Day 17.
Wow. That's not too bad. 17 days in lockdown! Like I said, I could get used to this. There's not much from the outside that I seem to be needing - and I guess that's what everyone is finding out too. The online classes with the University students are providing me with enough social interaction.
Last night I watched a delightful romedy on Netflix 'Always be my Maybe' which was good fun. Today started with the usual, and then shifting into the preparation mode for the class today. Time flew and before I realised it was lunchtime and pretty soon after I had my class. Anjali helped me make a PPT so the students could see the screen while I explained it to them. Today we had an introduction to Marketing Management. It was close to two hours.
The meditation at 5 pm and then I read Bruce Lee's bio and made some serious progress with it. Very interesting indeed. Now into the final few years of his life.
Calls today were down to two - both incoming - one from Dr Sivaraju and one from Baig sir. The phone is almost becoming redundant. But with the amount of time I have made up because of cutting down calls (true social distancing) and even movies, I am surprised at how full my day is. No table tennis, no extra cleaning, just this stuff and my day is already into a lag. I hope I understand this.
I saw a news item today of a 50-year-old mother from Nizamabad who travelled 1400 km on her Scooty to bring back her son who was stranded in Nellore. She is a single mother, a teacher working in Nizamabad, with two children, a boy and a girl. Armed with a curfew pass issued by the Bodhan ACP, Razia Begum rode 1400 km to and fro, from Bodhan to Nellore and back, on her two wheeler over three days. She was helped by police along the way. Her son, who studies in Hyderabad, had gone to Nellore to help a friend's ailing father and got stuck down there. Amazing what mother's do for their children.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/single-mother-from-telangana-covers-1-400-kms-to-bring-her-son-back-home-amid-covid-19-lockdown-1665366-2020-04-10
That also took me to another story I saw - about the collector and MLA of Pathanamthitta - who walked across a river and trekked 3 km into the tribal land to give essential commodities to 37 families living in an isolated hamlet at Avanippara tribal settlement. Collector PB Nook and MLA Janesh Kumar carried the provisions on their shoulders to the tribals along with a few others. 'It is important to take utmost care of the marginalised,' said the collector. Very nice indeed. I am sure there are so many like them working to help those in need. Heartening to see the MLA in action. Where are our corporators, MLAs and MPs?
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kerala-mla-and-collector-trek-3-kms-to-reach-37-tribal-families-with-food-essentials-1661283-2020-03-30?fbclid=IwAR34x2jCSj21E0lxVVOg4fzwfAsC04fGTIdLsLd1A3B7P_4KnVf59ak0Pks
Maybe a New Order After This?
I did an experiment with some WhatsApp forward that came my way - something that has been doing the rounds. About sending a message to 18 friends and see how may we get back. Not to check on their loyalty or anything but simply to say hi and perhaps make them feel good, I decided to write a note with some nice things about them. Of the 10-12 I wrote I got two replies which were kind of enthusiastic, five which were like 'hey nice to hear but enough of this sweet stuff' and the rest didn't even bother to reply. I saved my energies on the rest. I think I better write to myself! In many ways, it makes sense to focus our energies on ourselves. So much time, so much energy, and if I can treat myself right I should be good.
The new order then. I realised that too much of this investment in friends and family and stuff etc is rather overblown. I think it should be kept in perspective, and the main focus must be on oneself. A couple more weeks of lockdown by the government will get my perspective right I feel, and then I propose to impose some more by myself. Perhaps the virus's biggest listen to me is that. The way is within.
Wow. That's not too bad. 17 days in lockdown! Like I said, I could get used to this. There's not much from the outside that I seem to be needing - and I guess that's what everyone is finding out too. The online classes with the University students are providing me with enough social interaction.
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| Pic courtesy - Satish Nargundkar |
The meditation at 5 pm and then I read Bruce Lee's bio and made some serious progress with it. Very interesting indeed. Now into the final few years of his life.
Calls today were down to two - both incoming - one from Dr Sivaraju and one from Baig sir. The phone is almost becoming redundant. But with the amount of time I have made up because of cutting down calls (true social distancing) and even movies, I am surprised at how full my day is. No table tennis, no extra cleaning, just this stuff and my day is already into a lag. I hope I understand this.
I saw a news item today of a 50-year-old mother from Nizamabad who travelled 1400 km on her Scooty to bring back her son who was stranded in Nellore. She is a single mother, a teacher working in Nizamabad, with two children, a boy and a girl. Armed with a curfew pass issued by the Bodhan ACP, Razia Begum rode 1400 km to and fro, from Bodhan to Nellore and back, on her two wheeler over three days. She was helped by police along the way. Her son, who studies in Hyderabad, had gone to Nellore to help a friend's ailing father and got stuck down there. Amazing what mother's do for their children.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/single-mother-from-telangana-covers-1-400-kms-to-bring-her-son-back-home-amid-covid-19-lockdown-1665366-2020-04-10
That also took me to another story I saw - about the collector and MLA of Pathanamthitta - who walked across a river and trekked 3 km into the tribal land to give essential commodities to 37 families living in an isolated hamlet at Avanippara tribal settlement. Collector PB Nook and MLA Janesh Kumar carried the provisions on their shoulders to the tribals along with a few others. 'It is important to take utmost care of the marginalised,' said the collector. Very nice indeed. I am sure there are so many like them working to help those in need. Heartening to see the MLA in action. Where are our corporators, MLAs and MPs?
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kerala-mla-and-collector-trek-3-kms-to-reach-37-tribal-families-with-food-essentials-1661283-2020-03-30?fbclid=IwAR34x2jCSj21E0lxVVOg4fzwfAsC04fGTIdLsLd1A3B7P_4KnVf59ak0Pks
Maybe a New Order After This?
I did an experiment with some WhatsApp forward that came my way - something that has been doing the rounds. About sending a message to 18 friends and see how may we get back. Not to check on their loyalty or anything but simply to say hi and perhaps make them feel good, I decided to write a note with some nice things about them. Of the 10-12 I wrote I got two replies which were kind of enthusiastic, five which were like 'hey nice to hear but enough of this sweet stuff' and the rest didn't even bother to reply. I saved my energies on the rest. I think I better write to myself! In many ways, it makes sense to focus our energies on ourselves. So much time, so much energy, and if I can treat myself right I should be good.
The new order then. I realised that too much of this investment in friends and family and stuff etc is rather overblown. I think it should be kept in perspective, and the main focus must be on oneself. A couple more weeks of lockdown by the government will get my perspective right I feel, and then I propose to impose some more by myself. Perhaps the virus's biggest listen to me is that. The way is within.
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