We are sorry to inform you that due to the heavy impact of COVID-19 pandemic we’re letting you go from all of your duties.
“What the F*ck? Did they actually fire me? How could they do this to me? Did I do nothing for the company? Was my contribution that negligible?…” and more and more enraging thoughts continued to flood the disturbed mind of Raghuveer. After working as a feature writer for almost 4 years in a corporate media company, he had been the victim of “Pandemic Layoff”. Unsure about what to do next, Raghu sat still in his study room. With each passing minute, his thoughts continued to get louder and louder. Suffocated with thoughts & anger, he stormed off to the rooftop.
The moon was rising high in the sky. The weather alarm of rain had been proven false as the sky was clear, filled with stars. The concrete bench at the corner was well shaded from the moonlight by a large tree. The evening wind was steady and cool.
Raghu continued to walk fast around the roof; disturbed & uncertain. With no job in hand, the EMIs for the bike, fridge, new laptop, house rent, medicines for his diabetic mother….. the anxiety was kicking off. From time to time, he stopped at the boundary and looked down at the road. Dark thoughts started to make their base in his mind.
A single droplet from the hovering cloud fell on to his chin and brought him back to consciousness. “What am I thinking? No,” he told himself. He sat on the concrete bench and looked at the sky. As the cloud passed over, the moon shone with its soothing brightness. He laid down on the bench and continued to look at the moon. The twinkling stars, partial white clouds, clear blue sky with a half-moon….. the sight was no less than an anime movie. A tear dropped from the corner of his eye as he dozed off to sleep with a bucket of memories to revisit.
It had been 5 years since Raghu left his hometown to find a job and build a career. The regular middle-class struggle was not something that he could ever forget. As he skipped through the memories, he remembered the moment when he first handed over his salary to his mother. The smile was priceless. Being a single mother, life had not shown any mercy to her. Her everyday smile was reassuring for him but this… this was something different. This was a reflection of self-satisfaction. When Raghu decided to leave his first job as he got a new offer, she was worried, of course. But she had faith in him; in his talent. Clearly, she was not wrong. Within 3 years of the new job, Raghu was promoted and awarded the “Most Productive Employee Of The Year” award twice.
However, with increased responsibility, life had not been the same. The competition, the pressure, the pace, everything doubled with time. The work-life had not been cooperating with him lately. While the writing business was at the edge of a cliff, the COVID19 scare gripped the world, making it worse for the feature writing industry. As the lockdown had been imposed and there was not much of happening, developing a story from the scratch was far more difficult than it looked.
It had been one and a half months with less work from home and more career evaluation. There had not been a single day that Raghu did not try to improve his ability. The online team management course had been almost over. But now, for nothing.
As the sad thoughts again started to grip his mind, the surrounding became a lot cold. Raghu could feel the touch of cold water on his face. When he opened his eyes, all he could see was fog around him. He couldn’t see the ground. When he looked up, the stars were much closer than earlier. The twinkling lights made him a little dizzy but he stood the ground. When he looked for the moon, it was just a little left to where he stood. As he was wondering about what was actually happening, he heard a voice. Soft, calm, soothing voice.
“How’re you doing, Raghu?”
He looked to his left from where the voice was coming. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The moon had eyes and smiling at him. That smile resembled the one he had seen on his mother’s face when he gave her the first salary. It was weird as well as comforting for him.
“How’re you doing, Raghu?”, the moon asked again.
That question was not something that could heal a suffering heart and mind, rather provoke the fire in between.
Raghu looked down and said, “As if you don’t know!”
“Well, you didn’t tell me. How would I know?”, asked the moon.
Raghu looked at the moon, frustrated, and said, “I’ve been fired from my company. The one for which I’ve struggled so much. The one for which I’ve worked so hard. Now, I’m not a part of it. And of all the time they had, it is now”
“That is what life is Raghu. Haven’t you learned that already? Life is uncertain. And you have to adjust through it.”
“Well, yeah. Of course, I know it. But how could they do this to me? After all my loyalty, my dedication, is this my prize?” Raghu argued.
“Agonising over something you lost that you care so much is normal. Take your time. It will all be normal soon.”
“How? When? How could it be normal? How can I live a normal life after this? With EMIs hanging overhead, that too with my Maa’s medicines, I can’t manage them all. Nothing is going to be normal.”
“Well, that’s sort of true.”
Raghu looked at him, confused.
Realizing Raghu’s dilemma, the moon continued, “What I meant to say is, all of the things you said are true. Nothing will be the same ever. But you should know that this is not the end. A new “normal” is on its way. You just have to adapt through it.”
“A new Normal?”, asked Raghu.
“Yes. Life is changing Raghu. Not only for you but for everyone. The course of the human race is changing. If you don’t change with it, you’ll have to suffer.”
“That’s not comforting. What is changing? How should I change? What can I do to keep up with the world?”
“If you generalize all the things that have happened in the past few months, this is comforting. And I can’t tell you how to change or what to do. All I can say is have patience and have faith in yourself.”
“Well, you know what! Faith ain’t gonna fill up my EMIs. Faith ain’t gonna buy medicines for my Maa.”
“Of course faith will not do those. You will. Don’t you know yourself?”
“Yeah. But how? How can I get a job in these hard times? Everyone is cutting out employees from their companies. Who will hire me?”, asked Raghu.
And the moon said, “You know yourself. Now learn to trust yourself. You’ve worked enough. You’ve struggled enough to be eligible for any company. Have that faith in you.”
Raghu continued to stare at the moon as if he was observing all those words. The dark thoughts have been subsided by hope. Even if it was not that strong, still there was something inside that kept him telling, “You can do it.”
“Life will never be the same, nor fate. The darkness will go one day. And the moon will arise with all its glory. To fill the world with love & peace. There will be struggles, as it is a part of life, but, not for success but happiness. The time will tell you what to do next. Your destiny still stands afar. All you need to do is to choose your path to move ahead. Stay true to your heart. Stay true to your soul. The heart will guide you to the path you behold.”
A single water droplet fell on Raghu’s eye. He opened his eyes to find himself sleeping on the bench. It had been drizzling for some time as he was still dry under shades of the tree. The rain forecast was not false after all, but a little late. He said to himself, “Maybe I’ll reach my destiny, but a little late. That doesn’t mean I should give up.” He walked out of the shades to the rain and looked at the sky. The dark clouds had covered the stars. But the moon stole a glance from in between the clouds. He smiled and said, “It’s not over, after all.”
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