The bright and the beautiful amidst COVID times - Story #22

So we end the series 'The bright and the beautiful amidst COVID times' with a post from the sole male contributor, that should leave you all mouth watering; and proving that 'For a man, stomach rules (always)!'  

The last paragraph is lost on me though😋 .

Will be back soon on a different theme! Hang on there ! 

Upon request from my better and brighter half, here goes!

To begin, I cannot express my bright moments these days without confessing to a sense of unspeakable shame and some responsibility for the plight of those who had to pack up within 4 hours reach their homes far far away. Many died. I hope it never happens again in my country.

On that flaky foundation of a lock down I did get showered with many pleasant turns quite unexpectedly. Some material and some mental and one most important saved for the end 😊.

My parents who stay nearby, with their own daily routine, moved in with us for the lock down. That turned out to very salutary for my tongue as my mother took over the kitchen for meals. I get all my favourite dishes signed unmistakably by the smell and taste of her cooking. The combinations of food I loved as a kid – keerai and vatha kozhambhu, or murungakkai sambar and katrikai curry, and so on and my favorite pickle, thokku mangai made by her from handpicked farm mangoes of our neighbour!

That extended to music as well. I generally feed my ears with Hindi Bollywood and English pop-rock of my generation as staple songs. But I had grown up on Carnatic music, of which MS Subbulakshmi would constantly hum from our old Vinyl LP. With my parents around my ears were nursed again with her evergreens like Bhavayami Raghumam, Sri Rangapura Vihara, Kamakshi Suprabhatam, Kurai Onrum Illai and so on after a good 35 years. That joy which is experienced from listening to MS can only be experienced. Thank the lock down for that!

Almost all men have their Bala (the movie) moments, aka Balmukund Shukla, deriving pride from that lock of hair that parts ways so stylistically when you run your fingers through it. That is, if he still has it. I know of no man (or boy) who growing up, was not prouder of what was on his head than inside it. Alas, the ravages of time reverses that because he loses most of what on top even as he thinks he still has what is inside. Insidious as is the nature of evolution, what is on top does not completely go away, as patches stay as painful reminder of what once was. I always mow it down with meticulous regularity to erase any memory of my curly hair I so loved. Till the lock down happened and denied me my haircut. So now those patches have grown wild. Irritation initially gave way to helpless acceptance, but then as I once ran my finger through those patches (mostly at the back where the mirror will not show) I could feel my curls again! It took me back to my teenage days where I would run my fingers through the curl, uncurling it only to get the curl back. That oomph feeling about myself revived!

The best part of the lock down is of course financial. For me, given me, the most repelling part of my living is receiving that dreaded email that carries the credit card statement. If there is one place where our family has always exceeded expectations, it is in the expenses. We find new ways of spending even as we try to cope with existing ones. Never once has a credit card bill come to my satisfaction, where I open it, and have a smug smile on my face that says, “I gotcha”. But not this time. Ha ha ha. The lock down has also locked our expenses. I am today as eagerly waiting for my credit card bill as that boy who after the family lock down is waiting for his favourite ice cream. Nothing, absolutely nothing can come in the way of that joyful moment.

-Kimi 

The bright and the beautiful amidst COVID times - Story #21

The COVID times have made us all grateful for what we have and more importantly made us to ponder about people less privileged than us.  That thought counts. Read Aditi's thoughts on this. 

We take life easily when everything is running smooth. Planning is on for the vacation, bookings are done, servicing of the car is done and suddenly a virus emerges and everything comes to a standstill. It started with the Janta Curfew and two days later it was announced “lock down” with no movement  of people from one place to another; Offices closed, shops closed, roads blocked.

We all were thinking how we will sustain these 21 days. Luckily my son was back home before this lock down was called, a relief really as it would have been impossible to travel once we were well and truly locked down.

This lock down has taught me and I am sure, many of us, to be calm, relaxed and most importantly to survive with minimal things. In the morning when I get up I know many things have to be done and without getting anxious everything is done smoothly. Definitely my culinary skills are at their peak watching online videos and getting different ideas and cooking for my family and enjoying lunch and supper together.

Among all these, my mind wonders how daily wage earners must be surviving? What are they going through? Are they getting at least two meals a day? We, as a country with huge population, how is it going to be after the lock down is called off ?

On the brighter side this lock down may have saved many lives, which the virus otherwise might have claimed.  I am hopeful we will emerge a much stronger nation.

- Aditi Ganguly

The bright and the beautiful amidst COVID times - Story #20

Many of us in our life time would have faced crisis in some form or the other! Most are sudden and one is forced to deal with it first hand.  And then there are some like COVID-19 which is creeping and creepy but rarely do we see a crisis as universal as this. As Meera Rajagopalan describes here, all seemed well and COVID was someone else's problem till it became yours and mine. While each of us have our unique battles to fight during these times, each of us also come to a state of acceptance and start looking at positive side of things. 

It is 10.30 PM on 3rd February 2020, and I have just booked my cab to take me to Kempegowda International Airport. My flight is at 2 AM to Austin. I reach the airport well ahead of time, complete the regular formalities and reach gate 22 - ready to board the flight. As I wait, I read about a dangerous virus spreading in China. I read that people are being asked to wear masks and that the U.S. has banned travelers from China. I breathe a sigh of relief that flights from India are allowed to fly to the States and that soon, I will see my husband and the kids.

Once inside the flight, I take my seat and make myself comfortable. My mind instantly wanders to my mental checklist- did I complete all the doctor visits for my parents? Have the electricity cheques been handed over to my dad? Have I bought my parents all their necessary medication? My mind rests momentarily knowing that every task has been completed, but it quickly wanders to my older daughter and I begin writing another checklist of to-dos for the upcoming wedding.

During my layover in Paris, I eat my favorite chocolate croissant and have a cup of coffee. When I arrive at my gate, I see a long queue of people wearing masks and a young lady approaches me. She asks me if I have traveled to China recently and simultaneously checks my passport. She goes on to check my temperature as well. I see the airport personal gather few Asian travelers to a corner and do more screening and for the first time in this journey, a sense of fear creeps up. I can feel my stomach churn and a million butterflies fluttering inside of me. I am reminded of my past experiences travelling in dangerous times. In 1991 when I travelled alone and pregnant during the Gulf war, in 2004 when I and my husband narrowly missed the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and in 2015 when we fled violent riots in Greece. Little did I know that this virus would turn into a pandemic with severe consequences for months to come!!!

My flight touches down on American soil and to my relief, the scene is not that bad. I arrive home extremely happy. The next two weeks pass by smoothly as my routine is packed with daily exercises, work, frequent visits to the University of Texas, Austin to see my second daughter, and calling my parents to hear them complain about their maid and cook.

Slowly but steadily the situation starts to change. The virus has become severe and people are dying. Colleges across the U.S. are closing, and children are asked to leave their dorms. The kids and parents are all in a state or panic with international flights also closing down. I receive multiple calls to check if I can host my daughter’s friends until things get better. I am now making plans to host 8 international kids in our humble 3-bedroom apartment. It is a herculean task helping the kids vacate their rooms. We have to make multiple trips to dump stuff in our garage and return to the university to vacate another room. A few of the kids manage to fly to India and Middle East by purchasing tickets at a premium and a few continue to stay with us. The next few weeks I am focused on cooking and feeding my new extended family. 

Things start worsening and the death rate increases. My work-related trips to California and New York also have to be cancelled. New York is a death city now. COVID is no longer a distant reality and has started affecting people near and dear - a colleague’s father and father-in-law have died in Italy, a friend’s brother in New Jersey and my older daughter's friends have tested positive and are battling high fevers. Fear starts engulfing me as I think about our family scattered across the globe, my parents all alone with little  help, and the planned wedding and how things will work out.

The stock markets start to tumble and some of the capitalistic employers start laying people off! When will the world realize that it needs to move away from pure capitalistic greed? It is sickening that large corporate giants who have no shame in making billions of dollars and hardly paying their share of taxes also have no hesitation in shedding their employees and seeking government bailouts at the first sign of trouble! What will the new world order look like once we recover from this?  Will we be entering a recession like 1990? What will the future be for our kids? How long will it take to get the economy back on track? When will international flights operate and when will I be able to go home? So many questions with no answers.

While my mind is wandering, the phone rings. It is our routine zoom conference call with the kids, my patents, husband and myself. My mother is no longer complaining about the maid and cook but talking highly of our Prime Minister and his actions to curtail COVID-19. Although this lock down has been a rough ride for many of us, it surely has taught me to slow down, relax and value the simple things in life even more. I am learning to enjoy every day as it comes - waking up late with no fixed schedule. The most challenging part of my day is deciding which movie or TV show to watch. This lock down has been an eye opening experience for me and I have realized how privileged I am compared to many in the world - I am so grateful.

I am a strong believer that nothing in life is permanent and this phase shall pass and we will soon hear the good news that a vaccine for COVID-19 is available . I remain optimistic everyday that we will emerge victorious and become stronger than ever before!

- Meera Rajagopalan

The bright and the beautiful amidst COVID times - Story #19

It is comforting to remember that Time moves on, Life comes full circle and this (COVID) too shall pass!  Shalini Vashishtha takes us on a time travel showing how things have 'not' changed that much ; and that we can rely on time to rescue us, though it is up to us to not get back to this situation! 

'In the Circle of Life’, croons Elton John in the animated film Lion king. Yes, from the 2D 1994 animation version, all the way to the Lion King 2019 3D version, it seems life has come a full circle. Here I am sitting next to my daughter in 2020, and once again watching the DD’s retelling of the epic Mahabharata which I watched—a long time back—when I was her age.

These days as we stay in, under the lock down, my mind races back to circa 1979, when I was all of six or seven. There was buzz about some Skylab about to fall from the sky! This was an enterprise of NASA, from the then distant Amreeka (USA). NASA had lost control of the Skylab Space Station and it was expected to fall down on earth, with the time and place unknown! That was an era when newspaper and radio were the only medium of mass communication. I vaguely remember our neighbours gathering in the evenings, endlessly chatting away the possibilities, discussing bizarre solutions albeit for the fun of it, like getting under a bed with a mattress on top. It was a time of uncertainty, speculation, and apprehensions.

Another such episode I can look back on, which led to seemingly unending days of closure was the Mandal Commission protests. It was like a fire, raging across the country. Yet again, all schools and colleges were closed. I remember, that year, my first-year university exams took a back seat. We just waited and waited for exams dates to be announced and that was reason we actually took almost 5 years to graduate, instead of the 4 years for a BE course. 

Another time, another era, was that of the indefinite curfew put in place after the Babri mosque demolition on the 6th of December, 1992. An uncertain time when the days were bleak, with rioting taking place across the country and causalities in the thousands. All educational institutes were closed and no one knew when this unfortunate scenario will come to an end. 

I think there is common thread which runs through all the above episodes; and that is that time does not stop for anyone. Life moves on and comes a full circle; we are yet again indoors with DD Mahabharata back on our TV screens from the era gone by. And as we wait for the lock down to lift up, let’s learn from the mistakes that have brought us here, and strive to make this world a much better and beautiful place.

The bright and the beautiful amidst COVID times - Story #18

Any other time, this poem by Chitra Govindraj would have been just a philosophical musing.  But during COVID times, it assumes a whole new meaning with humans suddenly and acutely aware of the fleeting nature of life.  Focused on escaping from Madam Corona(!), and taking it day by day! And deeply accepting that EVEN WE THE HUMANS are not invincible, as much as a mynah is not! 

Survival

This morning has been as usual
I went outside to this visual
Lotus was blooming and pink
Birds perched on the bird bath’s brink
A mynah bird comes everyday
Hopping around the grass paving it’s way
Looking for worms early in the day
It’s a sweet delight this sight
but just then a kite swooped down to give us a fright!
Her wings are very large and brown
She looks about her one can see her frown
That mynah bird she has her eyes on
Hops to the side, trying to hide, she’s under pressure
While this Kite smiles searching for her tasty treasure
One can say she looks like Garuda
But this one seems cunning like a barracuda!
She fails to see the myna and flies back to her tree
Don’t worry little bird I’ll get you tomorrow she thinks with glee!
The calm has now returned as I speak
Lo and behold! the myna  has a worm in its beak
She turns and flies away
I smile as she can now live another day

- Chitra Govindraj