Last year 22nd March [Sunday] was a full lockdown and then from 24th onwards we had the partial lockdown…
We learned to step out of our homes only for ‘absolute essentials’, we learned that we need to ‘wear a mask’, we learned we had to ‘social distance'[maintain a distance, stand afar from another person, no hugging, no touching], we learned ‘we couldn’t travel as a group anywhere, heck we ‘couldn’t travel’ anywhere.. so life as we knew came to an end and we had to find new ways to keep our sanity intact and keep going.
The mind
The initial days of lockdown were crazy. People were worried, the sense of uncertainty loomed large and they were unsure of the availability of supplies and essentials. Some, infact few in my own family began hoarding [rolls eyes], even though I kept saying essentials will be available. Others took to online shopping like fish to water and got hooked on it. For many, it was life as they knew it, without too many disruptions, while for others it was as if their entire world was shaken up, they were unsure of what to do and their head was all over the place.
They began following tips and information that came via Whatsapp – drinking water with turmeric, popping pills, steam before hitting the bed, and whatnot. It was crazy~ And then there was the obsession with washing hands and applying sanitizer.
It was easy and it was difficult.
Easy because life seems much more peaceful people who used to travel long distances to get to their workplaces did not have to worry about leaving home on time or catching the bus or the train of figuring out other options and alternatives. Difficult cos for some they felt cooped up and suffocated, esp those dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues.. :/
Freelancers/ consultants like me anyway spent a lot of time at home and we stepped out only for meetings or to catch up with friends and so it was pretty much business as usual but that said I did miss going out for leisure – going for movies, go to a Bookstore and browse for hours, sit in a cafe and just chill by myself or go out and dine on my own and of course travel came to a complete halt.
Considering my life mantra is to take each day as it comes my mind was at peace. I did not wake up palpitating or anxious wondering when my next trip is gonna be or the next visit to the mall would be. Since I’m not into shopping, the online platforms had movies and TV shows, you could shop from the comfort of your home ( essentials, books, other stuff) life was pretty good all things considered.
But that was not the case for many even though they spent a lot of time at home this sudden/forced being cooped up at home was getting to them – it was literally like they were trying to break the shackles and go out every given opportunity.
Even though I have doctor friends who kept sharing stories and their experiences, I don’t think any of us can imagine or grasp even one percent of what they actually going through. I keep hearing people very flippantly comment ‘oh it’s just their job and they are probably used to it”, I just roll my eyes and leave the space or just stay silent..And there is the sect of people who seem to think the virus is going to spread only through hired house help/ people from the lower strata of the society.
I want to smash their head against the wall so hard that their brains spell out. Do they even think? do they know that viruses don’t care? or are they so caught up in the entire privileged- upper-caste whatever hellhole that they stop being rational???
Masking up
Wearing glasses and wearing a mask when stepping out has been quite painful, I mean not literally but the fact that I would be sweating buckets or my glasses would fog up instantly and I would have to constantly remove and wipe them that was the only inconvenience I face to date and the solution I found it is wearing contact lenses. It was terrible when I was in Madurai, inside the temple.. I was having a meltdown, literally. But when I looked around at the temple staff, priests, storekeepers, and others wearing masks and not palpitating, I stopped cribbing.
Similarly, think of the labor class, think of the house help, think of vendors, think of shopkeepers, think of all those who are involved in the essential services, and above all think of the Frontline workers at hospitals/ eldercare centers – I just cannot imagine what they are going through, what it’s been like for them now.
Sometime last year I actually picked up an entire box of masks and handed them out to anybody in everybody who I spotted without one, but I’m done. I have stopped doing that. in fact, I have even stopped telling people to wear a mask because it is just tiring. I wear a mask when am out of the house and maintain distance as much as possible wherever I go. Whenever others ask me why am wearing a mask, I simply tell them I don’t want to spread whatever virus I might be carrying.. This shuts them up and they walk away happy.
Last year there was an event in Delhi that caused an entire community cluster spread, this year again last month saw the Kumbh Mela happening which has led to an increase in cases. And then there are weddings, people travelling to Goa and Maldives causing an uproar with no regard for fellow humans. I wonder why people want to travel, be it for weddings or leisure, for all they bring back is an unwanted return gift – in the form of a virus… Why why why don’t people understand the seriousness of the situation, why do they not think of others forget your own health forget the fact that you are putting yourself address you are spreading the virus to other unsuspecting souls.. uff..It is exhausting just trying to phantom the human race..
I give up.. I will leave you with this..
