Dear Friend,
The stringent lockdown to slow the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has completed its first anniversary, and while there was doom, gloom, panic and anxiety a year ago, there is hope and happiness today as science has once again come to the rescue of the human species. Our scientists worked tirelessly round-the-clock and collaborated globally to create a bunch of vaccines over a one year period, including the Oxford Astra Zeneca (AZ) vaccine being produced by the name of ‘Covishield’ in the country by the Serum Institute of India (SII)-Pune, and Covaxin which has been indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). A number of other vaccines are also round the corner. Just rewind back to the situation a year ago when all of a sudden almost all hopes seemed to have lost and the world went into lockdown. India was no exception as it enforced the world’s largest and most stringent lockdown. The ensuing time taught us lessons that otherwise were unlikely to be learnt. Like every cloud has a silver lining, the pandemic and resultant disruptions too taught us to be grateful for all the little things in life, to have faith and work harder than usual to achieve our goals. As we look up to the certainty and continuity of the ‘post-vaccine hope,’ the present times beckon us to overcome our fears, keep aside our anxieties and work on our strengths. The nightmarish days are over. The worst is behind us—thanks to the vaccines and the world’s historic adaption to what was referred as ‘New Normal’.
It is an established fact now that vaccines are convincingly defeating the pandemic. As per data published in
The Economic Times on March 28, 2021 that proves the strong positive correlation between vaccinating a large percentage of the population of a country and the retreat of nCov2 in that particular country. Israel has managed to vaccinate 55% of its population as on March 23, 2021. The country had 832 daily new confirmed Covid-19 cases per million people on January 1, 2021. This number came down to 115 on March 23, 2021. The new cases per million came down over the same time period in the UK from 548 to 81 as 24% of the population was vaccinated. In the US, the figure came down from 533 to 161 as 21% of the population was covered. India too has been moving purposefully ahead with the largest vaccination programme in the history of mankind.
As such, we can now finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is time for you to bounce back strongly and redouble your efforts to achieve the career goals that you have set for yourself. Your life and study schedules should now proceed normally—as was the case before the pandemic. Your plans had gone for a toss owing to the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. Now you have to resume your studies in right earnest. You need to redouble your efforts in order to make up for the lost time. Remember the adage ‘Time and Tide Wait for None.’ Board examinations, college admissions and competitive examinations like JEE and the Civil Services Examination are continuing apace and those who are able to adjust to the new normal without slackening their efforts will be the winners. Our Prime Minister has resumed visiting foreign countries. He recently travelled to Bangladesh. US Defence Secretary Mr. Lloyd Austin has also recently visited India. The world is getting back to the pre-pandemic mode while taking the necessary precautions.
Now it’s time for you to re-discover what joy and happiness feels like. And it’s time to savour the moment and appreciate the good things in life, how-so-ever small they may be. The season of positivity is back. You may look back to the pandemic times for the lessons the adverse times have taught you but then always look ahead to a never-before opportunities and success paths waiting for you. And in between the past and the future, for the present, it’s time to be happy—to celebrate what you have endured and learnt, and to embrace a brighter and more promising future.
I wish you good health and success in all your endeavours!
Yours Sincerely
(Surendra Kumar Sachdeva)