The COVID-19 situation is getting more and more worrying. People all over are a little worried to say the least and there seems to be some panic as far as the medical supplies to combat the rising cases is concerned. As a result, lockdown like restrictions have been enforced all across the country. That sense of uncertainty reminiscent of this time last year is back. Of course, there is a lot to be hopeful about this year as compared to 2020 owing to the vaccines available to combat this virus. As for me, I consider myself very privileged to be in the armed forces and in a kind of bio bubble if you will, staying in a cantonment wherever I am. Even here in Chennai, I’m lucky to be in a military station and have the liberty to at least do the simple things like go for a walk or run and move around a bit. For me this pandemic has made me just focus on the little things that we tend to ignore. Like taking a walk, going for a run, reading, watching a movie, or even catching up with friends and family. And I think for those living the city life this pandemic can be a real boon in terms of re-evaluating what’s important in their lives going forward. Because as hard as times are right now, I feel that sooner rather than later, the pandemic will end, and if we haven’t learnt anything in these last two years then we haven’t grown and have just wasted this time we have been given. So, what can people in the cities do to make this lockdown worthwhile?

How about we first look at how life typically was for most working folk before the pandemic? So most city folk would work 10-12 hours a day from Monday to Friday and then have the weekend off. The younger and single crowd would flock to pubs and discotheques and drink the night away. Others who were in a committed relationship or newly married would do something more intimate like a romantic dinner, or catch a movie or even Netflix and chill. Then there are the more seasoned married couples with kids who would plan their weekends to spend time with their kids, like a picnic or a weekend getaway. Some couples would also leave the kids with the grand parents and go away for the weekend to rekindle some romance and take a much-needed break from the sometimes impossible job of parenting. Because I can imagine that people can sometimes lose themselves in the roles they play, especially in a marriage and with kids. Of course, even single folk would go away for the weekend may be to a relaxing beach or a trek or even a vineyard. All that’s not possible for the moment. So what can we do? Well how about instead of dining out we cook for our spouses and have a romantic dinner at home? And for the singles too, this could be an opportunity to learn how to cook and enjoy a nice meal while binging on some Netflix. Couples can take dance lessons together at home watching you tube videos. There’s nothing like dancing to create intimacy! For those who want something less intimate you could take up reading, may be start blogging or may be any hobby that you always wanted to but never had the time. For those who have kids I can imagine what a challenge it is keeping kids locked up at home, though I would imagine with today’s mobile obsessed kids, it shouldn’t be that hard. When I was growing up, I spent most of my time outside playing cricket or some other sport. I only came home for lunch and dinner and then crashed out of fatigue! Kids today have other interests. But even for them, sitting at home all day everyday is tough. So may be parents and kids can do some activities at home together. Boardgames can be fun too! I remember playing carrom, chess, cards or monopoly with family as a kid. We would start after lunch on Sundays and before we knew it, it was almost dinner time! There were other times where me and my brother would be engrossed in either our Lego sets or Mechano sets, oblivious to everything.  

There are many such things we can do. And while we do these things, we should remember that by doing these things we are not just passing our time but more importantly, re-inventing and re-booting ourselves. The aim is to also try and become more self aware because awareness brings change, and as far as how we treat this planet is concerned, we definitely need to change our attitude to minimize more such pandemics in future. Because as history has shown us, eventually nature will wipe out any species that is more harmful than useful for the planet. I know a lot of us think we are God’s own but guess what, nature doesn’t give a rat’s ass! So, if we are honest with ourselves, despite the good we have done for human civilization and ourselves, we haven’t done anything useful for the planet…. Have we?

The corona virus sure has brought everything to a standstill. There are no cars on the road, people
are locked up at home, no peak traffic hours, in a nutshell, no movement. As for me, I’m in the desert, having completed a two- month training exercise, halted here till I get my orders to move back to base. But hey I’m not complaining. I’m quite happy being still and spending time with myself.
Like today I went cycling in the evening. I put on my head phones, opened my playlist on youtube
music, and started peddling. The first song that played was ‘Beautiful Day’ by U2. I start cycling through the up and down road with sand dunes on both sides. There is not a soul in sight except for the odd dog who looks curiously at my wheeled beast but decides after seeing me smiling at him
that I’m trustworthy. He continues his all -important job of laying in the sand which is a shimmering gold with the sunlight reflecting off it. I’m now completely in rhythm with my feet peddling in a continuous smooth motion, in sync with Bono whose beautiful day makes me look around and realize that it is indeed a beautiful day or evening rather. I look at the horizon to see the setting sun
in all it’s majesty, turning everything around it to gold. Nothing like a sunset or for that matter a
sunrise in the desert, I think to myself. Just then I’m drawn to the tinkling sounds of the bells placed
on the necks of a herd of sheep and goat that are crossing the road, returning from their grazing
ground. They are full of energy, running helter skelter across the road totally unaware of corona or any other human crap. They are one with their surroundings, and in that moment, so am I. I think to myself, this is life, not the chaotic crap the world has created. Corona is just what the world needs to get back to living. We need to stop and think, and tweak our way of living a little. I don’t mean we give up everything. I for one love a lot of things about the urban life but the problem is that we have gone to an extreme. And since we did not restore the balance, nature is doing it for us. Switch to electric cars, use public transport, cycle a little, walk a little, may be work from home. These are just some of the changes we can make. Trump says ‘lets make America great again’ where as I say lets
make the world beautiful again.
As I ponder over these thoughts I suddenly realize that the sun has almost set and its time to head
back. By now Bono has gone from a Beautiful Day to ‘with or without you, where the streets have no name and I still haven’t found what I’m looking for’, followed by some usual love songs that the Zack Efron in me loves. As I’m peddling back, my eyes wandering every now and then at the horizon admiring the orange and crimson colors of dusk, I can’t help but think that it is the human race that’s needs saving because nature, as it has always done, will prevail.

I’m starting this blog to firstly pursue my love for written expression but more importantly to connect with people, and in turn connect with life. Speaking of connection, how many of us can say that we are truly connected with life? Most of us are just aimlessly wandering through life as mindlessly as a mechanical component in a manufacturing assembly line. We have ambitions but no purpose, we are informed but not mindful, we have lifestyle but we don’t live.

So I went to the Tis Hazari family court for a hearing. A friend of mine had some legal work. Since i’m currently on vacation I just tagged along. I expected it to be a drab experience knowing our legal system, which it was for most parts, but there were some things that made me think about how pathetic human existence has become.

We arrived at around 9.30 am and were waiting for my friend’s name to be called out. It would take a while so we went to one of the shops within the court premises to grab something cool to drink. Being a dog lover( and generally all animals), I spotted the few strays lying lifeless in the few corners that had some shade. One dog in particular was drooling a bit. My friend got a cold drink for himself while I chose water. I had a few sips of water and then realized that may be that dog who was drooling may really need some water. So like any normal human being I arranged for a use and throw bowl from the neighboring shopkeeper, poured water in it and kept it in front of the dog. She started drinking the water immediately. I could see how badly she needed it. She ended up drinking my entire bottle which was fine cos the few sips I had taken initially were enough for me. Obviously she needed it more than I did.

While it was an overwhelming feeling of joy to have helped another living being it also made me wonder why on earth is this not the norm. Shouldn’t all of us be doing this naturally? I mean there were hundreds of people passing by that dog but no one even acknowledged her let alone notice that she needed water. It made me think of something my counselor always says to me. She says its very important to be mindful of everything around you. While its one thing to be mindful in terms of observing everything happening around us, its totally another thing to be mindful in our actions. I was beginning to realize the importance of what she said. I mean how many of us can say that we are truly mindful. Most of us are so consumed with our sense of entitlement that we don’t think beyond ourselves. We are busy chasing our dreams of making more money, buying that great house, going out with that hot chick that everyone wants to go out with, and of course taking selfies and mindlessly projecting ourselves through the loudspeaker of social media. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do things that we enjoy but is that all we want to do our whole lives? Isn’t there something more to us than just material things? People are always saying that they need to find a purpose and are reading so much material on the meaning of life, going through therapy and doing everything possible so that they get rid of this “emptiness” they feel all the time but to no avail. The reason is simple, we are not mindful. Its all very well to overload yourself with information on spirituality and the meaning of life but you must remember that it is just one person’s experience and perspective on life. Until you learn from experience and then be mindful in thought and action, the rest is just mute!

So after feeding the dog we went back into the court room to wait our turn. About an hour later my friend went in for his hearing while I waited outside. To kill time I just started observing the countless people present there. No one there looked happy, and what’s worse, I don’t think anybody even recognized that they were unhappy. It was like watching a herd full of zombies passing through those corridors. Then there was the occasional mud slinging match by estranged couples seeking a divorce. What is the point of hurling abuses at each other I thought? I mean if you are already in a court room isn’t it clear that the relationship is over? And I don’t get why people cling on to a dead relationship? But then when I think about it, I realise that this is a problem with all of us. Our idea of relationships is so skewed. Our insecurities have taught us to possess! We differentiate between “our people” and others, we love our kids but wont even acknowledge the helpless kid begging on the street, we want another person to be happy, but only with us! And I thought love meant letting the other person just be! Silly me!

We finished the hearing and I came home. But I knew I had to pen down these thoughts, if not for anyone else, for my own growth in this journey of understanding life. I think that just like any scientific theory which seems so complex to those who don’t understand it, life is very similar. For the one who gets it, its very simple! Be mindful and you will soon learn a lot of new things about everything you experience and you wont be just a component in an assembly line!

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton