What an Argument!

The Aftermath

So much has been shared on the social networking circuit about the Covid pandemic and its aftermath that one would feel that everything that could possibly be said or written has already been penned, and that too several times over. But, like everyone else I too would like to believe that my perspective is refreshingly different so here goes….

When I was a child I read a story. I haven’t the faintest clue  what it was all about but one line stands out clearly in my mind ‘it is a ill wind that blows no one any good’. And I do believe that although this gross tragedy with its disastrous fallout of lives lost and countries thrown into a tizzy,  is a nerve racking experience; at a very microscopic level ,it has its own share of a silver lining.

I have started waking to the chirping of birds, a sound that had been lost in the pandemonium of mechanical, fast- paced living. These little winged creatures are subtly asserting  their stake on the earth.

Like all metropolitizens, I have had my share of holiday getaways but nothing compared to the serene silence and long hours which are miraculously not time- bound. As a matter of fact, this long stretch of house arrest has given me a lot of time to contemplate and introspect. It is more like an unpaid module of the’ Art of Living’—something I  had wanted to subscribe to for a long time but never got down to actualizing.

The most beautiful thing that happened was perhaps that this social distancing paradoxically made people come out of their self-imposed isolation zones and connect with neighbours. In our colony, two young people offered their services to the elderly and the frail, available at all times  of the day. When I made my daily call to my parents, inquiring about their wellbeing, my mother happily informed me that the daughters of their newly acquired next- door neighbour looked in on them daily and the  gentleman who had been their neighbour for more than a couple of decades kept replenishing their store of vegetables and milk. Whoever said that  the 21^st century had lost out on humanity was barking up the wrong tree. Humanity was present all right, just waiting to be rediscovered. In the larger picture, people came out to voluntarily cook and provide meals to the poor and the deprived. Organizations donated generously to the cause and almost everyone pitched in, no matter how big or small the effort.

Then again, it has made me do a rethink on many counts. For one, my impression of the police Force had been shaped largely on the basis of what Bollywood presented it as and to some extent by the media accounts of corruption and extortion. Besides, my army background has coloured my vision to equating ‘ men in uniform’ with ‘men in olives’  However, the past few days have made me realize that the Indian Police Force deserves applause and appreciation not only for its selfless response to the call of duty but also for service beyond the call of duty. If such a gargantuan population has been restrained indoors, it’s thanks to our leadership and ‘the men in khaki.’ And so I sincerely salute these soldiers.

Another heartening observation was the behavioral change in people. Till recent times, our attitude in queues has  been deplorable. We get fidgety and restless, try to jump the line, glare at the person in front of us as though it is all his fault that the line is crawling at a snail’s pace and at airports or malls we need   stanchions to discipline us. Not any longer. When the authority sponsored vegetable lorry stops at the gate or at the milk booth, I see people waiting patiently, as though they had indefinite time on their hands, making no attempt to step on each other’s toes. On the contrary they do their best to maintain as much distance as possible and no one, repeat no one, ever tries to squeeze into the visibly luring voids. Wow!!

The situation has also played a role in making my erstwhile learning more relevant. The lessons I studied in my history classes were simply that. Classes. Information about events revisited academically and mechanically. But today, the scenes of partition, with chaotic, mass scale migration of people, have taken on a whole new meaning in the light of the real time images of a human sea trying desperately to cross borders. I realized it is not simply a migratory movement, it is a turmoil laced with a billion intricacies. Of lack of food and water. Of little toddlers who needed to be carried. Of pregnant women. Of abandonment. Of old and ailing elders. Of insecurity. And yet not half as terrifying as partition because it is thankfully devoid of the fear of being persecuted and brutalized.

The years of the great plague took on a whole new meaning as quarantine-stamped hands reminded me of houses, whose inhabitants had died of plague, being marked with a black cross. Frantic stalking up of rations and restricted availability was like a tiny window into the times of war.  Judicious use and minimum wastage have become the mantra in most homes, just as it must have been in the times of emergency and rationing.

And the fear of losing someone, near or distant has made me realize the importance of so many people in my life.  Every now and then I make a deliberate effort to connect with my extended family, friends and colleagues to esquire about their well-being. Believe me, it feels good! And by the way the circuit which deserves my concern is inclusive of my domestic help and her family as well. I never realized before how dependent I was on her! And on the guy who clears the trash bags every morning or the guard at the colony gate. Not to mention all the health workers. In my self-absorption, I honestly never realized that those nameless guys at the path labs were actually risking their own lives every time they took on a fresh assignment. And let’s not assuage ourselves with the flimsy platitude that they are paid for the work they do.

On the flip side, I have started experimenting and creating new recipes and when the pall lifts, I am sure I can come up with a recipe book of sorts which will give Tarla Dalal and Sanjeev Kapoor a run for their money; more so because my ingredients are neither exotic nor expensive. I could name my book ‘cooking from your kitchen shelf’.

I have just two niggling fears. One is that when the time comes for us to restart where we left, we will forget the lessons of this lock down and commit the same follies all over again. We will revert to the same reckless lifestyle. Once again, we will push the birds into obscurity.

The second  is that with the world heading for one disaster after the other at breakneck speed, this social distancing and work- from- home scenario could well become the norm rather than the exception. And I sincerely hope it will not because I am already missing the craziness of my workplace, I am missing the company of critical friends and I am sorely missing the freedom of stepping out of the house as and when I choose. This peaceful, sedentary existence is too insipid and unpalatable for a typical Indian like me who thrives on spice and risks.

So let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope that this too shall pass!!