The familiar faces are covered by masks. Chatting with a special friend, with cups of tea at a cafeteria, is also a distant memory for some college students in eastern Indian city of Kolkata because of the onslaught of COVID-19 Pandemic. However, the Final Year Post-Graduate students of the History Department at Jadavpur University have engaged in cracking virtual jokes about their two classmates, who have fallen in love with each other very recently! As they developed the mutual feeling for one another only earlier in 2020, the Lockdown has played the spoilsport in their romance. They managed to meet just four times during the Lockdown. Although the University will resume classes in December, the pair may not get an opportunity to enjoy their college life. A couple of days ago, the Farewell Party of the said batch took place through a Google Meet!

The two young Students’ Union leaders of Jaipuria and Manindra Chandra Colleges are also not well, mentally. “Students of the new First Year Batch have taken admission to the college online. We did not get an opportunity to see new faces,” said one of them. They are waiting for opening of the college doors in December 2020.

Compulsory Quarantine, in order to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others, has certainly helped elderly couples in improving their love lives, but it has – in a big way – played havoc with the emotions of the youth. Lakes in the southern part of the City remain open in the morning only for those who would enjoy their morning-walk. Other activities near the lakes are being constantly monitored by the Police! As colleges remain closed, the students are not visiting those places with their loved ones.

“Be it love or friendship, everything is going on through WhatsApp, Facebook or video calls,” stressed a First Year Bio-Science student of Presidency University, Kolkata… However, some are of the opinion that online classes have rendered their lives difficult. Even, some of the teachers have admitted that online classes are not at all good for the students, as their minds are burdened with feelings of the stress and instability…

It is hence the students of different colleges in Kolkata, as well as other places, have decided to visit their favourite locations in the city with their partners in December, when their classes resume. A lover’s mind knows that Spring will arrive in December…

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das