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Adapting


I was inspired to write this one by a little girl. A little girl who is no more than 9 years old. Funny how children inspire us to think about the biggest things in life.

I was scrolling through my Facebook the other day when I came across a post by Priya didi, my colleague and it really made me stop and think. Her daughter Aarya, is a 5th grader at RBS and is one of the smartest and most talented kids that I know of her age. She asked her mother about adapting one day as she was reading “Nehru’s Letter” where it is mentioned that only animals who have capabilities to adapt to surroundings are able to survive, else they go extinct eventually. Her little big mind came up with the question: “Are we going to be extinct soon?”

“Why?” counter asked Priya didi.

“So many people are dying every day. There are yet no vaccines invented. We are not going anywhere staying home with the fear of that tiny virus. What are we doing for our adaptation?”

Priya didi was speechless, as would anyone be.

Aarya is not even 10. Yet, she is handling her PC and working so efficiently. She has learned all shortcut keys of Word, PowerPoint, Zoom, Google hangout and more. She takes online classes every day. She is compromising all her favorite activities and learning everything in virtual world. Perhaps, that is adapting.

The pandemic has been living with us and among us for more than half a year now and the aftermath it has been having on the economy is tremendous. Of course, we are being emotionally and financially affected, all of us; no doubt about that. And our health is on stake here, if it weren’t already evident enough. But perhaps, this will affect children in the long run the most. They are perhaps, the one who are giving a very big sacrifice. The age when they should be running around, the days they should be spending whatever they want, the time they should be spending laughing and fooling around with their friends; they are spending holed up in their houses, with online classes. And this is a time they are never getting back. Yeah, children are prone to using mobile phones and internet these days anyway and they can learn new stuff from there. But it’s their childhood. Do you remember yours? Would you have been able to adapt in a similar way should you have had to?

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