A novel by Charles Dickens, Hard Times, comes first to our mind when we recall the year 2020, the condition that ever anyone today had imagined or would like to remember. The chaos, rush, bewilder, apologetic etc. are the only terms I could best use regarding the situation. It was definitely a trying period of each and every one of us all over the world. The conditions of few were pathetic due to unemployment especially the ones who earn their daily wages to serve their family. The death rates were elevating high like the crushing of glass bottles in the glass factory, one after the other. The term Quarantine was not so familiar before the pandemic Covid 19, which prolonged for a year and still to be assured if we can walk out.
Assuming literature, a pioneer of prophesizing future which reminds of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the three witches foretelling Macbeth’s succeeding that fortunately comes true. The paper intents to manifest the significance of literature in the society; how literature predicts future and profuse awareness. No wonder what we are reading in the fiction today might soon be the news of tomorrow. The impact of literature that has been showering in the society by foreseeing the future is unconditionally astonishing; in fact, it was stumping the internet, for instance, Coronavirus, after forty years is being the most controversial topic, which is a bitter truth for the people to digest. Although sad, but this essay claims a grander support with the number of positive interpretations that has come into being since long time. The world would brood over the serious and the current syndrome of 2019 Coronavirus for decades, which has been the reason for the loss of lives first evoked in Wuhan, China. More than seventeen hundred people suffered and lost their breath due to this deadly plague coronavirus explosion in the Wuhan city which gradually had spread over to twenty-five countries, but wait, did we notice that a fiction had already anticipated Wuhan virus almost forty years ago, in Dean Koontz’s thriller The Eyes of Darkness in 1981. Koontz have named the virus as ‘Wuhan-400’.
Along with jobs, regular lives, normal lifestyles, it was also a great hindrance towards education. The schools, colleges, universities and all the social institutes got locked down due to the pandemic. Like all other people I too set myself in the house, with patience, hope and the only faith in God, praying for the infected world. Although it was understood the source of income fell extremely down, at the same time there a sudden panic in the family. I trained my mind to accept and move along with the situation also helped the members of my family to better understand as soon as possible, which would well and good for each and everyone of us. I decided to tutor the school students both primary and secondary standards in my colony in order to solve their academic issues with assignments, projects, and daily home works. The promise that I made to the parents to keep them safe in my house on the sanitised floor, teach them with mask on my face and the students’ too, the students were advised to carry their own sanitizers and gloves with them before entering the house, and to be seated with social distancing. On the other hand, it was necessary to support my family financially, as there was low hope of getting things right. Besides, the news on the television and internet was the source of knowledge of the outside world that concerned my eyes about the uncountable number of people stuck in the outer states, and then towards the covid patients in my locality whose family members were quarantined for days with no proper food and facilities. I along with my family tried our best to help them as much as we could by offering them ration, liquids, etc. outside their doorsteps. It was a blessing for us to help the needy and the infected ones. Though it wasn’t easy but after few days I witnessed people started sharing their stuff whatever they could provide for the Covid infected families in the locality.
Emphasizing on my personal life, the meditation was another great aid for my mind and body, I started learning more while teaching, besides this I got to spare more time for my concerned subject, drilling my mind towards calmness, peace and patience was the only significant motive of my duration in the lockdown. Besides, I started writing articles, quotes, research papers, and joined a session of Communication Mastery Skills organised by the great mentor Mr. Rahul Bhatnagar. There was a life living in a virtual world, due to pandemic, the classes, communication, meetings, all shifted towards the social media platforms. I would rather better say life in online. Keeping aside the disadvantages that we have been accentuating all through the time, I would like to bring about the brighter side of this era that there was a beautiful moment or say opportunity to spend time with the family. I have few lines to describe more efficaciously the life in lockdown. My thoughts are as follows:
The hope is still taking birth for the next normal phase to rise, it’s the best time for the people to learn, relearn, adjust, improve, and to fight back the worst to arrive in order to prepare for the new normal life to be welcomed.
