Letter from Shabnam Minwalla

Letter From Khyrunnisa A.

Hello my dear young friends!

How are you? Doing well, I hope. And how have you been spending your time? You’ve got long holidays, right? Very long holidays, but so different from the kind you have been used to. These are not exactly what we can call happy holidays. There are too many restrictions that stop you from enjoying the holidays, from being free from care.  No going out to play, no visiting your friends, no friends visiting you, no eating out, no picnics, no shopping, no rollicking rough and tumble games of football and kabaddi, no cricket or badminton, no summer camps, no swimming lessons, no art or music classes, no..., no..., no...

A long list of ‘no’s.

You were so happy when school closed unexpectedly. Did you say, ‘Wheee! Is the world coming to an end? Can’t believe this, school is actually closing early for the summer, and no exams either! Yay! So many holidays! Wheeeee!!’ You began making plans for the long holidays.  And then came the bad news. You learnt it wasn’t your principal who was responsible for declaring the holidays but a virus. Can a virus dictate to a principal? Yes, it can - if it is no ordinary virus but a novel corona virus. The disease it caused has got a pretty fancy name, with letters all in capitals and numbers at the end, like a spy or a secret agent - COVID 19. You had better remember the details – the questions will appear in your exams in future or be asked at quizzes: ‘What is the virus that caused the country, nay, the world, to shut down in 2020?’ SARS-CoV-2. ‘And what is the name of the disease?’ COVID-19. Right you are; full marks to you!

Does everything suddenly look bleak? Dismal? Scary? Let me guess how you are feeling. Bewildered.  Uncertain. Sad. Tense. Uneasy. Frightened. Am I right? But don’t worry, EVERYONE  is feeling the same. You, me and the rest of the world. We are all in it together. There is strength and hope in numbers. So don’t lose heart. Don’t despair. Don’t get restless. You like a big fight, don’t you? So let’s all join forces and fight this virus, frighten it and send it packing.

While doing that you can actually enjoy the unusual holidays in an unusual way.

 There is much you can do. Observe things, for instance. Look out of the window, look at the road. Have you ever seen such empty roads before?  All those shops and stores lining the roads. Do you know their names? What do they sell? There is so much of interest around us, if only we take an interest in our surroundings. We were always busy, we never found the time to stand and stare.

Have you tried listening to the sound of silence? Does silence have a sound? Find out for yourself. Then listen to the sounds that break the silence. Listen to the wind that makes the plants sway. You might not have noticed it earlier, but there are actually birds that nest on the tree outside your room. Take a closer look at that majestic tree. Did you ever find out its name? Every tree has a name. And isn’t the green of its leaves different from the green of the leaves of the other trees in the surroundings? So many shades of green! How fascinating!

Time for breakfast? Now you need not gobble your food and rush to your summer camp. You can actually help your mother make your breakfast. And tell me the truth, did you really like going to the summer camp? Did you really wish to go to school for holiday classes? Did you actually enjoy the music classes? Didn’t you often wish, ‘If only I could just stay at home and not keep going here and there at specific times? It becomes so much like school! If only I did not have to look at the clock all the time! If only I could read my favourite books, curled up in my chair!  If only I could spend time with the stray that has become my secret pet. Pst...my mother shouldn’t know. If only I could collect bugs and beetles in my pencil box. If only my parents played caroms with me, or chess or cards, maybe monopoly or scrabble...’

Now your wish has come true; you can stay at home and do all that. So make the most of this special time. But also remember to follow the don’ts of this special period. For one, the social distancing – now that is a new phrase you have learnt. Keep a distance of three feet from people. How much is three feet? About one metre. And how much is one metre? Close to three feet, of course! Now they say you must maintain a distance of six feet from others, the height of a tall person, if you lay them on the ground. That much distance. Again, wash your hands regularly – that’s something you tried to get out of earlier, didn’t you?   Further, don’t touch your face with your hands, don’t pick your nose, bite your nails or rub your eyes. In other words, don’t put your finger in your nose, mouth or eyes. That’s so tempting, isn’t it, especially after I told you not to? J But please don’t.

Let me explain why. Nose, mouth and eyes are mucosal surfaces to which respiratory viruses like the corona virus can attach themselves and enter into the body. Nobody said anything about ears; you were smart enough to notice that. I know you are dying to ask me if you can scratch your ears, pull them or put your finger in. In theory, you can, for ears don’t have the same virus –friendly cells that the nose, mouth and eyes have. But do you really have to fiddle with your ears? Can’t you leave them alone? To be on the safe side, don’t touch anything above your neck.

Also, spend time every day listening to the news – you must be aware of what is happening around the world at this time. We must remember that we are living through an important period in history – when a modern disease held the world to ransom. You might recall the epidemics your history book talked about. Epidemics like the plague, small pox, the Spanish flu and so on. This is one such. Also remember that there are lots of children who are going without food, who have no roof over their heads, no decent clothes to wear. While you are wondering what to do with your time, they are wondering if they will get something to eat that day. Keep hoping things get better for them and find out if they can be helped, and how. You are so fortunate; you must not forget that.

I hope you aren’t wasting too much time with your gadgets. The world of imagination is far, far better, and books will help take you there. This is the perfect time to enjoy reading books – all kinds of books. This is extended family time. Tell your siblings stories. Pester your parents for stories. And if you lucky ones have your grandparents with you, ask them to share stories; they are the world’s best story tellers. Play with your parents, all those games you kept wishing they would play with you. Help them around the house. Oh, there is so much you could do at home!

So, make the most of these strange and special holidays! Everything has slowed down, so have a snail of a time!  Take care, stay healthy and stay safe. Be a fighter, in a nice way!

Lots of love and long distance hugs – during the time of social distancing,

Khyrunnisa

                                     

Khyrunnisa A. is an award-winning writer of children’s fiction and the author of the hilarious Butterfingers series published by Penguin. Her first book for adults, ‘Tongue in Cheek: The Funny Side of Life’ (2019. Pub. Westland) is a humorous take on the day-to-day experiences of an urban woman. Her latest book for children is ‘The Lizard of Oz and Other Stories’ (2019. Pub. Scholastic).