Pandemic
and New Normal
By
Ali
Hamid Khan
Muddat hui hai yaar ko
mehmaan kiye hue
josh-e-qadah se bazm
charaaGhaan kiye hue
Translation:
It's
has been quite long since my invitation to my friends.
The
gathering, heated up with goblets.
Mirza Ghalib
This
poem by the Urdu poet Ghalib instantly brings to mind the pandemic and
lockdown. The poet has so aptly
put it that I couldn’t help mentioning it here. The lockdown has
brought the world to a grinding halt and our whole idea about communication and
socializing has gone through a dramatic change. The new normal has changed
almost everything we do and has embedded in our minds the fear that we never
contemplated. The first time I heard about lockdown was when India locked down
Kashmir and cut off the internet and all the tools of communication like
WhatsApp and other social media that are integral parts of life everywhere. It
is impossible to imagine a life in this fourth industrial revolution without the
internet. In this time and age, everything, from business to social
interaction, depends on the virtual world. We could understand the darkness
that descended upon them.
The
pandemic has affected life in its entirety every aspect has been upended in a
way we never imagined. Every sector has come under the purview of the pandemic
nothing escaped it whether it was business, social interaction, or education.
The education sector has been badly impacted school, colleges, universities,
and other educational institutions in every country have abruptly halted and
education stopped in its track leaving the students in a state of antsy and
hopelessness. Pandemic has adversely affected the school students too and in
Bangladesh particularly it is feared many won't go back to school after it is
over, in the post-pandemic period there would be dropouts which otherwise
wouldn’t have happened. In our country, the immigrant workers are also affected
as countries are not taking in people due to fear of a spike.
So
the entire scenario is quite worrying and disturbing and this would take a long
time to return to normal. Businesses all over the world are suffering badly the
garment industry of Bangladesh and many other industries have been hit hard. Bangladesh's economy has to bear the brunt due
to the economy slowing down and being a poor country the trials and
tribulations are seriously affecting the trajectory of development. The world
over the aviation industry is one of the worst affected sectors, flights have
stopped and the industry is facing serious losses.
Lockdown
like situation which is prevailing now and forcing people to stay home most of
the time is having a bad effect on the psyche as well, this stagnation has
affected day-to-day life and many households have stopped the part-time house
helps to come in and work. This step is affecting the poor badly. Construction
work has slowed down too which is making life difficult for the day labor and
construction workers. The economy has slowed down as a result inequality and
poverty will go up. The slow progress or regression will have a long term
effect. Even domestic violence has reportedly gone up.
We
have a minimal social life nowadays, going to the park for a walk or a little
coffee adda with friends have ceased. The toll on the mind and body is quite
obvious. We are struggling to tackle the situation and grapple with it.
The
newspaper industry, unfortunately, has taken a very hard blow, it has virtually
stopped and I for one miss it immensely. The morning ritual of a cup of tea and
newspaper is missing from daily life, this is felt hard. For many decades it
has been a part of life and to find it not being on the table waiting to be
picked up and read is unacceptable. The touch and smell of the newsprint are
missed. Digital newspaper is a substitute but people like me will take some
time to adjust and get used to it.
The
downsides are many but we have to have a positive mind and try to find things
to pep us up and cheer up the frazzled mind which is a result of inactivity and
zero socializing and interacting.
Let’s
look at some of the positive sides too. The digital sector has seen quite a
development with different platforms opening up for us to communicate and do
business. Zoom has become quite popular which is used the world over from
corporate meetings to different social and religious programs, political
discussions, and newspapers holding live discussion programs and webinars and
educational institutions holding teaching sessions live. Zoom provides video
telephony, online chat, teleconferencing, distance learning, and social
relations. Newspapers are holding interviews and discussions regularly where
important personalities and celebrities are participating.
I
was not familiar with digital shopping so much but now I can navigate this huge
world of buying and selling and get what I want to my doorstep and payment can
be done conveniently by Bkash and other digital payment platforms. Another area
I discovered recently is digital banking which helps me sitting at home buy
things and transfer money and make payments. This is quite convenient and
interesting and these days, a new part of my daily routine. I also discovered
online book stores. Now I can without
stepping out of my house order without any effort a new book and even those
which have just hit the stand. This is quite amusing and exciting and I get the
time to read the recently published books and best sellers. Reading has taken a
new proportion and this helps in keeping the mind calm and at ease.
The
pandemic has stopped us from meeting friends and attending social
gatherings. I miss talking and
participating in debates with friends, all we can do is call on the mobile
phone and talk fortunately we have WhatsApp, Viber, messenger et al to keep us chatting
away without thinking or stressing over the phone bill. But we miss the
physical presence there is nothing like sitting across the table in the comfort
of the living room talking about different issues, shaking hands, and having a
hearty laugh. Now we wear masks and keep sanitizers at hand and at short
intervals wash our hands with soap. What a huge transformation the world has
gone through, it has changed dramatically and life has been redefined. We know
for sure that the soft skills of children will also be affected by this new
normal. Dress codes will surely change and masks of different colors and
designs to make people look attractive and smart will be part of our dress
code. Social perceptions and norms will change and have already started
changing these will be the outcome of the pandemic and lockdown.
Poet
Mirza Ghalib’s poem and his prescient words written more than a century ago
still reverberate and make you wonder how true they are in these tiring times.
