Author: Aradhana Ghosh
The merciless blare of the alarm reverberates through the room. The student hits the snooze button in the hope of returning to his blissful slumber. After multiple snoozes, he grudgingly wakes up to deal with the existential question – to attend or not to attend? Through weary eyes, he checks his abysmal attendance record, desperately yearning to let another day of classes go to waste by clinging to the loving embrace of sleep.
The declaration of all classes getting cancelled to facilitate a break, devoid of guilt, remains a fanciful desire.
It is a night filled with exuberant music and dance. People are dressed to kill, to pamper their vanity. New friendships are forged and old memories are revisited. Everybody has the time of their life at the party. Meanwhile, the introvert racks her brain for a new excuse to avoid the Herculean task of socializing. Forsaking the leisure of her couch and the company of a good book is a nerve-racking thought.
If only no excuses were needed to avoid social gatherings.
The persevering employee has been pulling off long working hours every day since she joined the company. With a high income and a prestigious position, she is now at the peak of her career. This year, she will finally go on a well-deserved vacation to her dream destination. She is excited about exploring different cultures and experimenting with delectable cuisines.
The new decade will start with the fulfillment of a lifelong wish.
The sportsperson has been training rigorously since his potential was discovered in a back alley by his trainer. The Olympics is still 2 months away, but the exhilaration of his impending debut is keeping him awake. He will have to carry the weight of his nation’s expectations on his shoulders at the most important sporting event in the world.
The dream of making the entire nation proud by winning an Olympic medal could come true this year.
We are half-way into 2020. Yet it has already been declared as the most bizarre year in recent history. “Happy New Year” could turn into an obsolete greeting. We long for the old days when the majority of the problems that we had to deal with were predominantly self-centered. Is 2020 the beginning of an apocalyptic period or will we soon return to the years filled with mediocre troubles that we have grown to miss?