Kolkata: Vaccine injects hope in those who refused to step out of their homes for 10 months

KOLKATA: There are many people in the city, who have remained indoors for the past 10 months, not stepping out even for a day, just to stay safe during the pandemic. They are now cheering the arrival of the vaccine and the steps taken by the state for staggered and systematic coverage of the city. They feel that the light at the end of the tunnel is finally in sight.
All those who have refused to step out even for a moment said that initially it felt weird to adjust to the new situation, but gradually they started devising new ways of staying busy and creative.Finally, at the end of the 10 months, most find themselves on new trajectories that helped them make significant progress in new directions.

For management faculty Sukanya Das, staying home was the safest choice not only because of her two children, but also her aged mother-in-law. She did not step out even to visit her aged parents in these 10 months. “Work took on a whole new meaning as I had to take the semesters online. Teaching, invigilating, correcting answer scripts, everything was done on multiple gadgets and I had so little time to think of the outside world,” she said. Now that the vaccination has started, she is much relieved. “I am reading up all that I can on the vaccine. I have aged parents and my mother-in-law. The vaccine is more important for them,” she said.
For the past 10 months, CNI priest, Andrew Simmick has been running an online magazine from his home inside the Weslyan Church on Sudder Street, not stepping out of home even once. He and his wife Snigdha have been connecting with the community through online meets, praying to God for an end to the pandemic.
Not stepping out of home even once and staying indoors for 10 months has given kantha revivalist Shamlu Dudeja and her daughter Mallika a new lease of life. They connected with rural kantha workers online and brought them on a virtual platform, giving them buyers globally. Her granddaughters, who were also home with her, took up philanthropic activities online and have been sending relief to the rural areas.