I am 19 years old and never thought that such a scary period will come in my life. I was preparing for my entrance exams suddenly news came that there will be a complete shutdown in the country. It was so shocking and hard to believe. I never thought that such a small organism can create havoc around the world. I never thought that something from the other country can spread so quickly in my country. I was scared when the cases started to rise in my country.

I was surprised to see the changes happening all around. Just after the last day of my board exam, news came that there will be a complete lockdown in the country until further notice. The fear was so much because everything was changing so quickly. It was the worst time of my life because my parents are doctors. I saw them working day and night to save the lives of the people. It was for the first time in my life that I did not see my parents for a week. They did not return home and had to stay in the hospital to save the lives of other people. It was a tough time for my family because I had to live without my parents when they were also risking their lives to save other people’s lives. But, I am proud of my parents that they had saved the lives of suffering people during such a difficult time.

Everything seemed to be a nightmare because there was complete silence on the roads. Shops were closed, schools and colleges were shut, and people had to stay indoors. The worse thing was the fake news people were spreading through social media and other networks. I saw social values were finished during the pandemic as people were fearful of each other. Neighbors became strangers to each other. We could not meet friends, relatives, and no one. I saw many people died during the pandemic where children refused to do the last rites of their parents due to fear of catching the virus. It was so heart throbbing when I used to hear such news from my parents. Many businesses got shut down during the pandemic and people did not have food to eat. People lost their jobs during the pandemic and that was really sad.

There was something positive also happened during the pandemic. Family members got a chance to sit together and eat food. They got a chance to know each other closely. They spent a good time with each other. Even, I got time to sit with my parents when they came on a holiday from the hospital. I spent a whole week with my parents at home.

The education system was also got affected during the pandemic. As I was preparing for my entrance exam I found it quite difficult to study from online lectures. There was no face-to-face interaction with the teachers and that made me lazy. I had to spend the most time on gadgets to do my preparation and it was very difficult as it affected my physical and mental health. But, my mom and dad helped to deal with that issue.

Another good thing that happened to me was that I learned the value of personal hygiene. I started washing my hands regularly before and after eating food. I learned to sanitize and clean things before using them. I understood the importance of eating a good and healthy diet.

During the pandemic, I started taking care of my health and realized the importance of doing regular exercise and good sleep. I learned how important are natural herbs such as turmeric, ginger, etc in our lives. I also learned new skills during the pandemic. I learned to cook food and make tea for myself as my mom and dad were not at home. I became self-sufficient because there were no servants in the house and I had to all work by myself. It made me self-independent. I realized the importance of other people’s work. I am grateful to the hard workers and first responders who sacrificed so much to save the lives of the people during this pandemic.

I pray every day that this virus should go away and we can all live a normal life again. We all have seen so many changes, so many adjustments in our lives. Let us do our duty and do whatever we can do to stop the spread of the virus.

Everyone should wear a mask, maintain social distancing, and practice personal hygiene. Let us do what we can to prevent this virus from doing more damage. I pray to God that we all stay safe, and have peace for those who lost their loved ones.

~Harman Sandhu