An open letter to 2020.

Dear 2020,

I know that open letters are out of fashion. But I think given your abysmal performance and behavior, you deserve it.

There is no contest — you are clearly the winner in ridiculousness, selfishness, being impossible and most importantly being archaic. And I will explain everything with logic and patience (much unlike your approach)

You and I had hit it well as we began, but alas as most teacher-student relationships go, the initial excitement about learning was soon over. With everything you subjected me to, I can still probably say you’ve been one of my best teachers. But thats hard to admit, so let’s park that for a bit.

In all seriousness though, I have great memories with you. You definitely made me watch a lot of TV shows especially on Netflix,made me bake a lot of bread and do a lot of home workouts. Remember the last week of June when you just made me bake bread in between office zoom calls and I also tried to squeeze in home workout with weights while keeping office zoom videos turned off? Thank you for showing me how to acquire skills in multitasking and how highly productive I can be. I could not have achieved this without you being there. I would have never baked bread or tried doing 300 burpees non stop. So thank you, thank you ‘2020’!

And how can I not talk about your relentlessness and resilience! You just don’t give up — I have moved from baking bread to now mulling wine and you just seem to support me endlessly with work from home. It’s because of you that I learnt that there is no end to working in the kitchen, or creating new hobbies , helping little kids with homeschooling and just doing ALL of these things with gratitude! I do feel so grateful indeed. It’s because you taught me that if you are managing all this single handedly, you have a lot to be grateful for.

To be honest though, I began to see a different side of you, until you struck again and said you were going to swallow 2021. I do acknowledge that you are strong and you can swallow anyone whole. You’re like one of those people who you just meet and you think to yourself, “Wow! She’s going to teach me so many things — resilience, gratitude, multi tasking. I must, must try to make her my teacher!” You really don’t know anything about that person but you are told to believe that she will be an awesome teacher! Then, the more time you spend with her you realize that you were wrong — beneath the outward knowledgeable surface there are less desirable characteristics. I think that’s exactly what happened between the two of us. At first, I was inspired by you and I wanted to learn everything you had to teach! But I think I’m starting to see the truth.

Because of you, many people have lost dear ones, most people are reconfiguring their lives — their finances, health and jobs. Some don't have many of these things. They panic when they are told that 2020 will swallow 2021. I also panic sometimes (and mind you, I am not the panicky type). For example, when two of my dearest friends in their 40s fell sick, I was really worried about them and their families — I did not think much of you as a teacher then. All they needed was a small lesson in health — not a jolt which would give the whole family hypertension. Lastly, I think your teaching methodology needs an overhaul — we are all for learning, but learning in the new age happens through setting broad direction, enabling people and then offering gentle nudges. The traditional approach of punishment doesn't work these days — in fact it backfires. But that’s all you have really used — the punishment approach.

I also know that like many letter writers, it is possible that a few moments from now my resentment for you will have faded and passed and I shall probably be regretting criticizing your lessons and your teaching approach; but while there is yet time I do wish that you get to experience your own teachings and your teaching style and experience the hell that your classes created for us. You definitely need to swallow your own pill and then rot in hell.

Your forever student, with unending respect.