In 2021, words are all we have
The MAN|January 01, 2021
From New Normal to Workcation, pandemic catchphrases have followed us into the present year
Bijoy Venugopal
In 2021, words are all we have

LAST YEAR this time we were looking ahead, making to-do lists. This year we’re listless, and staring vacantly at the elusive promise of a post-vaxxed future. While we’re at it, fiddling with our N95 masks and having nightmares of being married in PPE suits, our millennium has unceremoniously turned 21. Collectively, we are at an age when wisdom is expected to dawn upon us and settle embarrassingly on our shoulders like dandruff.

Those among us who have survived the pandemic look on with disbelief as the century hobbles into its third decade. We invent ways to wish away the negativity as we make sense of earthly time, confused about which truths to believe. Along with app-ordered meals, we diet on disinformation dispensed industriously by the dangerous minds that occupy the dens of political power. The darkness outside has seeped inside of us. The recession is real. The depression is deep. The exploitation is thorough. And the pandemic, which we have now learned to live with, has infected our vocabulary with phrases that aren’t going out of circulation in a hurry. Here are a few that we will be babbling all the way through 2021.

This story is from the January 01, 2021 edition of The MAN.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 01, 2021 edition of The MAN.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE MANView All
The 2023 Bucket List
The MAN

The 2023 Bucket List

Before the world as we know it changes forever, here's a partial list of experiences to try in the year ahead

time-read
3 mins  |
January 01,2023
Do You Have The Time To Read Your Watch?
The MAN

Do You Have The Time To Read Your Watch?

Audemars Piguet Starwheel Code 11.59 is the latest among watches with unusual layouts

time-read
3 mins  |
January 01,2023
THEY CAME THEY RODE, THEY CONQUERED
The MAN

THEY CAME THEY RODE, THEY CONQUERED

FOUR WOMEN BIKERS TRAVERSING THE UNTOUCHED TERRAIN OF EASTERN ARUNACHAL ON THEIR DUCATI MULTISTRADA BIKES. THE 'EXPLORE BEYOND' BIKING EXPEDITION WAS AN INITIATIVE OF ARUNACHAL TOURISM TO SHOWCASE THE STATE AS A SAFE DESTINATION FOR SOLO WOMEN TRAVELLERS. THE RIDE WAS FLAGGED OFF BY CM PEMA KHANDU FROM THE BANKS OF THE SIANG AT PASIGHAT AND WOUND UP AT THE ORANGE FESTIVAL OF ADVENTURE & MUSIC, DAMBUK, WHERE THE BIKERS LET THEIR HAIR DOWN AND PARTIED LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW. YUP, GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN, AND IN ARUNACHAL THEY CAN - SAFELY

time-read
4 mins  |
January 01,2023
ΤΗΕ RIGHT ΤΙΜΕ
The MAN

ΤΗΕ RIGHT ΤΙΜΕ

AS CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY BECOME BURNING ISSUES, WATCH BRANDS TOO ARE DOING THEIR BIT TO SUPPORT CAUSES, BOTH THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL THE TIMEPIECES THEY ARE CREATING AND THE INITIATIVES THEY ARE UNDERTAKING

time-read
4 mins  |
January 01,2023
THE GOLDENPASS EXPRESS
The MAN

THE GOLDENPASS EXPRESS

A LUXURY SWISS WINTER ESCAPE ROUTE

time-read
5 mins  |
January 01,2023
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
The MAN

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

WITH BOUTIQUE LODGES AND ΝΟ CROWDS, THE MORE EXCLUSIVE TEHLA ZONE OF SARISKA NATIONAL PARK IS EMERGING AS THE DESTINATION OF CHOICE FOR WILDLIFE ENTHUSIASTS

time-read
6 mins  |
January 01,2023
LAMBORGHINI HURACAN EVO SPYDER TOP-DOWN ADRENALINE MACHINE
The MAN

LAMBORGHINI HURACAN EVO SPYDER TOP-DOWN ADRENALINE MACHINE

A machine sculpted to perfection, the Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder is a sensational car in every sense. It is fast, it's beautiful, and it is just special

time-read
4 mins  |
January 01,2023
CARS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2023
The MAN

CARS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2023

WITH THE devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the acute supply chain disruptions caused by it beginning to ease, the automotive industry is rapidly accelerating out of the deep crisis it found itself two years ago.

time-read
5 mins  |
January 01,2023
DATING A SINGLE MOM
The MAN

DATING A SINGLE MOM

IT’S A COOL Friday evening. She is sitting with a cup of hot chocolate and unwinding with her phone. Her dating app has 10 unread messages. She hopes that at least one match will lead to a conversation and a date that weekend.

time-read
5 mins  |
January 01,2023
YOUR SHIP HAS COME IN
The MAN

YOUR SHIP HAS COME IN

Go-karting, the world’s first freefall dry slide on sea, musical shows, spa, artwork... this new ship has raised the bar on many levels!

time-read
2 mins  |
January 01,2023