In the name of modernisation and progress man aggressively occupied a lot of space that had been the natural habitat (home) to scores of species of flora and fauna, and built concrete forts upon them. And due to these subsuming behaviours, the natural habitat was conserved and allowed to grow only in selected spaces called parks and gardens. Ironically, for the sake of a prosperous life, nature was completely neglected and many species of birds and animals either migrated or were decimated.

Now, coronavirus, an unseen enemy of humans, has forced everyone to be cooped up in their homes and restricted them to limited mobility. Everywhere things seem gloomy and mentally distressing. It feels like an apocalyptic situation where every person is seeking refuge to save oneself. But if we look around and observe the behaviour of Nature, there are many things to surprise and amuse us. A sense of freedom seems to be inspiring everyone except human beings. Dogs, cats, birds, trees and plants appear to be celebrating the freedom Nature had bestowed upon them and which was snatched from them by those who have now taken refuge in their concrete homes. Now, the Nature seems to be reclaiming its space. Every day, when I wake up, I see through my window the left-out plot, a few yards away from my home has a lot of moss, plants, saplings and weeds sprouting. Also, we are witnessing a lot of rains in this month, so the moss and fungi are resisting more profoundly every inch of concrete and trying to make it greener and livelier. The park before my home is a lot greener. Perhaps, it is something that I could not have observed so keenly if I were busy in the bustling life of city.

Sparrows, laalis, crows, woodpeckers and doves who had long left most of the parks and trees of our city, are surprisingly making a comeback. Furthermore, the sparrows and laalis now fly to any corner of street, homes and trees without any fear of our presence. At dawn and dusk these birds chirp melodiously in the trees, streets and parks, presenting the energetic and sparkling image of nature. Also, eagles are flying lower than usual and surprisingly land on the roofs of our homes.

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Plants grow silently, birds love to stay silent unless their instinct dictates them to chirp — either in a state of danger or to amuse themselves. The importance of silence increases manifold in these testing times. Every great human in the history has found enlightenment and peace by listening to the voice of silence.

There is another perspective about this pandemic, which is that Mother Nature has visited her wrath upon humans for the damage inflicted on her. And now, having confined us to our homes, she is healing. The ozone layer is getting fixed, the atmosphere is becoming clearer, the marine life is moving back to its homes… To our utter misfortune, it is spring when nature is at its beauty’s prime, but we cannot step out in the parks to cherish it.

When this pandemic is gone, and we have the liberty to leave our homes, we shall see clearly as to what extent Mother Nature has healed herself. The question is: would we repeat the wrongs done to her in the past? History suggests that humans do not learn from their mistakes. One thing is certain, though: life would not be the same in the future. An extended experience of social distancing will leave a permanent mark on our psychology.

It can be hoped that we will take this opportunity to think seriously about shunning taking pride in conquering nature. At an individual level, every person should try to do something for nature. The first step would be to lower our carbon footprints by using eco-friendly modes of commute. Factories should be forced to recycle their wastes in eco-friendly ways so that the carbon oxide emissions can be minimised and air quality does not become hazardous.

Secondly, we should let the nature grow where it wants to, rather than plucking out the saplings grown on a roadside or on abandoned lands etc. Otherwise, we might again lose the melodious chirpings of birds and such green and lively happiness of nature.