Chrysalis Konnect - Resilience

While the world is grappling with an invisible, deadly enemy, trying to understand how to live with the threat posed by this tiny little virus, we have slowly and gradually learnt to adapt to the masks, sanitisers and even to the lockdowns. This was unprecedented and something that we weren't prepared to deal with. When this first hit us, we were sceptical of the impact it could have on our daily lives and how we would deal with this in the future. I still remember seeing a WhatsApp video that did rounds back in March 2020 and I believe many of you must have come across it - a video that showed the deserted lanes and highways, the empty public transport stations, etc.

This has been hard on all of us! Especially on you, students! "The COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly across nations and country after country responded with lockdowns, making about 1.5 billion students globally remain at home." - UNESCO. You are missing the most enjoyable time of your lives - the moments with your friends in the college canteen, a stroll with peers in the corridor, group chats on the stairways, assignment completion in the study room, the college fests, the PR visits, etc. The management initially struggled to lay the road map for your academic future but teachers co-operated and yes, a lot of sacrifices had to be made. At some point, even family was ignored. The transformation from the physical to the virtual classroom was a novel experience for all teachers across the country. But, they nodded along and were ready to face the challenge. Delivering the content to the virtual classroom, overcoming all the technical hurdles was not an easy journey. They had to self-equip themselves with the know-how of this Zoom and Meet era!

This pandemic made me think about how a little virus could force us to pause our lives, let alone the entire globe! A legion of voices is shouting their unanimous permission for us to STOP and GIVE UP! But we won't stop! Because the voice we've chosen to listen to is one of defiance. We did suffer a temporary setback, but the warrior in us chose to fight! You're in a fight against an opponent you can't see. Even though your fears, doubts and insecurities have all lined up like a firing squad ready to shoot you out of the sky; don't lose heart. Rise and Shine!