Return of the Prodigal Animals
Every animal is having a wild party, literally. Now that the humans have left some much-deserved space for the Earth’s flora and fauna, the plants are reclaiming their rightful habitat, and the animals are coming out of their hiding spots. Dolphins have returned to the famous Canal of Venice and Istanbul’s Bosporus waterway. In Israel, wild boars have taken to the roads, and in Albania, pink flamingos are enjoying a much-needed respite from the year-round pollution and annoying tourists.
I have spent my entire childhood in the picturesque mountains of North India, and even I’m surprised by the apparent cheerfulness of the birds around me. Locked up inside home due to the pandemic, I have been joyfully filming a pandemonium of around 25 parrots -and various other bird species I’ve never seen before- regularly visiting the small bird feeder in my balcony. Homo sapiens might not be happy with the lockdown, but all other creatures are surely having a dandy time.
Crime is Getting Shot
In the Corona times (are we calling it that?), people are not being allowed to go outside and interact with each other. A consequence of these restrictions is that the crime rate has gone down drastically. Turns out, you need to get out of your home to commit a crime. Well, unless you’re a hacker, in which case you are in your basement reading this article. What police and law haven’t been able to do for a long time Coronavirus has achieved in only two months. In the United States, the worst-hit country by Coronavirus pandemic, areas like Chicago have registered a 42% drop in drug arrests, whereas in Los Angeles overall crime rate has gone down by 30%.
In India, crime rates halved as soon as the 21-day lockdown was announced. It seems criminals are also afraid of COVID-19, which has not only made life comparatively easier for law enforcement officials but also the victims of murders and theft. While infiltration activities have seen a slight rise from Pakistan and China front, internal crime rates have gone down with Delhi and Karnataka experiencing the most significant decline. Yeah, you read that right; Delhi has the highest drop in crime. It seems in Corona Kaal anything is possible.
Introverts are Chilling
Everybody knows that the introverts are having the time of their life during the lockdown. Finally, their ability to go months without human contact has become more than a nuisance. Infact it has become the new must-have superpower that parents are teaching their children to learn. As extroverts are losing their mind, introverts are taking naps in the day, catching up on that ever-growing to-read list, and watching their favorite shows. Plus, doing work from the cozy bed of our dim-lit apartment with a coffee in one hand and a Bluetooth mouse in the other is nothing short of heaven. Oh, what bliss!
Environment Khush Hua
The environment has improved so much that the color blue is prevailing over the skies of New Delhi, snow-capped mountains are visible from Punjab, and ‘acche din’ can be seen with the naked eye. These are just some of the positive effects that the Global Lockdown and by extension COVID-19 has caused. Due to the ban on travel and industrial activities, the environment has taken a sigh of relief. This has been proven by the fact that the worldwide Carbon Dioxide emissions have fell by 17 percent.
NASA — not the WhatsApp one, the real one- has confirmed that the Nitrogen Dioxide pollution in the heavily polluted city of New York fell down by 30 percent compared to the previous years’ average. In China, coal use has fallen by 40 percent in the five major power plants, and total emissions went down by 25 percent at the start of the year. Similar patterns have been seen in Spain, India, and the UK. Whether this happiness is long term or not is debatable, but for now, I’m happy with the fact that atleast mother nature is benefiting from this unplanned human vacation.
Family Days
One thing that Coronavirus has done is bring families close again. There was a time when even a family of fifty members used to stay together in one home, delving in each other’s diversities and eccentricities. Nowadays, nuclear families have cropped up everywhere as people have had to move away from their native place in search of better employment opportunities. The epidemic has taught corporate entities and MNCs that almost all of their work can be done from home, all thanks to modern technology.
Working from home, employees have been able to connect with their family members, enjoying those evening teas and joint dinners with some nostalgia and new fears mixed into each other. Coronavirus has taught us that at the end of the day, it is our family that soothes our soul in dire circumstances. Enjoy this time with your loved ones and secretly watch Hum Saath Saath Hain.
A Chance to Introspect
A chance to look inside and around you for inspiration, motivation, and perhaps a much-needed respite from the dreaded ROUTINE. The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed us to introspect and decide whether we are living the life we always wanted to. The dreaded Coronavirus has forced us to rethink our priorities, making us realize that food, water, and shelter are at the end of the day the most important things in our life. Everything else is just camouflage. Malls, gyms, and every other luxury has been closed for close to two months, and still, we are surviving. This extrovert world has realized that we can live a peaceful and joyful life with our family without sauntering out aimlessly to find the next overcrowded area. We have been given an opportunity to think of and perhaps follow life avenues where we can make our livelihood and follow our passions at the same time. Don’t waste this time. Who knows when it might return, if at all.
Reference:
1. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-lockdowns-air-pollution
2. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200326-covid-19-the-impact-of-coronavirus-on-the-environment
Suburban Wordsmith 
Nice post
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