Another year has gone by. And what a year it was. There was so much tragedy, so much pain. Economies fell. Nations staggered. But with great resilience and determination, people looked ahead and went forward. The good news is, we have effective vaccines. But covid-19 is still refusing to say goodbye. It is all set to follow us into the new year.
Is it just me, or is coronavirus following a strategy of dynasty politics? Prominent families dominate national or local politics. And when a leader’s power is waning, he or she hands over control to a close family member. That’s just like our coronavirus. It started out as a low level player, causing SARS and other little infections. But in 2019, covid 19 came to power, controlling the lives and livelihoods of the world populace. When it was supposed to retire a year or so later, it handed over the reins to close variants. Like Delta and Omicron. And who knows what other kinds of corona the new year will bring?
But whatever variants come to play with us, people will do what they do best. Now a new year is here, and we know what to do. Yes, that’s right. Break a few resolutions. As you probably know, breaking of resolutions could be traced back to ancient Greece. It might have started with Mr. Archimedes, who would resolve each year to come up with an eureka moment. But he was always thinking about mechanics and mathematics that he even neglected personal hygiene. It was years later, when he got into his bathtub with a few favourite floating toys, with the intention of taking a long and leisurely soak, that he had his eureka epiphany. Now there are a lot of people who follow this rich tradition. (The tradition of resolution breaking, not bathtub soaking.)
I am no exception. In fact, I tend to break new year resolutions as surely and swiftly as politicians break their promises. But last year, 2021, was different. Thanks to covid 19, a few resolutions were kept.
Improve vocabulary
During the past year, all of us have added a few new words and phrases to our arsenal. Here are a few that I have learnt.
Pandemic. A nice Latin word for sure. But why does the medical profession stubbornly insist on using complex words from ancient languages? This word might make more sense if it was in plain old English. ‘Pan’ of course would mean a cooking vessel, as in ‘going from the frying pan into the fire’. And ‘demic’ would be a confused version of medic, a state that would nicely describe the confusion of medics during the pandemic.
Lockdown. This is the opposite of lock up. When in lock up, you have to avoid rowdy villains who might be carrying concealed weapons and you look forward to the day you get out. But during a lockdown, you have to avoid friends and relatives who might be carrying covid and you dread the day you have to step out for essentials.
PPE. Or Politician Protection Equipment. Of course you know the old saying, ‘All liars are not politicians, but all politicians are liars’. Politicians lie, cheat and use any means to fool people and win elections. So it is up to us to be armed with PPE. (The expression ‘politician protection’ might be misleading. It is not protection for politicians, but a strategy to protect us from politicians.) PPE is an overall strategy – think clearly and be informed. And to see through a politician’s BS, use your CS (common sense).
Social distancing. A great strategy to keep annoying relatives and acquaintances at bay.
Improve wardrobe
Each year I think about changing my look. I ask myself, should I go with the grunge, bohemian or punk fashion this year? But lacking the courage to experiment, I end up with the same t-shirt and jeans attire. But last year I changed my look entirely after getting a whole range of accessories. Masks. During school days, I used to be a huge fan of masked superheroes like Batman and Spiderman. And now, I got to wear a mask just like those guys. But when I actually put on a mask eagerly, my excitement faded to disappointment. Super hero masks usually cover the upper half of the face. It’s villain masks which cover the lower half, from the mouth down. Like the Winter Soldier who fights the Avengers. Or Hannibal Lecter (actually his mask is more of a muzzle, but the effect is obvious). Though my masks were not exactly super heroish, at least I had a mysterious new look.
Improve general knowledge
I don’t usually read newspapers. So understandably my general knowledge is quite lacking. One of my resolutions was to learn more about what’s going on around me. And that’s how I learnt what our farmers did for fun. Apparently, when they get bored with ploughing and harvesting, they come out in large numbers and block highways and roads. In fact, last year’s farmers’ festival was held just outside Delhi and went on for almost a year. It must have set a record for being the biggest and longest agricultural lollapalooza in the world. And I heard that recently doctors too are having their own little fun protest to unwind after working hard during the pandemic. I am looking forward to reading about the activities of the medical Woodstock. Go Farmers and Physicians!
But I have to go now. It’s the last day of the year and I have to come up with new resolutions. Wishing you all a great new year.
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