APRIL 18, 2020
KARO-NA! The Last One
Every bad thing comes to an end. This statement is in context of COVID-19. Although, this article is the last in the KARO-NA Series, but certainly not the last one. I can say with certainty that this is the beginning.
COVID-19, possibly, is the most humbling experience for humanity. Human might and excellence is exposed and the world is helplessly on its knees. Visuals of ventilators modified to accommodate multiple patients instead of one, dead bodies loaded on refrigerated trucks, dead buried in absence of sons and daughters - it all feels so dystopian, so nightmarish. This helplessness and silent presence of death in the air signifies superiority of something unknown over scientific and technological prowess acquired by humanity in the last few centuries. This humbling experience is a reminder to all of us that we all need to be ready to deal with an unknown future. We all plan various things in life but do little to materialise the plans. I have been planning since the last few years to start writing and as the proverb goes, “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now”; I could not pick up a pen and a paper and most importantly, my mind!
This pandemic time has given a chance to human beings to step back and look around with compassion and faith. This lockdown gave me an opportunity to think about my dormant plan and little way of contributing towards awareness of COVID-19. As the enormity of the virus took a monstrous proportion and the world started talking and writing about it, it was easy for me to pick up the subject of my writing. So, I decided to write a piece a day for the next 30 days. Initially, I was hesitant, unsure, and skeptical about my vow, since I had no experience of writing, gathering content or subject of writing and most importantly my fear of being criticized. This was the time when my parents encouraged me and arrested my fears. Today, when I look back and read what I have written in the last 29 days - I can say with some pride that this was the best decision of my life.
I cannot claim to be a proficient writer; I know I am not coherent; my language may not be apt; there may be grammatical errors, however I have tamed my fear of writing and become assured enough to face criticism. I had no idea how to start and what to read to formulate thoughts or gather information everyday to write 500-700 words on a daily basis. My friends, teachers, and parents encouraged and guided me on various facets of writing, which enabled completion of these 30 articles. I have circulated few of these articles to publishers - but yet to have a final word from their side.
COVID-19 is here to stay for sometime and I am going to stay in lockdown as well. So, I would continue to write but may not with the regularity of a piece a day. Currently I am seeking opinions from friends and critiques before finally deciding the area I want to write in and the duration of my writing. Subject to suggestions, I am planning to write a well researched essay paper on a weekly or fortnightly basis, with the objective to extend a concrete point of view on some issue or topic. Right now this is just a thought, but I would be glad to receive suggestions from anyone who is reading these articles.