To
Someone staying far away from the area that got hit by the Cyclone Amphan
Greetings!
Life has become difficult for everyone due to coronavirus pandemic. Hope you and your family are safe and sound!
You won’t believe what happened here. Like a time machine, the cyclone Amphan transported us to an era where there was no electricity, no internet, no water supply and people had to depend on natural sources of water like ponds, rivers, lakes, etc.
Since last night, there is power cut and we couldn’t even reserve sufficient water at the right time for basic purposes like cooking and bathing. After how the cyclone hit us yesterday (May 20), everything has come to a standstill. We managed to boil noodle. Today’s lunch and dinner sorted.
Afternoon saw a lot of chaos. People with their furrowed brows went to the nearby pond along with their buckets to fetch water. A woman told me she used the pond water to clean utensils. Tired of waiting for power and water, some men are now bathing in the very pond. Witnessing all this, a priest murmured to himself, “I always tell people to not pollute the pond, but who pays heed to my words!”
The sun has set but there is still no news of power, water and mobile network.
Do you know the interesting part? I am writing this letter in candlelight. This reminds me of 90s when frequent ‘load shedding’ was the normal thing. Another interesting part is as there is no network, people are knocking the doors of their neighbours to share or gather information (regarding water etc) instead of making a phone call. Life has slowed down suddenly.
However, things will be ‘normal’ again. Power supply will resume. Mobile phones will have network. We will soon return to our normal aka Amazon and Netflix life. We will have to run faster again to meet our daily deadlines. Once again we will have no time to knock neighbour’s doors. Phones and internet will become our savior and lifeline.
Ironically, our lives will be ‘normal again’, but there are many places in our country that are still facing electricity and mobile network issues and this is their so called normal life.
And the biggest joke is even after facing such a severe crisis, some of us do not learn! Once everything is normal, will we stop wasting electricity and water? Guess we all know our own answer!
I shared a lot about my place and I know the letter is chaotic. Hope you will be able to decode what I wanted to express.
Now, it’s your turn.
How are things at your end? I don’t know when would you receive my letter, but I am eagerly waiting to read yours.
Love
Someone from one of the corners of North 24 Parganas
(PS: I actually drafted this letter in a copy in candlelight and later edited it in Microsoft word after power supply resumed. Writing in candlelight in 2020 was a weird feeling. The weirdest part is we find it weird but there are places in our country that are still struggling for electricity. If coronavirus was not enough, the cyclone Amphan added to their woes. Let’s stand united and pray for everyone’s well being.)
Travel, Food, and More 
Let’s pray that their sufferings are reduced. I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well.
Thank you… I too pray for their safe and healthy life…. And also hope you are doing good…