Recent data from Bobble AI, an artificial intelligence company, has revealed that the use of emoticons has increased by a whopping 58 per cent on social media during the lockdown. They've been used to express feelings of joy, health concerns and also, the work from home situation many of us find ourselves in. Emojis are more than just a lethargic way of saying something; sometimes, they encapsulate all that one cannot possibly put into words. Today being World Emoji Day — an annual observation to celebrate emojis started by Jeremy Burge, the founder of Emojipedia, in 2014 — we invited four artists to create icons that reflect today's inexplicable times.

When Karuna is here to stay

It was only in March that Union minister Ramdas Athawale gave us a glimmer of hope with his Go Corona Go chant. Although it was subject to many EDM remixes later, the slogan was hardly prophetic. Graphic designer, illustrator and visualiser Tanya Eden channelled her frustration about it into an emoji. "It can't be karuna go anymore, because it isn't going anywhere," she says. So, the alternative she proposes, in light of the daily news of the COVID-19 cases rising, is to say, "Bahut ho gaya karuna karuna!"