In the times of C........

 31st of December I danced into 2020 with all my heart since my son was here and his being here is a yearly event. The four of us - the breadwinner, the keeper, the princess and the prince (fancy names for husband, wife, daughter and son) are together once towards the fag end of the year. So off to the club we went in our glittery best. For some reason majority of us prefer to wear glittery westerns for the event. I did not fit into any so stepped into an Indian suit. Felt grumpy to be out of uniform but what the hell the positive was the company of family and friends.
We welcomed 2020 till our feet ached and our livers soaked up all that they could hold. The morning of 1st jan 2020 was like any other. But then slowly and steadily by mid January it all came trickling in. At first the news was distant and ineffectual. But then the deluge of cases and the scope of the pandemic unravelled itself. What a horrendous experience it was and still is. History taught us lessons on the plague and ebola but that was meant to be a lesson. Just a lesson. Who would have thought that it would become a reality in the nuclear and nano technology times. Guess a microbe can also F*up the best laid plans.
I want to extricate myself from the wreckage of human misery and look towards the sun. I want to disentangle the mind from statistics and numbers. There has to be more to humans and humanity than wallow in the pain of others. I want to laugh and be positive and try to be safe by following the guidelines like a good kid. And if even then the bloody little mite manages to get me so be it!

Instrument of imagination

     
Pen is mightier than the sword they say
A sword cuts but a pen goes deeper
One opens the flesh, the other goes all the way
to the soul, a hold steadfast and proper.

The sword wielding hand fights
The pen snuggles cozily in a grip
One draws blood with all its might
The other races on a wordy trip.

A writer wields the inky instrument
With aplomb and smouldering power
Bursting with energy half spent
Making characters, lives, stories flower.

A twist in the tale
An unexpected swing of imagination
Turns the open hand of fate
Creation, destruction, re- creation.

Creator of an alternate universe
The master of its destiny
His process of prose and verse
A potent legacy for eternity!

Distances

After a very long time .... well for the first time in my lifetime....I have come across a leader whom I want to listen to. He has fair amount of critics who draw out swords even if he so much as sighs but I feel despite the missteps there is a fair amount of work which is constructive and productive. His ideas are clear and inspirational. They are rooted in the basics. So I like lending him my ear!
In today's interaction he spoke about 'emotional distance' and 'social distance' in the context of the current pandemic which has brought the world to its knees. But I feel its relevance is permanent. In the fast paced life of about three months back we were so focussed on our personal agendas that emotionally the distances had grown. Empathy was somehow buried deep under the burden of our personal ambition and the race to reach somewhere fast.
Even if we maintain a social distance as a precautionary measure today we must not loose our emotional connect. Understanding the other whether they are within your close knit circle or outside is so important. We are so quick to judge, label and condemn. This pulls us further apart - away from our family, our neighbours, our friends and our environment. Its time to decrease this distance and add value to the world and its inhabitants.

You are unique

Every child is unique. That is what is taught in schools and doled out to the parents. We try to inculcate the quality of uniqueness in our kids from the toddler stage itself. And teachers are motivated to address this quality in each child and handle every child differently. But as we grow, as our treasure trove of experiences fills up we somehow loose this uniqueness. We try to fit in, become part of the whole. Being unique is not always acceptable. If you look around you will find ample examples of same types. All want to fit into a certain mould because there is less risk involved. All female celebrities look alike (well almost), all men look alike (bearded and buffed up).
I am watching the Mrs Maisel series and was struck by how the protagonist is asked to be a certain way if she wanted to succeed. Her unique way of rendering impromptu stand up acts is not commended. Well I still have to watch the rest of the series to draw a conclusion but this prerequisite to submit to a system is what struck me most in the first few episodes.
If we tell our children that they are unique then they should be allowed to make this there strength. When they grow up it should not be expected of them to re write their scripts and conform to the preset standards.

Nature's calling!

It rained heavily here yesterday. The strangeness of the timing felt a bit odd (its end march not exactly monsoon yet) but the feeling was rejuvenating. Amidst all the despair enveloping the world today the showers came with a heart warming music of their own.
Morning was no different. Droplets of last night's rain hung precariously from the foliage, rested contentedly in the dried leaves carpeting my garden floor, hugged the tree trunks which turned a bit darker drenched with the rain. The air felt crisp and fresh. It filled my lungs with minty freshness as I took a deep breath.
Our house, the government accommodation we stay in currently is located next to a very busy road. On any given day traffic is thick and the noise grating from the engines and the horns. But today its relatively quiet due to the lockdown. Amidst all that silence the birds suddenly sound a bit raucous. The beautiful chirping on a regular day seems very poetic now. All of them flock together in the garden hunting for food and occasionally get into duels too. The langurs who are permanent residents of the cantonment hoot from their perches. Earlier their calls went unnoticed but now I could hear them distinctly. They don't sound too good.
The forced isolation and retreat of man from the lap of nature has somehow made it clear that there are others too who inhabit this world with us. Its not always about us and for us. The pure calls of nature are so visible now. And trust me when I say that just being a silent observer of the goings on is a very enthusing experience. 

The learning

Every major incident is expected to leave behind a sea of change, a whole new perspective on the world. But I still am sceptical about this belief system which many people swear by. Many events have taken place in my life and many I have witnessed wherein the resultant change has not been evident. Change doesn't happen due to external factors. Yes for a certain period of time it might jolt you, make you careful of your actions but in the long run it doesn't add up to much. Change I feel is a very internal phenomenon. something shifts inside, something transforms in the deep recesses of the heart and mind. The current world scenario has thrown humankind into a huge turmoil and many are expecting that it will see a transformed world on the other side. But I have my doubts. What we hear from our leaders who will shape policies and lead once again is not very encouraging. The world has come together as one to face the crisis but it will go back to its pre-corona phase once things are normalised. Indiscriminate development at any cost would again make us contestants in a race. 

It would be heartening to see a new world order emerge which is based on a balanced approach to the future of humankind. Where nations and people come together to pull us back from the brink. Even if the majority is convinced of the futility of mutual competition the world will see better days. This does sound a bit idealistic but can be achieved if we concentrate on the simple fact that life needs very less to be beautiful. 

Stay at home.

I am a stay at home mom most of the times. Sometimes I pick up jobs out side of my home so then I become a career woman. Staying at home has mostly been a regular affair ensuring the smooth functioning of the household. Though its just as challenging and demanding as any other job. The only plus being that its flexible and timings can be adjusted a bit. Now when the world is caught in the throes of a global pandemic which is claiming lives randomly and indiscriminately stay at home has got a new definition. I don't get the paranoia accompanying this stay at home requirement. There are people posting guidelines to help you through this phase. People are going all crazy just at the thought of being at home. What's the big deal! Its your home. You made it to shelter you from the vagaries of nature and give you a sense of security so now its doing just that.

You can still hold conversations with the people who matter. You can see them too through video calling. Only physical contact is missing. So many are still pursuing their careers from home and getting paid for it too. I think we had become too much of a consumerist society. Going out, eating out, hanging out, chilling out everything was out. Now moving in has put us at unease. Cheer up guys its not all that bad. Problem is for those who don't have a home. Problem is for those who don't have the security blanket of surplus resources to help them during these times. Problem is for those who don't have anyone to give them company. For the rest who have a home and a family its just a matter of shifting life within the four walls. Nothing lasts forever. So this too shall pass. The world will once more be abuzz with human activity. But this time hope the humans would have learned their lesson and be more empathetic of their environment. The Governments' mindset I doubt would change (what with North Korea and Pakistan still testing missiles) but the common man on the streets would have changed. Thats my wish and prayer. Masses can do what the political class might not be willing to do. After all mostly its the human on the street who is affected the most!