Hope Keeps The World Going

By Dia Goyal

The year 2020 was a year that brought many unprecedented changes in everyone’s lives. The pandemic had forcefully altered everyday life across the globe. It seemed the world had turned upside down. It was a phase of isolation and depression. For some time, it seemed that life had come to a halt and there would be no way out. When the pandemic started it became very difficult for me to adapt myself to the changes in lifestyle. The social restrictions were suddenly imposed upon and I almost slipped into depression initially. Not being able to meet my friends or see people on a regular basis was not easy. After losing my best friend to this pandemic I had lost all hope. It seemed I would never meet any of my friends or relatives again.

One day while watching the news on BBC, I heard HM Queen Elizabeth II address the nation- ‘We will be with our friends again. We will be with our families again. We will meet again.’ These lines were magical. They infused a new spirit in me. Her words assured that there was still hope and light in the world. I started looking for ways through which I could keep myself constructively occupied.

Ah! Her majesty was right. I could finally meet with my friend ‘Ayushi’ after a long time when the pandemic finally got over.

Ayushi and I started discussing a lot of things. She asked me what were the new things I learnt during the pandemic. I started sharing with her about the new hobbies that I could explore due to the pandemic. In the beginning, what seemed to be a curse in terms of learning and social relations, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Technology proved to be a saviour. I learnt to debate using online resources. Which in normal circumstances I would have not been able to do. I am very shy by nature and I hesitate to speak in front of people so I researched some public speaking tips resources online and tried to adopt those public speaking tips. Ayushi was very happy to know that I had attended many online courses, webinars and workshops. I had also completed a public speaking course organised by Harvard University although I was based in Ajmer- a small town in Rajasthan (India).

One more interest that I was able to pursue was that of coding. During the pandemic, my parents bought a laptop for my online classes. I made the optimum use of that by practising and learning coding day and night. Ayushi was glad to know that now I could design apps, games and websites all by me. All this was possible through constant hard work, dedication and the spare time that I got during the lockdown.

There was one more interest that I developed during the pandemic. This was a discovery to me as well. I discovered that there is ‘no greater joy than the joy of giving.’ I have started working with a local NGO which provides food and milk to the labourers who had lost their jobs due to the lockdown. The NGO needed money and resources to help these people. When this was discussed in an online meeting, I could not sleep the whole night. The thought of where I could get the finances kept coming to my mind again and again.

In the morning I received a call from my cousin Shreya. She had called up to thank me for the customised digital calendar that I had prepared for her on her birthday. She told me that her friends loved the idea and wanted to request me to create some for them. This gave me an idea. I started a campaign to raise funds for the homeless labourers by selling digital calendars and cards online. Who knew the hobby of improving my IT skills could be useful in this way! It had reaped results and I could generate finances to help the needy. This gave me immense satisfaction.

The hobbies I have pursued due to my spare time during Covid have helped me grow as a responsible citizen. I am now a permanent member of the youth wing of an NGO and with my friends, I have started a virtual club to train children with debating and technological skills. The lockdown due to the pandemic was truly a blessing in disguise for me!

By Dia Goyal