Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Life in Lockdown - Day 7 of 21, March 31, 2020

Day 7. One-third of the period done - for the present. It's not as bad for me to sit at home - I've been sitting at home ever since I turned into a writer. I wonder about kids, youngsters who have so much energy and want to go out and meet friends.

For the first time today, Anjali asked - when can I meet my friends? Hmm, not for some time looks like. Her online classes have begun and she is quite happy virtually being with her pals. I guess the odd call and video call with her friends, cousins help.

Make You-Know-Who Less Significant
Finally, wisdom dawned on me and I decided that the you-know-who was getting too much attention in my life. So decided to not mention YKW anymore and instead focus on the lockdown experience. So the title is Life in lockdown from today!

D. Suresh's Heartening Message - 60,000 Food Packets distributed to migrants
After my yesterday's worry about the people walking 800 km to their homes, came a nice message from an old cricketing pal, top batsman, and now award-winning IAS Officer of the Haryana cadre, now Commissioner, Rohtak. He shared pictures of how an NGO Sathi Bhai Sai Seva Dal distributed 17,000 cooked packets. In the last three days (as on yesterday) he said 60,000 food packets were distributed to migrant workers with the aid and help of NGO organisations. Suresh was always extremely focussed and called a spade a spade, very generous, helpful and forgiving, and as an officer, highly efficient. To see them at the frontline in all this uncertainty makes one feel quite small - here we are worrying that YKW will creep in under the door! Good show Suresh.


Suresh - in the red shirt
Stickler for rules - Social distancing 
Checking out the food preparation
Anjali on a Roll
Anjali is on a roll. She offered to make breakfast and unveiled it in grand fashion - super stuff - egg noodles. Alos made chai. Then volunteered to run the washing machine. Has taken over jhaadu - pocha. Wow.

Calls 
I did a few calls this morning - Manik maushi, Jyo, Ashu,  Peddakka, Rambabu (birthday), AP, Sanjay - before heading out to do some weekly shopping. I realise that making calls can be quite tiring too.

Weekly Outing
The last time I went to the colony grocer there was a huge crowd and he did not have much stock of anything. Today he pretty much knocked off everything on the list. Bread, eggs, handwashes, Dettol, potatoes. Whoa. I was thrilled with the organised way they handled stuff.

And hey, I wore a mask for the first time today - a nice 3M one. It felt a bit odd initially but then I gradually forgot it was there. Let this be noted that March 31, 2020 was the day I wore a mask fro the first time. And it was a pretty nifty one too! I think I'll make that my do - hmm!

Then came some young fellows wearing masks. They all came as a crowd, had no concept of any distancing and pretty much shouldered their way in. Of course, everyone tried to tell them to step back etc but to no avail. Crazy.

The roads were slightly more relaxed - the medical shop was open, the chicken shop was open (funnily big crowd for mutton which is at 1200 bucks a kg). Ratnadeep had a queue of  some 15 people outside which meant waiting outside of at least 30-45 minutes or more. (Even there I could see from a distance everyone bunching up together.) But Ratnadeep sent a message saying they are well stocked which is good news after my last experience last week with stock-outs. Polimera at SR Nagar was shut at 11 am - maybe stocked out.

Meditation, Music and Washing
The four O clock meditation went on as usual. I am getting better at it. Now reading 'Being You' with that much more urgency - did some 40 pages today. Hopefully should be done with it tomorrow. Mohib called me from Kampala in the evening - was nice chatting with him.

After a lot of cleaning, washing dishes etc I settled down to some music in the evening. For an hour I played old hits - Mysterious Ways by U2, The Look by Roxette, Tarzan By by Baltimora, Lady by Kenny Rogers (need to do a full session dedicated to the Gambler soon), Run to You by Bryan Adams, Good Vibrations by Beach Boys, Zombie by Cranberries (heard that first in 1995), Imagine by John Lennon, Summer wine by Nancy Sinatra, If ever you're in my arms again by Peabo Bryson, Bachelor Boy by Cliff Richard, I'd die without you by PM Dawn - give or take a couple here and there. Was nice playing it loud on a quiet evening with no lights (the power had gone off). From 'Shee Ganesha' and 'Stotram' I seem to have moved a bit away from the fear.

Couple of calls in the evening and I am ready to watch a movie now. Today was Rambabu's birthday. Tomorrow is Dad's birth anniversary. I think I'll update my blog on him tomorrow.

A happy side effect of all this eating at home business - I seem to have lost a couple of kilos.

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