A few stories of hope to cling to while we battle the coronavirus pandemic
We’re spilling the positive-tea
Dolphins playfully jumping in and out of the water. Off the coast of Mumbai city.
The viral video capturing these Indian Ocean Humpback dolphins frolicking has our spirits soaring.
Last evening, I actually saw seven stars in the sky. And anyone who lives in a metropolitan city in India knows exactly what a magical anomaly that is.
While we’re still reeling from the news of 21 day lockdown in India, wondering what we have to access to, and what not, and struggling to cope with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, the storm clouds are showing a tiny, tiny sliver of silver.
While the anxiety-causing headlines abound, let’s take a moment to focus on some good news.
The planet is breathing easier
With large populations quarantined indoors — the pollution caused by mass transport and manufacturing has reduced. The skies are clearer, the seas less clogged with waste and the birds, bees and bugs are coming out to play — actor Juhi Chawla even posted a photo of peacocks prancing around in Mumbai’s Khareghat Colony.
- China’s air pollution dropped dramatically after their coronavirus lockdown.
- The reduction in tourists in Venice has led to the return of fish, swans and dolphins to city’s famous canals.
- NO2 levels also dropped in South Korea — the country has long struggled with high emissions from its fleet of coal-fired power plants
- Closer home, the air pollution index in Delhi lists the air as ‘satisfactory’, finally
We’re enjoying real human connection
We’re not talking about all those exes trying to sneak back into your life, fearing they’ll never get laid again. Face time with our friends and family may be at an all-time low, but facetiming now is more than just 10 hurried minutes between meetings and yoga lessons.
We have all the time in the world to talk to our friends, lend a helping hand at home, and realise that at the end of the day, all we have is each other.
Not food delivery apps, gym equipment or online therapy — our true saviours are the people we can lean on.
A man in Gorakhpur, UP seems to have taken this solidarity to heart: he’s allegedly named his niece Corona (born during the Janta Curfew), because the disease ‘unified people’.
Humanity is making a difference
Sure, it can be argued that our lifestyles had a part to play in our current predicament, but as doctors, nurses, scientists, medical workers, domestic help, delivery men, and lots more work overtime, people are coming together to make a difference.
Whether it’s small acts of kindness, like a Spanish family donating ice cream from their shop to a homeless shelter, or big brands taking initiative to help countries on a larger scale, we’re proving we’re all in this together.
- Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley revealed the company would begin production of masks in an effort to aid health workers in the US.
- Designers across the United States are offering up their services to produce masks and gowns for the public, while in India, designer Anuj Sharma has posted a tutorial to make your own mask at home using cloth and buttons.
- LVMH is prepping its perfume and cosmetics production sites to manufacture hydroalcoholic gel in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The factories that produce perfume and makeup for brands like Christian Dior and Givenchy will be making hand sanitiser and also deliver the free disinfectant to French authorities and the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, the largest hospital system in Europe.
- CE Chakunny, a former politician and local celebrity in Kozhikode, Kerala, has waived the rent for over 100 properties owned by his company, taking a financial hit of Rs 12 lakh to help out his tenants who were struggling to stay afloat.
Follow suit, and continue to pay your domestic help even if they’re not around to help – reach out to workers that you know would appreciate help, monetary or otherwise.
It might feel like we’re clutching at straws, and holding on to fading glints of hope, as the world unites over a threat unlike we’ve ever faced before.
But remember we have a lot to be grateful for — and like the memes remind us, our ancestors were called upon to fight in wars — all we’re being asked is to sit tight on our couches.
5 ways pass the time productively during this lockdown:
1.Sow the seeds for your own kitchen garden.
2.Brush up on your hobbies (or find one).
3.Keep your anxiety in check.
4.Put your chef hat on – with healthy snacks.
5. Keep your kids busy.