On January 27, 2021, first COVID-19 confirmed case was reported from Kerala and since then there has been no full stop to this world wide pandemic. There was a slight moment of joy in mid-feb when the Covid cases dropped to near zero but this joy was short lived before the second wave of COVID-19 hit six Indian states namely Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bangalore, Kerela, Delhi and Punjab. People who have given up the use of masks and sanitizer somewhere in mid-feb owing to drop in number of active cases, have again started wearing masks in public due to strict imposition from respective state/UT administrations. It has been really frustrating for the public to live under lockdown conditions for fourteen months. When talking to a few people from the business fraternity, they informed our allied sources that they had two options - either to stop work and die of hunger or fight Corona while working. Although administration is not leaving any stone unturned to aim to 100% vaccination at the earliest apart from increased RT-PCR testing on TTT (Test-Treat-Track) model, still we don’t have to drop our guard and take all precautions until the world gets rid of Corona.
As we all know, we are just 2 days away from the most popular festival of colors especially celebrated with great fervor and enthusiasm in North India. On this day, there are few mischievous elements in the society who take this festival for granted and force colors or balloons on women in particular. Given the present condition when we hear daily spike in Covid19 cases, there lies a huge risk of getting infected by the disease if we go out and play Holi. The big question lies ahead of us is: how to celebrate Holi by keeping social distancing?
For your own and other's safety, it is advisable to celebrate Holi at your respective homes. Spend quality time with your family. Cook homemade sweets and relish them with your family. We are living in a generation of 4G and 5G. Think out of the box. Connect through electronic channels to wish their near and dear ones a happy and safe Holi. Various measures must be taken by administration such as ban of Holi celebration in public places, Holi-Milan parties etc must be strictly enforced. It is high time the government must come up with guidelines and directions on Holi celebration to the general public in advance. As they say,” Prevention is better than cure”, why wait for any disaster to happen and repent later. Let us join together to celebrate a safe Holi by brainstorming alternate modes where we can safely enjoy Holi by maintaining social distancing. This pandemic won’t last longer. Only thing we need to understand is that our lives are far more precious than a festival. If we survive this pandemic, we will get many chances to play Holi in future. So this Holi, let’s celebrate Holi differently.