Pandemic and New Normal By Ali Hamid Khan Main Manuscript

 

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.