Wow what a year it has been.  As we celebrated the arrival of 2020, no one could have imagined what it would entail, what surprises it held within it and how it would change lives. As 2020 comes to an end, we (well I should correct myself, many of us) have gotten used to some of the new norms, the masks, the social distancing. But no matter which category we fall under, the believers or disbelievers, the mask wearers or rule breakers, the rich or poor, the young or elderly, 2020 would have changed our lives in some way or the other. It made it obvious how interconnected our lives are even though we might choose to believe we belong to a small self selected world,  independent of others. The Covid pandemic not only shattered that myth but made it blatantly clear how not just our present but our future is also interdependent. As we self isolated to fight the pandemic in our small bubbles limiting ties and connections,  the chords we share with the rest of the world and humanity had invisibly grown. The stakes we share with the whole world have never been greater.  

The virus for the most part was non discriminating. It didn’t discriminate on the basis of color, gender, economics, geography or age. Yet even though the virus didn’t discriminate we as human beings tried to find ways to discriminate. But whether you believe in conspiracy theories or science, whether you believe the virus was man made or natural, whether covid was caused by 5G, 3G, 2G or the Big G (God), it has been a year of learning and should have served as a time to reflect. Reflect on what we truly cherish in life. Reflect on the people who really matter in our lives. Discern between our wants and our needs. Discern between our friends and our acquaintances. 

The pandemic has been a time for me to do all of the above. It made me realize what I enjoy and cherish. But to my surprise things we think we will miss were really not on the list. I didn’t miss not going out, not shopping, not going to restaurants, not attending parties. The memories, friends, family that I remembered in the pandemic made me realize who, what and where  I want to choose to spend my time once the pandemic ends. It gave me a road map for the future, even though ironically it also showed how one event can change all maps and planning. 

Our family lost many loved ones this year. Many to covid, some to other causes, but the losses have left a vacuum which will be hard to fill. I wanted to make a list of all the deaths I heard of this year, so I remember what the pandemic meant. It was not a normal year, they were not the regular number of people that die every year, it was not a conspiracy , they were not exaggerated numbers, it happened and it can happen again. 

Neeraj Tyagi (Dehradun, India, old family friend)

Shagun  Tyagi (Dehradun, India,  old family friend)

Roshan Mahfooz (Dehradun, India, old family friend)

Ehsan Anam (Islamabad, Pakistan, friend’s father)

Mohammad Saleem (Dallas TX,  a friend’s father in law)

Moin Kirmani (Montreal, Canada, friend’s uncle)

Sidiq Jamal (Karachi, Pakistan, friend’s uncle)

Ijaz Khan (Lahore, Pakistan a friend’s brother in law)

Abdul Hannan Khan ( Lucknow India, my father’s  uncle)

Jameel Khalu (Karachi, Pakistan,  brother in law’s uncle)

Shehnaz Siddiqi (Florida, USA, family friend’s sister)

Kunwar Farhad Ali Khan (Saharanpur, India, my grandmother’s  cousin)

Shahid Muhammad Khan( Lucknow, India, my father’s brother in law)

Tazeen Shahid Khan (Lucknow, India,  father’s  sister)

Ali Mohamed Afdhal Najeeb (Dubai, UAE, friend’s cousin)

Mohammad Yahya Chabra (Delhi, India, Sister in law’s grandfather)

Hafeez khalu(London, UK,  Mother in law’s cousin’s husband)

Wali khalu (Karachi, Pakistan, Mother in law’s cousin’s husband)

Sanjeeda Khatoon( Karachi, Pakistan, my father’s  aunt)

Tasneem Masood (Islamabad,  Pakistan,  friend’s  mother)

Rashid Naseer Khan (Islamabad,  Pakistan,  friend’s uncle)

Salma Khatoon -Allah rakha mami (Lahore,  Pakistan,  grandmother’s cousin)

Aunt’s  best friend (New Jersey)

Rafiyya Mahmood Khan (Karachi,  Pakistan,  Friend’s mother in law)

Abdullah Ahmed (Meerut, India)

(These are just some of the names I was directly connected to, listed in the order of dates they died, all except 5 were covid related deaths)

Many of these people may have never met, or could not meet due to visa, border, travel restrictions. Yet they were interconnected, they shared a common fate, they all died by the same virus. The virus that killed them was not restricted by geography or demography. 

Some of the most memorable moments of 2020 are ones that embody human cooperation, from the world’s oldest democracy holding a fair election during a pandemic, with the largest voter turnout. Countries coming together to produce a covid vaccine. Health workers selflessly working to save lives. Essential workers selflessly working to keep our daily lives uninterrupted. Some of the ugliest moments of 2020 embody human greed, devicivness and selfishness.

Wow, what a year it has been. The lives and loved ones lost, the battles fought , some won and some lost……wow what a year it has been.