For this principal, life has become more hectic these days

Gurdaspur, May 9

For Upma Mahajan, principal of SD Arya School, Dinanagar, the coronavirus is akin to sighting an elephant in the room. She said people know there is a problem, but they do not want to discuss it out of trepidation and anxiety.

Life has become more hectic as ever for the school principal.

“People who always felt sadness for not living in the extraordinary times of history are now upset that they got an opportunity to experience one of the extraordinary days of history. When the scary face of the truth appears, romantic thoughts disappear. Remember, ordinary days are the best days,” she said.

Before the lockdown, she used to work from 8 am to 2 pm in her school with students and teachers.

Now, she stays indoors throughout the day, but remains busy 24 into 7. For her, it seems to be a paradox.

“Taking online classes is one of the most difficult things to do. We use the Zoom app and CBSE portals like Diksha and Swayam for teaching. Earlier, I rarely cared what my students did in the evenings. Now, I have to tell them to do aerobics and yoga, fearing impressionable minds do not go astray sitting idle at home. Later, I also get in touch with parents to get their feedback,” she added.

On being asked about the message for her teachers, she said, “We will come out of this storm. And for sure, we will overcome this moment of despair. How long this will last cannot be ascertained. But the one thing that we can be sure of is that we will not be the same anymore. Hopefully, we would have changed for the better. This is the way of life. And this is the way how life teaches us its lessons.”

For her, 24 hours get over in a blink while earlier she had enough time for her family. “This is the biggest regret I am living with. But then it is better to look ahead and prepare rather than to look back and regret,” she added.

The principal is a firm believer in destiny. “You must remember from the moment we are born. It is our destiny to leave the planet at a time chosen by Mother Nature,” she said.

In between the conversation, her phone rings and there is a panicky student on the other side seeking an advice on how to deal with the situation. What followed was a 10-minute extempore on the advantages of social distancing.

“Often when you think you are the end of something, you are actually at the beginning of something else,” she said.