By: Bushra Hassan
With the emergence of third wave in the country, NCOC has banned indoor dining and Government has released SOPs that must be obeyed while praying or visiting mosques. Outdoor Dining is allowed from ifatri till 12 midnight and takeaway is allowed till ‘Sehri’. 50% passengers are allowed in intra-city transport and 50% work from home is being observed. Kabhi Kabhi Meray Dil May Khayal Ata Hai… Poet Sahir Ludhianvi through the above has not just spoken his heart but many can relate to this Misra of his Poem. With the situation of COVID 19 prevailing and more than a year passing by, wearing masks, children staying home, work from home, taking meetings / classes online, a situation of hustle and avoiding gatherings etc has become a norm and we have accepted this life style. ‘Kabhi Kabhi Meray Dil May Khayal Ata Hai‘ – takes me back to the days when we were free to visit places, free to hug people,invited loved ones over for lunch and go out for the mere purpose of hanging out.
Kismat Ka Khel Hai Sara, Phirta Tha Mein Awara, Yeh Kya Se Kya Hogaya
We have entered the ninth month of our holy calendar. The trend of going out for iftar and ‘Sehri’ is common in twin cities. The cravings for ‘Paye and Paratha’ with a buffet iftari is prevailing. The dilemma of not taking any precautions and not wearing mask in public places has only added to COVID positive cases. With death rate increasing to as high as 149 in 24 hrs and positive cases registered above 1000in every 24 hrs,people have stopped fearing the pandemic as they did last year in Ramzan. Government is still observing the strategy of smart lock down, schools are again shifted online as children even new born are being affected in the third wave.We might not find familiar faces this year, many may not have their loved ones this Ramzan, many could not have the means to iftar. COVID has taken someone or something from all of us. This Ramzan we must stand by one another by giving charity, by showing affection and by only being there for someone. A small gesture can turn lives of people and our holy month Ramzan is all about caring and sharing what you have with others.With the continuous increase in the graph of COVID 19 patients, we need to be very vigilant and restrain from any unnecessary outing.As the cases of Covid patients arise we must be very careful while our men visit mosques to pray.Government didn’t abstain us from going to mosques but has released the SOPs and we must follow them. Prayers must be conducted in outdoor places and take prayer mats along. Use of sanitizers and masks must be worn at all times.With the continuous increase in COVID patients, Nomatter how many SOPs might get released and no matter how smart the lock-down is in the country, we need to play our role by avoiding unnecessary visits to public places and by taking precautions on our end. Only then we will be able to fight the virus and stop this pandemic.
The writer is a student and can be reached at [email protected]
