“It seemed as if the sheet rose yet all still continued”. This dreadful pandemic made all of us stuck within the four walls, for lucky ones it was their own ‘Home’ for many others it was either their hostel, PG, flat or most strangely relative’s house too. Happily I was one among the fortunate ones.

Each day of the lockdown started with a hope and ended in a familiar way too. Hope of outside air, hope to mingle with the crowd and significantly hope to meet friends. Ironically days passed and the pandemic swallowed almost the entire 2020. Interestingly time around me seemed to be cyclical what was more noteworthy I was noticing, observing and analysing how every nook and corner of my home remained as if unmoved likely all the members of the home for the entire year.

My day started not only in the most warm room of my home but also in the most innermost and surprisingly often even without the seeing the weather outside ended in that very same room. Mobile phone, television and food all were as if the soul asset of my life. Lazy mornings got an ineffective triggered with morning tea and snacks, the walk from my innermost cosiest room to the kitchen only seemed miles though it is beside each other. Strikingly the most important work of the day began after that at the most important place of that innermost cosiest room which is inarguably my bed, I would spend my precious morning to noon hours in online classes in between also observing the utensils of previous night and today morning kept on my bed and as if complaining to each other who deserves to be washed first, whereas me smilingly cunningly and whispering to them first let me gather the courage too take you all to the kitchen sink. Gradually though days were passing but things and their destinations in my home remain unchanged and especially in my room which was never mine always occupied with my granny and my mother gossiping around.

Even my books and charger kept bundled in an entangled way beside my always open blanket. After classes the remaining day was spent with tired clothes, uncombed hairs and sleepy eyes. Dressing up and zeal to live life was ceasing day by day. All my gorgeous earrings, and soothing creams often remained still on the box below the shelf over which the television was kept. Summers of the pandemic went in hearing the outbreak of increasing corona cases with each new day and watching the dragged (from it’s scheduled time) IPL season winters were hard to endure. For days same clothes kept on hanging on the cliff attached to the walls of my rooms frequently they were overloaded with clothes including my hoodies, mask and towels.

Heater in the corner of the room kept on the table was never moved an inch however the table was dragged close to the bed every evening by mom when she returned from the hospital in air inclusive of cold and virus infection where even contact with people was an invited danger. All the other rooms of my house to were stable likely a dead being. This stillness in the space of my always active region that is my room had such an everlasting effect on me that even my lifestyle still seems to be addicted to the constant habits of slouching now and then.

Television, food and weight were slowly or gradually becoming the hallmark of my identity as movement was minimal. The toll of heartbreak was also surging in my veins and degrading my mental health to the extent and to the point that I began to feel that my life was not worth living. Blessing back then was only something which not only I but every student (either of college or school) hated that was online classes, however deep inside our heart we all knew we were going to miss even this virtual space too, this fact clicked harder when (you) are a final year student either of college or school. Consumption of daily news though was for getting the updates about vaccines and covid rules, regulations or guidles but unfortunately they were serving us the purpose of fear, hopelessness and horror.

Thus I can conclude that what really remained same in my once happy space called ‘home’ was my granny’s job of cooking and washing in kitchen and my mother’s job of making all efforts to keep my home clean ironically including the space and corner occupied by me too. And these efforts gave me cold blows when that sharp voice of my mother pierced into my ears, ‘Get up you lazy it seems as if the sheet (bedsheet) rosed but all still continued and returning into my room in every two minutes to check whether I roused from my bed or not as she has to clean that sheet too. 

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