Things to watch
As 2022 dawns there are many things to watch. Omicron is already there to scare human beings, but it is not yet known how destructive it is. The question is if it is as dangerous as the Delta variant of covid-19 is, the world is in for a major trouble again. Apart from that, all Indians are waiting with bated breath for the outcome of the assembly elections in five states. That outcome may decide the Parliamentary elections of 2024. So, politicians have girded up their loins for a fierce fight in the electoral ring. All political parties have launched a vicious campaign against one another through their IT cells. Hate mongers are active again. The other day, a shopkeeper in MP Nagar said that the country is heading for a big chaos this year. Another person, standing nearby, remarked: the government cannot afford to wink at the hate mongers; else, they will bleach the very canvas of the nation. He, then, quoted Shakespeare to describe the outcome of hate:
See what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love
Covid-19 has consumed millions of human lives across the world and ruined the economy of most of the countries. Even the rich nations have failed to endure the fury of the virus. Now, its new variant, Omicron, is spreading its tentacles. Itís as disastrous as plague known as Black Death in Europe. Everyone has witnessed the dance of death in the times of the pandemic. There is another side of the story. It has brought people closer to one another and taught humans many new things including a few words, like lockdown, coronavirus, quarantine, precautionary doses, pandemic, home isolation, work from home etc. The latest word in the ëCovidictionaryí is ëcovidiotí which means a person who behaves in a stupid way that leads to the spread of the infectious disease. Most of the conservative lexicons are yet to accept this word; the grammarians are debating on it. Netizens, however, barely go by the rule book. What sounds rhythmic is acceptable to them. The other day, a teacher of the English language said if there is ëcovidiotí one day we will find ëcovidwiseí in ënetictionary (netizensí dictionary)í because everyone needs ënetí whether in bed or out of it! So, be covidwise instead of being covidiot!
Granddaughter's trick
A man took his 16-year-old granddaughter to a vaccination centre in a school in Bhopal. On the way, she told many stories to him about how her friends braced for the anti-corona jab. Ergo, all those yarns assured the grand old man that his granddaughter would not be afraid of the needle like others. She got herself registered and waited for her term to come.† She was barely scared of the needle she was going to face, but no sooner had she seen a few girls of her age crying than she told her granddad, ìThey are crying because the jab is very painful.î She suddenly looked edgy and decided to return home. The elderly man looked at her and smiled, saying, ìYouíve just told me many stories about how to allay fear about the injection but, now, youíre nervy.î Yet, she was not pacified and stuck to her guns. A health officer, then, came to her and counselled her, saying the injection does not hurt anyone. That calmed her a little. She was ready to get the jab only when her grandfather had promised her a pack of chocolate. That was the trick she played.
Tailpiece
A student of class 7 of a school in Bhopal was presented with a wristwatch on his birthday. He was on cloud nine and showing it to his friends and teachers.
One of the teachers said, ìItís good that youíve a watch. Now, you wonít misuse your time.
The boy said, No. My mom uses it to see when my dad returns home.
