While there is a lot of uncertainty about the future and a fear of how “tomorrow” will unfold, one thing that we should remind ourselves time and again is that this health crisis shall soon be a past but so will this time.

There is a ray of hope even on the adversity we are facing today due to COVID-19. This time which we have received as a gift from nature, this time that we all used to crave when we did not have time to sit in our living rooms with our family, this time before which we never realized that there were flowers in our garden prettier than pictures of flowers which we keep scrolling on Facebook, this time which has made us realize that mythological masterpieces such as Ramayana and Mahabharata can ever be more addictive than any show on Netflix could ever be, this time
which has made us realize that how we can all survive easily without ordering food online on a Sunday evening, this time which has made us miss the family functions that we used to grumble about attending, this time where the relatives that used to only call us to discuss their family issues and know about our family issues, are today only worried about our well-being, this time
wherein we have realized that the world has moved on from the trend of having no time for productive hobbies to a time where having a productive hobby is a trend, this time where in since there is plenty of time with us, we have realized that setting up our wardrobe turned from a mundane procrastination worthy task to a highly engaging and quick task! This time is not the time to curse about, this time is the time to make our relationships stronger, gardens greener, see the skies getting bluer, see the people getting kinder, see the relatives getting less nosier, see the grandparent’s stories getting more and more interesting, this time is to INTROSPECT and REFLECT upon all those times when we did not realize the value of time, the value of being able to move freely in our city, the value of the newspapers lying unread, the value of vegetable vendors shouting their hearts out to get us out of our homes, the value of artistes who used to entertain us in their concerts, the value of cricketers who used to entertain us by travelling extensively to entertain us through Indian Premier League, value of everything that we are not able to do anymore.

I am sure this lockdown will make all of us more mature, patient, tolerant, grateful, kind, punctual and sincere individuals and hence we all should take this time as a workshop to instil within
us all the qualities that we lacked due to lack of time, lack of awareness, lack of realization and lack of reflection.

Wishing all the students a brighter, healthier, safer and productive tomorrow wherein we take life as it comes and pray for each other’s safety and wellbeing to face the future that is
so unpredictable.

God bless you all!

Author:
Mrs Kalpana Oza, Lecturer in Microbiology, Dept. of General Pathology, Karnavati School of Dentistry (KSD)

Disclaimer: The opinions / views expressed in this article are solely of the author in his / her individual capacity. They do not purport to reflect the opinions and/or views of the College and/or University or its members.