Sunday Reflection by Abhishek Mukhia

A year at a glance

The year 2020 has been a roller coaster ride for me. It is filled with joy, happiness, fear, sadness and anxiety. As a creative and an extrovert person, I participated in Inter College Fests, debate and poetry slam competitions. This gave a good start to the initial months of the year. Apart from these, I learnt a lot of things. I came to know that friends come and go in our life but the true ones will always be with us no matter what. I also acquired lessons from my seniors. They talked about the harsh realities of being a college student. I met new people and tried my level best to gel with them so as to create memories which are worth cherishing. One of the most difficult moments of the year was when I fell in an unrequited love. The person whom I adored did not reciprocate. This often made me sad and solemn. After receiving counseling on ‘love and its complexities’ from my classmates, I moved on with a heavy heart. At the same time, I focused on academics and did really well in exams. The most beautiful days were roaming around in the streets of Kolkata, eating sumptuous food at most exotic restaurants, happily shopping at malls and staring endlessly at people who are a part of my stories. The more I viewed the nature the more I gave birth to poems. Amidst all these, the corona virus broke out in Wuhan, China and spread widely in the world. Never had I thought in my wildest imagination that the pandemic would take away million lives and the country would face losses. We had to pack our belongings and return home as all the educational institutions closed. Even as I stayed at home for nearly nine months, I used my time judiciously. The regular online classes were the order of the day. I attended webinars which gave me wisdom and knowledge. Keeping these things on mind, I was a part of many online poetry contests. The internship in many companies and organizations has made me a much learned, experienced and a responsible individual. Many reports, articles and poems were penned by me during this span of time. I also watched movies from Chinese and Japanese Cinema which inspired me in many ways. In order to break the monotony, I went outdoors with proper precaution and enjoyed the time. As I lived with my family for such a prolong month, we forged good understanding and communication. We helped each other in need and showed love and care. The Bollywood industry came into controversies many times and it was saddening to hear untimely demise of many film actors. The war like situation between countries, floods, famine, crimes, earthquakes, political protests , forest fires , mortality rate and the downfall of economy were a major part of 2020 . This in turn made us think if the world would ever be normal and that life would be as good as before.

I have come to realize that the world is ending in bits and pieces every now and then. We ought to pray God sincerely so that our requests would be granted. We may be fearful, isolated and shocked by the present condition but we must not lose hope. This too shall pass! The end of grief is always mirth.