Early mornings are perfect for walks or yoga. They mark a good start for the day. But for Sushmita, it started with her calling out to her daughter Lara. “Get up, we are getting late for school”, would be her constant reminder to Lara, almost like an early morning mediational mantra. But for about two years, when the world was grappling with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sushmita was badly missing these very words. With a scary and steady onslaught of miseries brought on by a deadly virus, it was hard for Sushmita to pull herself up and find her inner strength to keep Lara safe.
News of families getting separated even if one person was getting diagnosed with Covid was haunting her mind. Having to quarantine for 15-21 days in an isolated ward was frightening; not because of the pain, suffering or even the gasping due to the ill-effects of Covid. It was the separation from her precious daughter that she feared.
One day as Lara looked out of her balcony, staring at the horizon in the front, she thought of something morose. With her mother’s approval, she dared to ask. “What will you do if something happens to me, Ma?”
Instead of answering straightaway, Sushmita asked Lara a remarkably simple question. “Do you remember the days before the pandemic? When I used to wake you up for school?”
Lara seemed confused but after a pause, she said, “Yes, I do.”
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