The New 'Normal'

A few days back my sister and I had a very interesting conversation. What the world would look like post Covid-19? Well, it's the hottest topic nowadays and its impact on our lives tremendous! We are a part of something momentous, something never experienced earlier.... We are making history and how! With schools being closed indefinitely, there are attempts at online classes through live lectures etc. The teachers keep updating home assignment for various subjects at regular intervals which ensures the kids are abreast with studies. Actually, that's what got us thinking about the world post lockdown. Honestly, this lockdown has proved that a lot of things are simply unnecessary and dispensable! It has also shown us what we really really can't do without and also that things can be done differently. One- WFH or 'working from home' seems to be more successful and productive than the 9-5 office hours. Travelling or driving to the workplace in 'peak hours' resulting in traffic jams, road rage, noise and air pollution- seems to be a thing of the past suddenly! Companies are getting positive results from their employees. Two- Mushrooming schools and colleges, other higher educational institutions have to stand the test of relevance in this age of online classes! Content and teaching techniques will be important factors. Online teaching and Homeschooling might just become the norm instead of the exception! Just a thought. Three- Online shopping is already a craze and with the entire population been confined to their homes, I wonder what will happen to the smaller shops or markets!Even malls might be nothing more than just a weekend outing, which isn't a new thing really! Of course, I'm only thinking about things from the perspective of a common middle class Indian family which prefers a stable salaried job to a risky but profitable business venture! Although our conversation was entirely hypothetical, the scenario doesn't seem very unlikely right now! Four- Never did I feel having more than one 2/4 wheeler is totally unnecessary. Well, most of you might differ, but that's my personal opinion. I also feel that suddenly the vehicle industry might suffer huge losses. Five-Tourism and travel are two sectors worst hit by the lockdown! But they will definitely recover, slowly and painfully though. People would still love to travel, even more so after the confinement! Six- Health, medical facilities, medical education is suddenly the centre of attention. And why not? The yeoman service these angels in white have rendered deserve all appreciation and more! Seven- Scientific research, especially medical will get a major boost! Even militarily speaking, biological warfare would become a major area of training and research. Eight-Government jobs like the Defence and Police forces will probably once again be sought after, rather than private company jobs, on account of 'stability and security'! Nine-Home delivery of all essential items by the government through contractors, similar to Big Basket etc might become popular. I wonder! Ten-The biggest winner here and now is the Internet! Our dependence on it has only increased courtesy digital payments, online banking for example. It's almost an "essential " item, well almost! Time for better internet connectivity in every nook and corner of the country now! Last but not the least,our dependence on maids/ helpers has reduced and this might change things for those who depend on such jobs. Getting used to being at home might be difficult for those who are used to going out every day to work. Difficult but doable.... One can't deny the suffering this pandemic brought in its wake, but it was also a blessing in disguise in so many ways! Think about how clean and green our environment will be without human footfall and avoidable vehicular traffic everywhere! The realisation that good health and peace of mind is more important than anything else is our greatest learning from this pandemic! Life after Covid-19 is definitely going to be different than what we are accustomed to! Normal life will never be the same kind of normal again! Be hopeful, positive and prepare yourself for the 'new normal'!