I was in the middle of the annual exams when the school declared holidays. One exam was not yet over. I was happy at first. I went home happily and planned for the holidays. For a few days, I played with my friends inside our compound. That Friday was the last day I played outside. On March 22, 2020, our Prime Miniter announced a Janata curfew for a full day.
I was confused about what was happening. Curfew is announced only when there is trouble. But this is a disease. Why should we stay inside? My grandfather explained that it is a kind of viral fever, but more serious disease. Washing hands and keeping ourselves clean is important.
After a day, my father and mother also started staying at home. When I went to talk to my father, he said he was working from home. He watched the news on TV in between. Next day our helpers stopped coming. My mother and father cleaned the house, washed clothes, cooked and cleaned utensils. My grandfather stopped going on his morning and evening walk.
Next weekend, everyone at home was talking about ‘lockdown’. This was a new word for me and asked my mother about it. She explained about the fast-spreading virus and said that if we stay at home for some days, we will not go near people and spreading of the virus will not happen.
I am now reading books, playing games on the tablet and complete worksheets printed by my father. He asked me to do a diary for the lockdown days. But every time I take my notebook and pencil out, I am thinking about when all this will end.
One thing I am very happy about is I get a lot of time to play with my grandfather.