the hit and run cases who make good their escape, zipping deftly through the traffic, leaving you bruised and red faced in the middle of the road.
Now for the brighter side, more so if you are one of those who would rather not reveal your dental beauty, for reasons best known to you! Or even if you are not a delicate darling, dare you deny that it helps you from inhaling the oh so fine dust that our roads boast of? And what about the scowl or clenching of the teeth which the mask so conveniently conceals when you are obliged to keep company with a not so welcome guest? Or when you can seek refuge in the mask for not recognizing the acquaintance who waved out to you from across the road just the other day. And just fancy the beautiful shades and designs they come in, adding colour to an otherwise drab, uninteresting wardrobe. And to top it all isn’t it one of the three armours along with our good old friend, the sanitizer; and ensuring distance, to suppress the transference of the deadly disease and keep its variants at bay!
Though the good news is that the virus is on the wane, one can never say when it will choose to emerge from the closet in some part of the world and reach out to befriend humanity at large.
So, wouldn’t it be wise not to discard the mask, and make it instead, part of our being, faithful to the adage, ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’?
