Good News: Five heartwarming stories to cheer the mood amid COVID-19 crisis

With the world fighting a pandemic that has claimed thousands of lives over the past few months and with reports of deaths and rise in cases, people are surely looking for some positive news to consume. Google trends revealed that ‘good news’ searches are at an all-time high. Since January 2020, the search rate for ‘good news’ started exponentially rising and is currently at its peak. Therefore, in the wake of what internet users are calling 'dark times', here are five best stories to lighten up the mood.

Human carrom

Recently, a video went viral on social media where a group of men can be seen playing carrom. However, the interesting part is that the men decided to ditch the regular carrom board and chose to play on a life-size structure instead, with five people acting as coins and a striker for two active players on either side. In the video, one can see a structure drawn on the floor using chalks, which has all the key features of a real carrom board, including four scoring pockets and a centre for placing coins.

READ: Friends Play Carrom With A Twist, Turn Into Coins And Striker To Beat Lockdown Blues

Black panther reminds netizens of ‘Bagheera'

A picture of a black panther, a unique black leopard species, sighted at a sanctuary in Goa has reminded the internet of ‘Bagheera’ from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. Walking majestically in the wild in a shiny melanised coat the predator was recorded in the camera at Patiem Beat of Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, South Goa. The picture, that now has over 2.7k likes was shared by CM Pramod Sawant on his official Twitter handle. 

READ: Goa: Black Panther Spotted In A Sanctuary Reminds Netizens Of 'Bagheera' From Jungle Book

106-year-old becomes oldest survivor in India

Recoveries, especially those of the elderly, have been a source of inspiration to many fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Adding to the list of people who have overcome the infection is the 106-year-old Mukhtar Ahmed, a resident of Nawabganj, Delhi who has become the oldest to recover in the nation. According to reports, the elderly were admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital on April 14 after contracting the infection from his son. However, after successfully battling the COVID-19 infection, he returned home on May 1.

READ: Good News: 106-year-old Becomes Oldest Survivor Of Coronavirus In India

65-year-old man on life support for 62 days recovers

A 65-year-old, who had been on life support for 62 days and needed a double lung transplant, has reportedly been recovered from coronavirus. According to an international media outlet, the doctors in Wuhan, China managed to successfully treat the COVID-19 patient, Cui Zhiqiang whose condition was so serious that he needed a double lung transplant. After being on life support for nearly 62 days, Cui has now become China’s longest surviving patient to be supported by an artificial lung machine. 

READ: Good News: 65-year-old Man On Life Support For 62 Days Recovers From COVID-19

Banksy salutes healthcare workers

In his last artwork, Banksy confessed to working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic, giving his admirers a rare sneak peek into his private space. The one-metre square canvas artwork titled Game Changer was sent to an NHS Foundation Trust Hospital in Southampton and went on display for staff and patients as it was unveiled on Banksy's Instagram on Wednesday, May 6. The monochromatic piece pays tribute to thousands of frontline healthcare workers worldwide and will be auctioned to raise money for charity later in the year, as per international media reports. The artwork has been valued over $6.1 million by an art curation website. 

READ: Banksy Salutes Superhero Healthcare Workers With An Earnest Gift To Southampton Hospital