Page 9 - Magazine 2020-2021 Final.cdr

From the Editor's Desk…

The phrase, 'Hindsight is twenty-twenty' implies that when one looks back at an incident one can see it perfectly
well. No doubt, hindsight is perfect, but what we now need to sharpen is our foresight. The year 2020 and its
successor 2021 exposed mankind to both, its vulnerabilities, as well as its potential.

The human race, which has for millenniums been invincible among the creatures of the Earth was brought to its
knees by a near invisible foe – the Corona virus. While some fortunate people remained safe in their homes for
months on end, some less fortunate ones traveled miles in discomfort to reach their homes. Jobs were lost,
businesses shut down and gloom and depression filled the atmosphere as one wondered when and if at all this
nightmare would end.

However, on the flipside the pandemic reminded mankind of many forgotten lessons. Slow your pace; guard
your health; value your life; spend time with your near and dear ones and respect Mother Nature. Blue skies and
rich greenery which had hitherto received scant attention suddenly became apparent and pretty peacocks and
does and deer were surprisingly seen on motorable roads. The lockdown also opened our eyes to many a hitherto
overlooked fact such as health professionals deserve more adulation than sports stars; actors are entertainers, not
heroes; animals in zoos probably feel just the same as human beings do when quarantined and so forth.

The unforeseen situation also made mankind innovative and ingenious. It modified our lifestyle as we began to
work from home; did online shopping, teaching, learning and banking. Almost each one of us, regardless of age,
gender, social or economic background is today fairly tech savvy. New facets of life and living have evolved.
Start-ups have geared up to meet the new life-style – what with Swiggy, blinkit, delhivery, PharmEasy, UPI and
countless others and our vocabulary is enriched with terms such as co-morbid, super spreader, herd immunity
and so on.

With the pandemic much changed, but have we changed? Is our foresight sharpened? Is it even close to twenty-
twenty? Perhaps not, and likely never. Will history repeat itself? And, “If history repeats itself, and the
unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience.” (George Bernard Shaw)

Dr. Ishrat Ali Lalljee

HINDUJA HORIZONS 2020
2021