Reminding ourselves to hold on

A few months earlier, the habit of going to the rooftop in the evening was almost close to non-existent. Because the city dwellers were busy in so many ways, they could hardly get any chance to visit their rooftops. However, the outbreak of Covid-19 has changed people’s lives tremendously. During, and even after, the lockdown that began in March, the rooftop has become the centre of attraction.

Though the lockdown had been lifted to reopen the economy, in order to reduce the threat of getting infected by the virus, as a precaution, many have chosen to stay at home. Lots of alternatives have taken the place of previous practices, such as -- instead of going to the market many prefer to shop online, working from home, taking doctor’s recommendation through social media platforms -- these are just a few of new phenomenons of current life. The new normal has brought monotony into our lives, where someone has to do the same chores everyday, having little scope to experience something different.

Moumita Jahan hasn’t gone outside since March 24. She is a school teacher. All through the day, she remains busy with household chores, taking care of her three year old kid, and conducting online classes; the same routine without any scope of change makes her feel exhausted.  To the negative feelings under control, Moumita often goes to her rooftop. 

To let out the tediousness of life, people have opted to pay regular visits to their previously forgotten rooftops. Often, the rooftop becomes a playground for children. Sometimes they play all alone; sometimes, their parents join them. Siam eagerly waits for evening to come, so he can visit the rooftop. The five year old never forgets to take his football. 

“I visit the rooftop everyday, just to watch the battle among kite runners,” says Anila, a university student. Adolescents and youths have been showing interest in flying kites. A sweet competition of cutting the kites adds additional excitement, not only among the kite runner, but the spectators, too. 

Toddlers come to the rooftop with their mothers to breathe in some fresh air. Elderly citizens often go for relaxing evening walks with their family members.   

Due to this pandemic, people have been suffering from various kinds and degrees of stress, like depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, pre-marital and marital relationship problems, to name a few. As Covid-19 wrecks havoc on our mental health, the rooftop may just be an ingenious way of soothing the stress, and reminding ourselves to hold on.