We cannot wait for that day

The poet Bharati wrote an iconic poem celebrating the dawn of India’s freedom. The poem is permeated with that tumultuous joy experienced after years of struggle. The irony is...he wrote it entirely out of imagination, for Bharati passed away in 1921. In his mind’s eye, India had already attained freedom and he gave voice to it...in words that were portentous.

In some ways, in these Corona times, we are going through a similar freedom struggle. It is not a struggle restricted to one country. It is as if, mankind as a whole, is struggling for freedom. This is a movement like no other, a do-or-die battle against an oppressor who can scarcely be seen, but still threatens our very existence. Like the freedom fighters of yore, chained in the dark dungeons of Andaman, we sit in our quarantined homes, and like Bharati, imagine that day, when we will get our freedom back. We cannot wait for that day.

 Sometimes, we understand the value of something dear, only when we lose it. It is as if ordinarily, we take things for granted and there is a certain casualness in our dealings. A loss is like a kick in the back. The Corona crisis is one such kick. We needed it. What would we not do to get back those good, old, carefree pre-Corona days?

That moment, when we retrieve something, which we assumed was lost and gone, is like no other. A person who suddenly gets back his lost cell-phone understands that special feeling. The one who goes through the throes of viraha-taapa, experiences that heightened emotion upon meeting his beloved once more. So too with Corona. These dark days will pass away. The sun will shine once more...and every pore and cell of ours, will be alive and awake to that moment. We cannot wait for that day.

Pictures at the end of World War II flash before our eyes- those black and white photographs of soldiers flashing the victory-sign and coming home to a rousing welcome from one and all. The entire town is lined up on the streets to greet the heroes. Those are historic images.
The heroes at the front-line of this Corona war are our doctors and nurses and paramedics. They put their lives on the line so that we may live. When this war is over, we will line up all along our roads and cheer these heroes. Our prayers will go out to the numberless soldiers we lost in this battle. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They will live in our hearts forever. In a way, we helped in the war too, by staying out of harm’s way and not complicating the situation more. That quiet pride shall be ours. We cannot wait for that day.

The corona war is over. The TV no longer displays those dismal corona numbers. The masks and hazmat suits are gone. No more hotspots, quarantine and lockdown. No more social distancing. No more national borders, no more barbed-wire fences, for we have won this war together, as one global family. Near and dear ones stranded across continents are finally back; we melt into their arms. We throng the malls and theatres, markets and streets and stadium, filled with joie-de-vivre, the joy of life! There is a new spring in our steps, cheer on our face and a song on our lips.
But this time round, we will grab life with both hands and play the second innings with more responsibility. We understand our debt to the environment, to our caregivers and domestic help,  and to the wellbeing of other life-forms. We let our quarantined wild animals back into the deep jungles. We know what it means to be in quarantine. We appreciate the need to simplify our lives and avoid the excesses that led to this malaise.
Once a year, mankind as a whole shall come together to celebrate this day, as one global festival. Generations to come will be regaled with our stories, stories of tears and triumph and of the indomitable human spirit. As Bharati says, “Ananda sutantiram adaindhu vittom” ”We have gained our freedom back! Come! Let us sing and dance!” We cannot  wait for that day. That day is today.