Pan India Online Essay Contest 2020...Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi Ernakulam, Kerala Category -...

Ashna DThe National University of Advanced Legal Studies, KochiErnakulam, Kerala Category - Youth

New Delhi OfficeCluster Office for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri LankaUnited Nations

Year 1 AC (After Coronavirus) Pan India Online Essay Contest 2020

Essay Topic: What will be the role of young peoplein addressing the crisis caused by the pandemic and related issues, such as new balances in power, raising inequalities and reduced employment opportunities?

India continues to witness a daily surge of COVID-19 cases and death toll. While governments are imposing lockdowns and law enforcement agencies are scrambling to implement them, the impact of this global health crisis has been far from uniform. For many of us, it has provided an opportunity to adapt to a ‘new normal’ from the comfortable con�nes of our

homes. However, the near-complete shutdown of the economy has disproportionately a�ected the poor and marginalized in our country, raising serious concerns about growing inequalities and the hazardous implications of this pandemic on their lives. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the youth in India to take charge of this situation and e�ectively combat such widespread discrimination.

Millions of migrant and unskilled workers have lost their livelihoods and are being forceful-ly employed for long hours with no remuneration. Research suggests that women in the organized sector are more likely to lose their jobs, thus widening the gender gap. Many people trapped at home are being increasingly subjected to sexual abuse and domestic violence.

Child-support institutions do not have access to adequate medical care and are su�ering from acute food shortages. Several cases of child-tra�cking, abuse, and abandonment have also surfaced. For many students living in remote locations or improper access to the internet, online learning is not an option. Restricted movement and anxiety surrounding �nancial resources, unemployment, and possibly contracting the virus, have exacerbated psychological stress and mental health problems.

Authorities have also not addressed the problems of di�erently-abled who are currently at a higher risk, as they depend on care-givers for small tasks and cannot practice self-isola-tion or social distancing because of physical, systemic and psychological barriers.

Perhaps the most compelling case to highlight prevailing inequalities is that of prisoners within the criminal justice system. These prisoners are housed in overcrowded, underfund-ed, and understa�ed jails, where they cannot avoid physical contact with fellow inmates. This has resulted in a massive number of prisoners testing positive for the virus, and unable to receive adequate medical attention due to the unpreparedness of authorities. Despite the Supreme Court directing prison administration authorities to decongest prisons by releasing prisoners failing under speci�c categories, there is little to no public data avail-able.

In such dire circumstances, it is futile to wait around for governments to tackle all these problems. In this context, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam remarked that “The ignited mind of the youth is the most powerful resource on the earth”. It is now time for India’s sizeable young commu-nity to adopt a ‘3R approach’ — research, resourcefulness, and response. Students can study the spread of the pandemic in their localities and harness technology to reduce the burden on healthcare systems. E�orts can include building medical infrastructure to substi-tute healthcare workers attending to COVID-patients, using Arti�cial Intelligence to create viable contact-tracing apps and mapping exercises for monitoring authorities, or even disability-friendly apps to spread important information. Helplines can be used to reach out to child-welfare homes and survivors of domestic abuse.

Peer groups and counselling networks on social media can communicate with people who are undergoing stress, anxiety, or depression. Students using online learning facilities can also mentor their peers who do not have access to these resources. Young volunteers can contact local supermarkets, ration shops, and medical shops to ensure timely door-step delivery of essential supplies and sanitation products to the poor, elderly, and persons with disabilities. Law students can work with District Legal Service Authorities and prison admin-istrations to set up legal aid clinics to collect data on prisoners and speed up their release. Students pursuing social work can also procure necessary legal documents by getting in touch with their families.

By adopting a community-oriented rehabilitation approach, the youth can successfully mo-bilize support from NGOs, municipalities, healthcare workers, and government stakehold-ers.

This pandemic is a grim reminder of the harsh socio-economic inequalities pervading our society. It is a renewed opportunity to do everything we can to protect the rights of the most vulnerable among us. Only then can we take pride in calling ourselves a truly egalitarian democracy.

Avanie Joshi St. Mary’s Convent College Nainital,

Category - Children



Essay Topic: Not everything we �nd online is true!

The Maharashtra Cyber Security Cell registered 366 cases of fake news circulation on social media as of May 10, 2020. Moving ahead, the president of Tanzania claiming that a con-coction of honey and ginger can cure coronavirus, created wide speculation on social media. Moreover, such ‘cures’ were sold on the dark web for $300 (or INR22,861/-). In Iran, the

rumour that alcohol cures coronavirus was circulated widely on social media, allegedly resulting in 700 people dying from alcohol poisoning, during the pandemic.

Researchers from Stanford Engineering concluded that, like a person, they might become more vulnerable when exposed to several strains of the virus; the same is true for fake news. When a person is increasingly exposed to fake news, he can eventually become more susceptible to them. Therefore, if the fake infodemic is not cured soon, it may succeed in diverting our attention from the coronavirus pandemic at hand, just as a secondary infec-tion, it may prove fatal if left untreated.

From claims of cocaine ‘curing’ coronavirus in France, to cannabis working ‘wonders’ in Sri Lanka – rumors have been doing rounds widely on social media platforms, that national health ministries have had to o�cially issue statements to negate hay-say.

A senior engineer in the U.S.A died from hydroxychloroquine consumption as he believed that it e�ciently ‘cures’ COVID-19, after learning this from social media.

In India, particularly, Whatsapp family groups have been infamous in circulating rumors related to home remedies like ‘kadhas’, and ginger-garlic pastes ‘treating’ coronavirus. MIT scholars found that fake news spreads much faster than canon on social media platforms.

Now, more than ever before, social media deserves due attention as it has a wide reach. We have 4.57 billion internet users globally, 3.80 billion social media users worldwide, of which

Uttarakhand

560 million internet users including over 376.1 million social media users in India alone.

In 1918, due to the �u pandemic, postal workers and scouts went knocking from door-to-door, asking people not to shake their hands, and wash them frequently. Due to social media, we understand the importance of quarantine, self-isolation, hand washing, sanitization, and social distancing. These are notices on YouTube, with links to the o�cial website of the ‘Ministry of Health’, on every personal feed. Our Prime Minister meets us through social media.

In a world where the media can no longer be snubbed, the only way to harness its bene�ts is to avoid rumors altogether. For starters, we should rely solely on Government websites, and reputed bodies like the WHO, for news. We should report any suspicious news on our YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter feeds as spam. We should report any fake news being circu-lated to ‘The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’, now more accessible than ever, through a single ‘tweet’. Above all, we should break the forward chain of fake news. In case, any news even remotely suspects reaches us through social media, we should refuse to circulate further.

The future of the world lies upon us- as responsible citizens, let us not let it down.

Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam![The world is one family!]

Avishi VashishtDelhi Public SchoolMathura Road, Faridabad, Haryana

Category - Youth



Essay Topic: What will be the role of young peoplein addressing the crisis caused by the pandemic and related issues, such as new balances in power, raising inequalities and reduced employment opportunities?

From bats in the Shitou cave to India’s populace, the corona-virus has rapidly pervaded humanity, uprooting illusions of safety and normalcy. In this state, women face immense chal-lenges of managing the home and work while making their voices heard.

During lockdown, surveys have shown increased male participation in housework, but women continued to bear the most substantial burden. Statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that Indian men spend just 19 minutes a day doing housework, whilst Indian women spend 352 minutes per day on the domestic front.

To comprehend this inordinate share of housework falling on women, we must analyze-how crises a�ect both genders. The coronavirus, speci�cally, a�ects women and men diversely. First, initial �ndings show that women may be more immune to the disease than men. They also makeup 70% of all health and social-services sta� globally, yet have faced the unemployment severely. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, described women’s cur-rent situation as “double-double shift”, where they handle an extra layer of work atop their already burdensome lives.

Ideally, with the global surge in lockdown and social distancing, men should take up more domestic tasks. Their current share in housework is a piercing portrayal of how obsolete mindsets still seep in and control these ‘progressive’ times. Moreover, according to a 2017 article by the World Economic Forum, women earn 79 cents for every dollar men make. If these gender issues are not thoroughly assessed, the post-pandemic world will under-whelm egalitarian hopes by merely mirroring the past. After the pandemic, men may increase their participation in housework, but that participation itself might be insu�cient.

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Another issue steering gender roles during lockdown is women’s objecti�cation. The ideal twenty-�rst-century woman is the eternal laborer who toils tirelessly for her family and achieves a successful career. She is often seen as an ever-available machine to solve every-one’s problems, but never losing fuel. Such stereotypical images are fed to girls, who are almost never taught how to seek help. One result is this: during crises, women undergo increased bouts of domestic violence, yet less than 40% report it (WEF).

If we are to �nd that equitable world where men are sensitive to women’s traditional roles, then set images, such as women being the ‘weaker sex’, must evaporate. An equal world will be bene�cial for both the parties and even economies. For example, In 2018, the World Eco-nomic Forum declared that gender parity could boost India’s GDP by 27%.

This analysis fuels the inevitable question - how will gender roles transform after the COVID-19 crisis? For fathoming the outcomes of the future, we must take history as our wit-ness. During World War II, many middle-class women enrolled in the so-termed ‘manly jobs’. The dark clouds of social stigma and marriage bars were temporarily removed. Suddenly, the woman became the breadwinner of her family. She could sustain her existence by her-self. She tasted something of freedom and liberation. Thus, when the wars ended, the image of a meek and home-stricken woman was rejected by many, culminating in the 1960s feminist movements, which allowed them permanent entry in the workforces.

The COVID-19 pandemic provides hot ground for similar developments. If then, women entered factories, now they deserve leadership positions. If then, they earned their �rst sala-ries, now they deserve equal pay. If then, they juggled both home and occupation, soon men must rise to their household duties.

In 1929, Virginia Woolf wrote, “In a hundred years...women will have ceased to be the pro-tected sex. Logically, they will take part in all the activities and exertions that were once denied them."

Woolf’s estimation came true for women to work in diverse �elds today. I believe their cur-rent problems are more camou�aged as women have promised on paper, but rarely in prac-tice. Time demands we start valuing their contributions in healthcare, governance, and the economy. Gender roles after the COVID-19 pandemic will evolve only when women receive our complete veneration.

Indira Gandhi, India’s only female Prime Minister, once described women’s innate power by saying, “Let’s not forget that in India, the symbol of strength is a woman; the Goddess Shakti.”

Chaandneeka ChoudhuryNPS International School Betkuchi, Guwahati,Assam

Category - Children



Lockdown vs Broken Feelings

If you only know what I'm going throughIf you understood my pain,

then you know why I've got tears in my eyes there’s no smile on my face from the last few days

No remembrance of my happy daysMy heart's been torn out, my dreams take away

My hope has run out, and my skies stay greyIf you were to look straight into my face,

then you would know that the scars on my arms Look just like the scars on my heart

If you were to search deep into my eyes, then you would see deep into my life

Lockdown made me paralysis, but I never want to look back Want to grow,

Day-by-day

Due to the coronavirus pandemic I am in lockdown at home. Physically stressed but men-tally and emotionally quite relaxed and rejuvenated. During this period to overcome the stress, my school faculties and my parents play a signi�cant role, which is commendable and appreciable.

Learning at home during lockdown is a unique experience. In this situation, there is no scope in attending school, so this lockdown seems to be very productive for me. I am fortu-nate that my teachers are making a great e�ort to conduct online classes through online platforms, maintaining, a proper schedule every day. They are trying their best to under-stand the psychological status of a student.

Essay Topic: Learning at Home during Lockdown: My Parents and My Teachers

Both my parents are working professionals. My father is posted in a di�erent district. My mother, who is a doctor, is also busy with the emergency duty of treating COVID-19 patients. Being home with my brother, I am utilizing and maintaining proper schedule with-out wasting time.

After reaching home from emergency duty, my mother assesses my daily work and help me a lot to complete the remaining tasks. She even encourages me daily to write down a poem in my diary. This lockdown has proved to be fruitful as I started composing poems and from 25th of March until 5th of June, I wrote almost 70 poems in 70 days. I even published 70 poems in 70 days, for which I could set the record in Assam Book of Records (ABR). This is a proud moment as it helped me to bring laurels to my State. I am grateful to my teachers and parents who helped me to set record in ABR.

During this lockdown period, I have also participated in di�erent literary online competi-tions provided from school under State Level, and achieved second prize in the Essay Com-petition organized by the Vivevakananda Civil Service Academy, Assam.

The online Yoga classes organized from school also help me rejuvenate my body, mind, and soul, and helping me to get rid of stress. Apart from the school curriculum, the online class-es of Art and Dance over the weekend also help me to get relief from stress, refresh my mind, and strengthen me to prepare myself mentally and physically for the forthcoming online classes.

I am highly grateful to my teachers and parents for guiding me during this critical period of lockdown

Haindavi KandarpaIndian Institute of Technology, Madras

Adayar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Category - Youth



Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the sobering reality sinks in and the virus is here to stay. Despite the scienti�c community warning of such a pandemic for years, it has caught the healthcare, economic and political systems of the world o�-guard. The once familiar remains now far out of our reach and the leaders are grappling with this new reality.

Policies and reforms that would have otherwise taken years of deliberation are being rolled out in a matter of days. The impact they are going to have not just on healthcare but in the economy, politics, as well as the social fabric, remains obscure.

It is easy to be caught up in this whirlwind of ever-changing scenarios & accelerating devel-opments. It would be of great bene�t to consider what this pandemic is showing us: the best and worst of humanity. The ugliest truth that has become evident is the deepening divide between classes and regions.

Famine and war seem utterly bizarre with our idea of the 21st-century world; still wreak havoc in Yemen, with 80% of its population heavily dependent on international aid. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the relief down to a trickle, and could push millions into acute food insecurity.

Close to home, the �shermen colony, is one of the most impoverished areas in my city of Vizag and is now a COVID-19 hotspot. When my mother treated these patients, those who tested negative chose to join their family members who tested positive. For them, con-tracting the disease was simply a price to pay for three square meals a day (provided by the hospitals)!

Another alarming development is the rise of authoritarianism and surveillance without accountability. In these highly uncertain times, the need for reassurance or a saviour can

Essay Topic: The current crisis is showing the best and the worst of humanity. Will a new form of solidar-ity emerge at the end of the tunnel or do you think on the contrary that previous trends of the last few years (e.g. increasing nationalisms) will be enhanced?

take the form of autocratic leaders rising across the world. The history has repeatedly shown us that it comes at the cost of human liberty and freedom. When big data is as valu-able as gold, centralized monitoring with minimal scrutiny leaves citizens' privacy under threat. Furthermore, the perceived lacuna left by the USA in the realm of global leadership may have had a debilitating e�ect in our global response to this virus. The pandemic and its inevitable economic damage can only be handled through global cooperation, but we are yet to make e�orts for a coherent plan of action to address these challenges. Hence, we �nd ourselves amid a growing crisis, one that requires us to change and adapt in the most fun-damental of ways quickly, and we are dangerously close to a disaster. John F Kennedy has said, "When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One rep-resents danger, and the other represents opportunity".

The need for the hour is not robust and �rm leadership, but one that takes responsibility and is �exible and compassionate. For instance, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan, which are hailed as success stories containing the virus, have relied on widespread testing, cooperation, and honest reporting rather than policing and surveillance.

Our key advantage over the virus is the ability to share information throughout the world. Mistakes do not have to be repeated once made, and lessons learnt can be applied without the cost of additional human lives.

For this, we need open and honest communication and wide spreading of scienti�c data, which is not tainted by the interests of any country or organisation and restoring people's trust in science. For years, people at authority have encouraged suspicion of scienti�c discoveries such as climate change & relayed unveri�ed information. It is evident, when faced with a crisis, the answer lies in science, not conspiracy theories.

In conclusion, we �nd ourselves at what seems to be 21st century’s crux: a power struggle between a growing opportunity for global solidarity and a rising nationalist fervour. How-ever, it's easy to forget that this crisis is not merely an economic or political one but a humanitarian crisis at its core. It is not that we lack the tools to mitigate the crisis, but we require the cooperation to do so.

The words of Desmond Tutu have never rung truer, “All of our humanity is dependent upon recognizing the humanity in others.” This crisis is not over until every country and region has overcome it, and global solidarity is a growing necessity. We do not have to dream of a distant utopia of international cooperation and harmony.

We can, and we should build it!

Hamsni MekalaKendriya Vidyalaya Picket Secuderabad, Hyderabad,Telangana

Category - Youth



The outbreak of COVID-19 wreaked havoc worldwide. Today, it is almost unbelievable that more than 200 countries are su�ering from a lone virus. Even medically and technologi-cally advanced countries are unable to tackle the novel coro-navirus. More than 10 million people around the world have been diagnosed with COVID-19, while more than 5.7 million

have recovered, and 514,298 have died, according to Worldometer by the end of June 2020. In the entire universe known to human beings, we are yet to �nd another planet like earth where there is life. Therefore, our planet is unique because it holds a system that contains life in its diverse manifestations. This diversity is so enormous that our attempts to study it seriously have just begun.

Humankind has often considered nature to be a territory, which can be exploited to his advantage. However, in countless mysterious ways, nature has retaliated. In the face of impending disaster, nature has given o� warning signs that man has either failed to read or ignored at his peril.

We have already done catastrophic destruction to our planet. Today, many species' very existence is threatened due to the drastic changes in the ecosystem by human activities. If this situation continues, we will leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing des-erts, impoverished landscapes, and ailing environment.

The novel coronavirus pandemic is a wake-up call to stop exceeding the planet’s limits. This pandemic has shown us drastic changes in the environment. This cataclysmic event is so big and disruptive that it can be measured in the planetary metrics of climate change. As many as 2.6 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions will never be emitted into the atmo-sphere.

Essay Topic: Do you think that the COVID-19 pan-demic will force us to rede�ne the quest for a better use of our natural resources? Will there be a before and an after for environmental issues? If so how?

Global demand for energy is set to fall by 6%; there has been a signi�cant drop in air pollu-tion, the quality of water and aquatic population has also improved. It is high time to shift our attention from the mechanistic view to a holistic and ecological one. People have learnt to be more resourceful and less wasteful during this time.

We have begun to realize our ethical obligations to be good stewards of the planet and responsible trustees of the legacy to future generations. We have realized the wisdom of shifting from a system based on domination to partnership.

The COVID-19 crises shows that it is possible to make transformational changes. Nations across the globe should make e�orts to bring our earth back to its past glory. We must start investing in what matters by laying the foundation for a green circular economy that is anchored in nature-based solutions. We need to phase out fossil fuels and deploy renew-able energy technologies, focus on population control measures, and encourage green infrastructure, reforestation, biosphere conservation, sustainable development and also invest in the low carbon economy.

International bodies play a signi�cant role in persuading, convincing, and pressuring coun-tries to follow speci�c rules and regulations for environmental conservation. Parallel to this, we must understand that conserving the environment is not the responsibility of the intel-lectuals and activists alone. Each individual should consciously partake in the process of taking care of our earth.

Nature has a rhythm and its own set of rules. Humankind, one among the innumerable spe-cies of life, must respect it. We should always remember that our environment is our pass-port for the future. The new world vision is driving us towards an era of responsibility. No generation has a freehold on earth; all we have is a life tenancy with a full repairing lease. Rightly said by Mr. Lester Brown, “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children”. The earth does not belong to human beings, but human beings belongs to the earth. Hence, it is our responsibility to take care of our mother earth.

I feel that we all can overcome this situation through our faith, optimism, and unity. This can be done, only if we work together for the betterment of our earth. Coming together is the beginning, keeping together is progress, but working together is success!

M Gyan Kirit St. Petars High SchoolBowenpally , Secunderabad,Hyderabad ,Telangana

Category - Children



Essay Topic: Science and health: what should we change to be more resilient?

This is a period of world health emergency as the COVID-19 has shown us the worst face of life. There are over 10 million COVID-19 positive cases as of end of June 2020 and this �gure is still rising. We do not know if the situation will con-tinue or maybe we will learn to live with it.

Science, like any other facet of life, is an unmixed blessing. It has disturbed the simple human being, but on the other hand, bestowed numerous amenities on humans. It is a process that takes us from confusion to understanding in a precise, predictive, and reliable manner. Talking about health, it is a real wealth. A healthy life is a sacred bliss.

Both aspects of science and health are indispensable parts of our lives because they keep our wheels of vitality moving. Humans, the most intelligent beings on earth, should make meaningful and creative interventions in conserving nature. While some events in view are beyond our control, there are many areas where he can contribute as an agent of change.

Humans aspire to migrate to other planets and establish life there. With the increase in our knowledge and technologies in space science, we may succeed shortly. But with all that intellectuality, what have we achieved? We have just harmed our Earth at an alarming rate for the satisfaction of our great desires. The coronavirus may be one of the consequences of such attitude.

Today it is becoming clear that some health systems around the world are at risk of running out of crucial medical equipment to treat people with COVID-19 and protect medical work-ers. We must use new technologies to create DIY test kits and use social media for a good cause by spreading awareness among people, seeking volunteers to print or make medical supplies, and other measures. People must explore new ways to create a�ordable and

readily available face shields, medical equipment, corona testing kits, and other equipment. New technology and better coordination have sped up development. Researchers are racing to make a vaccine, and soon, we can hope for it to come. Health is central to enhanc-ing human capabilities. Protecting the health of those without wealth should be the core philosophy of everyone.

To be resilient, our vision should be to create a world where everyone can live healthy, pro-ductive lives, regardless of who they are or where they live. We should focus on the basic health services of every individual. Access to healthcare facilities and protection from infec-tious disease outbreaks should be the central component of the world’s security, economic and protection agendas.

These changes should not focus only on short-term bene�ts or recover from this situation, but try to bring out long-term impact on our lives. Only in the darkness can we see the stars. Only in the darkness can we see the stars. So let us use this opportunity to rede�ne our-selves and bring light into our lives.

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and con�dence.

Let us all hope that our earth will get back its past glory and have a healthy future very soon.

Mayookh BaruaAshoka University Sonipat, Haryana

Category - Youth



Time is an exciting concept. It is universal, like the dutiful changing faces of the moon and passing of the seasons. At the same time, it is relative as we experience daylight accord-ing to our location. Time is an equalizing force that provides us deadlines for work, dates for graduation, and a time

for each birth. Nonetheless, it is a subjective experience that is unique to individuals. This exceptional quality of time can be demonstrated the way we have come to witness space travel.

It takes approximately 8 ½ minutes for a space shuttle to get to the orbit of Earth. This 8 ½ minutes astoundingly hides a lot of time and the gravitational force that the astronauts have to face to get there.

In 1949 Bumper WAC became the �rst human-made object to go to outer space, followed by Sputnik 1, which became the �rst successful orbital launch in October of 1957. From 1949 to 2020’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, there have been seventy years of research around space travel, which amounts to 36 million minutes. If we look only at the 8 ½ minutes and build the various possibilities of space travel, we might be disappointed on realizing that we have far to go in terms of our technological prowess to live like the Jetsons. However, when we recognize the way we have progressed, we become aware of the potential we have as a civilization.

The example of space travel was put in place to propose that it is myopic to �nd faults even in terms of the way science and research are prioritized. The COVID-19 does highlight signi�cant potholes in the way we humans have functioned so far. We do not have well set up polices to manage a pandemic. Our healthcare workers, hospitals and governments, are not trained to handle a sudden outbreak, patients beyond maximum intake capacity or market and mob mobilization, respectively. We still fully do not understand the world of

Essay Topic: The 21st century, with all its science and technology, allows us to go to Mars and develop Arti-�cial Intelligence. Yet, one virus brings us to a com-plete standstill in a few weeks? Do you think there should be changes in priorities for science and research in future?

viruses. Therefore it is a challenge to make something along the lines of a vaccine.

Even if we end up making a vaccine, the time it would take to get to the market may delay the process further. We do have a challenge in front of us. However, our progress with smartphones and satellites should make us more equipped to handle an epidemic that would belie the progress we have been able to make in medicine.

To put into perspective, smallpox has plagued humankind as early as 1500 BCE. In the mid-18th century, smallpox was a major epidemic a�ecting almost every continent. It was only in 1796 that the English physician Edward Jenner was able to show that when humans were exposed to cowpox, they became immune to the virus causing smallpox. Even though Jenner changed the world of medicine by introducing vaccination, it took until 1980 for WHO to claim that the world has been liberated from the grips of smallpox. This proves that it has taken time for us to come to a point where we have been able to stop the recurring pandemic of a speci�c disease.

So far, there is no manual to a pandemic even though this is not our �rst. However, the good part about this crisis is that the entire scienti�c community is racing towards �nding a solu-tion with over 40 live projects being undertaken worldwide. Governments and other administrative bodies have also quickened drug testing periods making an exception for COVID-19. Therefore, if we end up �nding a cure and can distribute it e�ectively, the six months we have been through standstill will seem like 8½ minutes of getting to the orbit.

Pierre Miller Intern Social and Human Sciences Team, UNESCO New Delhi



Being a part of the essay review team was a pleasure and a learning experience. The task assigned to me was ambi-tious: looking at the content of the essays, understanding how children and youth reacted to the topics we pro-posed, and �nding some common patterns. More than a thousand participants had already submitted their propo-sition when we launched the in-depth analysis. Their work represented a corpus of more than 350,000 words and

and nearly 2 million characters. After almost ten days for attentive work, it was possible to observe quantitative results and provide a qualitative analysis for each topic.

Findings include the team realizing the actual pandemic was always present even if the title of some topics did not directly refer to COVID-19. We found repeated words in most essays such as ‘lockdown’, ‘virus’, ‘COVID’, ‘global’ and ‘coronavirus’. This showcases young Indians are aware of the current situation, the worldwide spread of the pandemic, and the need for swift and e�ective decisions at all levels.

We also noticed participants from the youth category commonly use pronouns such as ‘we’ or ‘us’, showing that they are experiencing these di�cult times as a community, and not individually. Those in the children category frequently use ‘I’ or ‘my’, indicating that topics we selected made them relate more to their personal experience, with a re�ection based on their context and current situation.

Under the youth category, the most common topic discussed was about gender and relat-ed stereotypes. Words such as ‘equality’ and ‘stereotypes’ were commonly used by both women and men essayists. The ideas of gender equality and the need to tackle stereotypes appear to be widely acknowledged. This information is encouraging as UNESCO is strongly dedicated to the achievement of gender equality. Indeed, gender equality is a Sustainable Development Goal within the 2030 Agenda, paving the way for peace and prosperity for people now, and into the future.

Year 1 AC (After Coronavirus): Three months of essay contest under the microscope

A large number of children discussed the in�uence of ‘media’, and addressed misleading ‘rumors’. Children overwhelmingly agreed with the idea that not everything we �nd online is true. These results are promising since UNESCO is also committed to improving Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in a global e�ort to help individuals navigate through all the information we are exposed todaily.

Overall, children and youth imagined a new world with hope and ambition. They did not hesitate to call for structural changes regarding gender equality, but also climate change, science, education, and solidarity between every member of society. They described in the essays the new future in which they would like to live.

Being part of the e�ort surrounding our essay contest was a fruitful experience, as I had the opportunity to analyze documents and generate a word cloud. This activity was strongly didactic and experimental as it included categorizing data, �nding the adequate software, and designing a method. I am very grateful to the whole team responsible for the essay contest and deeply grateful to all participants. Your essays are full of hope and transmit the will to achieve signi�cant changes. More than ever, youth keeps sharing its light during these di�cult times!

Stay Ambitious and Creative! Stay Safe!

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