“I left China exactly a week before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. It was a short vacation back to Chennai, carefully planned along the Chinese New Year. Little did I know then, that my short vacation was going to last for months.

There were multiple rounds of checking at all the airports and people were asked to fill in detailed questionnaires. The seriousness of it all didn’t sink in until I heard of the first case of the virus in India. I started retracing my steps, comparing my date of arrival to that of the victim. Suddenly, my panic-stricken mind started to hallucinate and I almost convinced myself that I had in fact contracted the disease. The madness finally stopped once I consulted a friend, who is a medical professional. I further heaved a big sigh of relief, when I crossed the fifteenth day of the incubation period without a symptom.

Looking back, I can only thank my stars for the narrow escape. The current social distancing law can get exasperating, especially for independent residents but seeing the amount of suffering that families have gone through, makes me stay grounded. What saddens me though, are the racist remarks made at Asians worldwide for the disease. Then there are Indians denying other Indians of basic supplies, only because they ‘look Chinese’. I wish it would all cease.

Looking at things from a bigger perspective, however, there seems to be a natural cleansing with the earth rejuvenating itself. The sight of a clear sky with the sound of birds filling up the air is indeed a much-awaited sight. I just hope that the large corporations of the world wouldn’t start overexploiting resources to make up for the losses incurred in this period. And as for me, I look forward to moving out and about once normal life resumes.”

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