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10 weeks, 70 days, 1,000 different voices

26 June 2020

Last update:20 April 2023

More than 1000 young Indians have penned their insightful thoughts around consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic as students across the world still struggle to learn from home .

From 9 April 2020 onwards, UNESCO and have organized a rolling essay contest titled ‘Year 1 AC (After Coronavirus): Pan India Online Essay Contest 2020’. Children (aged 11–14 years) and youth (aged 15–24 years) were invited to unleash the power of words to combat isolation and stimulate creativity. After 10 weeks, more than 1000 submissions from across 30 states in India were received. Hundreds of schools and universities showed their support and promoted this contest nationwide.

UNESCO New Delhi and Takhte would like to thank all the participants and encourage the others to express their opinions as soon as possible, since the last date for submissions is 3 July 2020. For appplication guidelines,

Notably, young women contributed 70% of the total submissions received under the Youth category - voicing their opinions and concerns about life post COVID-19, especially on gender roles, stereotypes, solidarity, environmental issues, fake information, science and technology.

The frequent use of pronouns such as “we” or “us”, demonstrates that they are experiencing these difficult times as a community. While children frequently used “I” or “my”, indicating that they related the topic to personal experience, with a reflection based on their current situation.

In the youth category, the most common topic discussed was gender and stereotypes. Young adults mostly wrote about the repartition of chores while always keeping in mind the pandemic. Words such as "equality" and "stereotypes" were frequently used by both male and female participants. The ideas of gender equality and the need to tackle stereotypes appear to be widely acknowledged.

Meanwhile, children wrote about the overwhelming influence of “media”, and target misleading “rumors”. Many of them also perceived this contest as an opportunity to denounce popular but erroneous beliefs related to the pandemic.

Overall, the contest has captured the youth’s desire to express their thoughts during this period, visualizing the future they would like to build after the coronavirus fades away.

Following a thorough screening process, 80 winning essays have been showcased through the UNESCO website and social media channels. Each essay has something new and important to say.

Here is what some of our young writers had to say:

I have realized the pain of household chores that all mothers undergo at home. They never share their sorrows and always take care of us with a smile. I come to realize that every day should be celebrated as mother’s day for their love and care for us.

B Deepak Balaji, 13 yrs (Karnataka)

Based on the level of solidarity being expressed currently, by governments and by peoples of different nationalities and faiths, it seems probable that most of humanity has learned a lesson in the importance of empathy and the strength that lies in solidarity.

Divya Gautam, 23 yrs. (Jharkhand)

Coronavirus has brought about changes in our fundamental and distinct nature as social beings. Physical distancing has made us suspicious of our neighbours and friends. We must not let a virus destroy these social bonds, which enabled humankind to march mightily into the Anthropocene era. The youth of today is the maker of tomorrow, equipped with the knowledge of yesterday.

Naomi DasharathSathsatam, 22 yrs. (Maharashtra)

The lockdown and COVID-19 at large could be an opportunity to introduce gender equality at home, beginning with the equal contribution of both men and women in household work as well as childcare. I believe that this will not only help in transforming people’s mentality world over but also in finally shattering age-old norms about gender stereotypes prevalent for centuries that regard women solely as being in-charge of looking after the home.

Rucha R Patel, 16 yrs. (Gujarat)

The lockdown has shown me how accessible education is, and even though we are not physically together, we are still connected through means of technology. The virus might never go away, so we will have to learn to live with it and remember that education will always continue!

Karan Jain, 12 yrs. (Haryana)

This pandemic offers us a second chance, a time to undo our selfish mistakes to rethink our priorities as a society and to ensure that whatever research we do, it is for the greater good of humankind. Together we can cultivate a healthy attitude to science and research that benefits everyone.

Jairah Anna Jomilal, 19 yrs. (Maharashtra)

We have learned how to adapt to a situation no one thought would occur, and we are learning how to fight against an unknown, unfamiliar, and invisible enemy. We all are readying ourselves for when the pandemic dies down when we will discover the broken pieces of our past lives and must find the will and courage to put it back together with the bare necessities. There is a new world coming, and we are learning how to survive in it.

Eva Agarwal, 14 yrs. (Delhi)

COVID- 19 pandemic has taught us the importance of nature through a forced lockdown and showed us the true marvels of nature without human intervention. Deforestation has been a significant threat to our environment and India, especially which claims to have vast stretches of greeneries at the earliest of human evolution.

Sushmita K, 16 yrs. (Tamil Nadu)

Keep writing and sharing your thoughts on how to build a better future for all! Stay safe!