2020: A year to talk about

 

2020, the moment I utter the digits, those in front of me utter promptly, "Ugh". There is no denying the fact that 2020, indeed was a challenging year, full of ups and downs, actually, mostly downs. 

Let us go back 12 months, to December'2019 when everyone around the world, be it in Mumbai or Manhattan, was out for shopping Christmas presents and decorations, celebrating thanksgiving with their loved ones, meeting up with friends for new years or just chugging on beer cans. All of this sounds so nostalgic, to me, it seems like the last time I made such plans was in my past life.

No one, including myself, ever thought that we will ever have to face something like a pandemic, in fact, most of us didn't know what the word 'pandemic' meant in the first place making it the most searched for word on Google in 2020. I'm sure that many of us were already familiar with the epidemics that have taken place across the globe from time to time but a disease or sickness, so prominent, that it did not leave even the remotest corners of the world. 

I still remember the last day of my normal life, In college, the panic that gripped my professor as she announced to us that the World Health Organisation has declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. None of us at that time knew what the remaining year had in store for us, how we'd be forced to adapt to and survive a 'new normal'. 

Human beings are the greatest species to ever exist for a reason, and the reason is our ability to adapt to non-identical life situations. None of would have ever imagined that with developing technology, we could actually make working from home a possibility, and who imagined that it would be possible to conduct examinations online or in that case, continue to impart knowledge and education effectively, online. Video conferencing applications like Zoom and Skype have been around for a while but it is now people have adapted themselves to put the services provided by them to proper use.

The use and importance of OTT platforms have increased exponentially, with not being able to visit cinema halls, people are now able to enjoy new film releases on their TV sets, in their homes with some free popcorn that don't cost an entire meal. It has also been observed that people are now enrolling themselves for online courses they earlier did not have the time to pursue, meaning, people all over the world have used this time to develop skills or discover their hidden talents. 

Despite all the bad that happened this year, we cannot deny the fact this year may have distanced us from our friends, classmates or colleagues but has brought us closer to our families, resulting in a better bond. Most importantly, this situation has been able to introduce people to themselves, their hidden areas or interests. For many, this year was a much-needed break or an opportunity for personal growth. 

As for me, it is in 2020 that I discovered my love for writing and boom! here you are reading this blog. It is in this year I came to an understanding of what I really desire from my life, It made me grow into a person I could only imagine to be.

We have come a long way to realise that life is unpredictable, and one must adapt to whatever the situation life puts one in. Most importantly, it taught us to live with hope, a hope that things will sooner or later get better. 

Said this, I really hope 2021 is a good year full of success and achievements for every person around the globe whilst keeping in mind what 2020 has taught us so far. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!