Being in the confines of the home for almost over 70 days now, it seems quite inevitable to escape the thoughts of how this pandemic has drastically altered our everyday lives. Everyday tasks as menial as buying groceries has become a huge risk leaving people with the daunting fear of contracting the virus.

Looking at the extent to which our surroundings have changed in these past 2 months, here are some of the stark differences between our life before and in quarantine. 

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As soon as the clock struck 6, every Monday morning would mark the beginning of another pestiferous and painful week of 9-5 job. Driving or booking cab, stuck in jam, the 10 am meetings, forceful coffee conversations and following lunch, the brainstorming sessions were quite typical of every Monday or any normal day in office. Quite on the contrary, now the Mondays are marked by binge watching Netflix till 3 am the previous night, zoom call meetings at 10 am for which you can wake up at 9:45 am and turn up at 09:55, coffee in your pyjamas on your bed of course without any forced conversations, and working at the comfort of your home at your own pace, This pandemic has surely changed the noxiousness of Mondays and every day in general.  

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If we could think of one living species who have benefited tremendously from this situation, it won’t be hard for us to guess, these are our doggos. Our corporate life or school/ college consumed most of our time and we could barely manage to spend quality time with them. Mostly we were busy either in the office, meeting our deadlines, or catching up with our friends post that. Having to spend unlimited time with loads of snuggles with our pets was all we always asked for. We can now work with our doggos sitting on our lap, isn’t that all we ever wanted? 

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Going out after work or meeting our friends was mostly followed by ‘catching up over a cup of coffee’ or having one great meal with them in some restaurant. This now seems like a distant dream as the restaurants once bustling with people having long queues outside them now remain desolate. Whereas earlier. we rarely had our meals at home and see the faces of our family members, the scene has completely reversed now. Our kitchens have become our very own cafe where we are the ones cooking the meals and sitting together as we gossip and have our meal, just like we did with our friends. It seems like we rarely get to see the faces of our friends with whom we once hung out almost every day. The only difference here in our restaurant-like kitchen is that, apart from cooking the food, we also get to wash the utensils and clean the kitchen. Well, we never asked for that. 

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While talking about life before and in quarantine, how can we forget the Friday and Saturday nights which now majorly involves sulking sitting in our bedrooms because we do not get to party. For most of those who preferred chilling in their rooms watching Netflix, well you guys have got everything you asked for. No more excuses to make when being invited to a party. But the contentment of dancing away all those stresses of the week over some drinks and Bollywood night is all we are craving for right now. Seems like we didn’t make enough of all those nights we went for partying with our friends. Should’ve stayed at the club a bit longer, or maybe should’ve had a few more drinks, Isn’t it? 

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Life before the quarantine was spent almost every day being stuck on roads for at least 30-40 mins which now has changed extensively. Delhi roads earlier used to be congested with traffic where half of the people were found glued to their phone, others unnecessarily blowing the horn as if the traffic will magically disappear, some hurling abuses at others because of the horn and then, most people like us who can be found jamming to music in their car looking like retards to others. However, all the fascinating sight has disappeared since the lockdown. The sight of Delhi roads in lockdown is quite terrifying and haunting as one can barely spot any car, let alone traffic. Delhi roads now look like some uninhabited and barren city deprived of human habitation. Quite obviously then, one can only ponder over the fact that how being a part of the traffic would someday seem unfeasible.

​That said, it is important to put here that we are blessed because in-spite of these trying times, we have been able to feed ourselves and our family. As long as this contagion is not eradicated, we should stay indoors and ensure the safety of ourselves and our family. After all, being in the comfort of our cozy homes, getting to spend as much time we want to spend with our family and pets is a luxury in itself and should be treasured for as long as it lasts!