The whole macrocosm is now condensed with scare, uncertainty, and stress, and all the credit goes to COVID-19. With the emergence of this disease/contagious virus, people took to various social media platforms, which began teeming with comic memes, videos and quotes. I don’t know why they do it, but I think we all need laughs and comedy to ease our fear, worry, anger, etc.
We feel overwhelmed by images, political speeches, exaggerations, dramatic and sensational television reports, every now and then. Furthermore, we have become fragile, stressed, encumbered. At such a bad time, we require something that can comfort us. Social media has that ability to provide that comfort, but the reality is that we have to go through whatever the situation is. But what can be done right away? How do we shake this off? How can we cheer up ourselves?
I came up with an idea: why don’t I take part in the gathering of the elderly persons in my village? Even though it was dangerous, the ancients of my city are that rare species on earth who have wealth of knowledge of the past. Who knows if they reveal some eternal truth, or seduce us with stories that they made themselves. I joined the meeting and spent hours there, coming back with a big smile on my withered lips. Oh, the way they pronounce words! I don’t blame them, and it’s probably not their mistake, but their pronunciation and way of adorning words with hilarious meanings was the best trigger for my chuckle. Like, ‘As Paze Harassment Karin’, which meant ‘We should abstain’, but anyone might understand it differently because of the word ‘Harassment’. I listened with great interest to their stories, anecdotes and hyperbolised discourses. There was a strong sense of humour, coherence and sometimes indirect teachings.
On a cheery day, not long ago, I was sitting on my balcony reading the current updates about COVID-19. My house is surrounded by many tall and small buildings, and I was able to find the sun’s afternoon beams through a small space between two nearby houses. Disgusting! It was the one thing that came from my distressed heart. I hate that proximity! Any one of us would be frustrated under these oppressive circumstances. I installed a table and decorated it with numerous newspapers. In the middle of the reading, I was interrupted by a neighbour, no more than 75. He jumped up and said, ‘Hey koutsa wout yeh Carnivorous?’ In English, it is possible to say, ‘What news about Carnivorous?’ (He pronounced the coronavirus as carnivorous) Carnivorous? I knew what he wanted to ask, but I suppressed my laughter and replied, ‘Su hasa wout Kasheer.’ In English, we can say, ‘It has reached Kashmir.’ And his remarks in reply were uproarious: ‘Masa rath tension yeh chui Chena Prudect; yeh maklei jaldi, naar kados.’ In English, it means, ‘Don’t worry, it is a China product; it will vanish soon and will be destroyed.’
These people are the real assets for all of us; it does not matter if they do not have a good intellect, but they can intrigue anyone. I vividly remember a video on Facebook when the first positive case came into being in Kashmir. The video talked about a young person somewhere in India who saw COVID-19 as a festival. I laughed. The grandma (Abhiley) of our neighbour calls ‘Coronavirus’ as ‘Gharondha Virus’. We need these witticisms in good quantity because the present situation is alarming, and our lives are in danger. That is why, be with your elders; listen to them and laugh with them. Perhaps this would be a relief!

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Shah Imtiyaz