Day 16.
The day started with the same routine of chores. No alarming news yet on the net, or whatever came into my phone, except that the numbers are rising which is bound to happen. Now they talk of how the authorities have identified hot spots in the city and these hotspots may have even stricter restrictions. Looks like they are zooming in actively and isolating and containing the spread.
One can sense a bit more freedom in the air, less tension in people. The increased amount of traffic, I can hear some work going on somewhere, I can see maids coming back to work and most importantly, I found our Kirana store empty when I stepped out for some essential buying. Namely - Mission Mop. Now as the reader may have noticed, I caused a separation between the handle and the mop in my earlier exertions this week and now our mop cannot be used. I am on a mission to buy a fancy one with some contraption to mop easily at Ratnadeep and also buy stuff so I don't have to venture out for a week.
Ratnadeep had a queue of twenty. I parked and stood in the sun, socially distancing myself from my brothers and sisters, thanks to the virus, whom we don't know if we should thank or not. I noticed some were not distancing, some were in shade and were not helping out the brothers and sisters in the sun. I did my bit by moving up and asking the guy next to me to do the same so the people in the sun could get some shade. He was mildly unhappy that I told him like an uncle, when he was about to do that anyway. I smiled from behind my mask but he can't see that - I hoped it showed in my eyes. Anyway, when the next guy didn't move, this chap looked at me indignantly. I shrugged. I wanted to tell him, now you do it. I am not here to do it for everyone.
The security sprayed sanitiser and I walked in feeling victorious and expecting an applause. Yes, I made it! You, know, they should keep a time limit, like they do at the airport parking - that would be fun, and they can make a lot of money as well. Then I started picking up things, essential stuff like pizza base, pizza cheese, icecream sandwich for Anjali, MOP for me (I found a simple one by Scotchbrite which was costing some 1100 bucks - maybe it has a gold handle - I didn't check). Anyway, rice, this, that, and then I piled up a bill fo some 4K. Hmm. I looked a bit sheepishly at the people around me wondering if they thought I was a hoarder until I saw the guy before me - he was a pucca hoarder - had three times the stuff I had. Maybe he was panning not to step put for the month or has a very large family. I also noticed that the Ratnadeep people now seemed to have some morally superior angle to them - they were doing us a favour now. How things change! After I loaded my ship, I headed homeward, heaving a sigh of relief. Now to sanitise the items one by one, like our ancestor Sabari did in the Ramayana.
Lunch and then I read Bruce Lee's bio. Meditation at 5. Watched a movie last night called 'Edge of Seventeen' (ok) and one today 'Sierra Burgess Is a Loser' (not as good). I am into these teenage school romances now and find them much more relaxing because their problems in life are no more than trying to impress some other kid. Sadly, due to several other Zoom calls by other parties at home, the table tennis was off today - just when I was finding my rhythm. Meditation at 5.
It looked a bit rainy so I headed outside and enjoyed the fresh air, breathed in the smell of rain on the earth and felt very refreshed. I made some serious progress on the book, ate some fine homemade bajjis. I am now wondering what to do with my hair which is growing rather a bit too rapidly. If I am wondering, then I wonder what all the regular parlour visitors must be feeling. Dinner, music and here I am. I discovered a peppy and rhythmic version of the Hanuman Chalisa by Atul Ajay (above). I could listen to these things all day. (Is that a sign of getting old? Of seeking the divine?)
Anjali is discovering some new apps and is making some videos so she is quite busy. She's also having Zoom meetings with her friends - collectively and individually - so she is quite busy these days.
Just two calls today - one from Vivek Pande of Karnataka, with whom we played cricket when young. Vivek called me from Australia and we had a nice chat. One call I made, which I realised was not necessary. I suddenly realised that I can do pretty fine without the phone and the calls. Good stuff.
Life (and Death) After Corona
Like I said, I realised that I can live with even less then what I live on now, and perhaps will incorporate that into my spartan life. A lot of stuff seems unnecessary. If one thought of dying and thinking of the number of people who turn up at their funeral (I have heard stories, done exercises etc) one wonders at the quiet exits of those who died in these times. Why worry about that and waste a good life trying to be nice, so people will come to your funeral? Guess you better be yourself because it does not matter either way.
The day started with the same routine of chores. No alarming news yet on the net, or whatever came into my phone, except that the numbers are rising which is bound to happen. Now they talk of how the authorities have identified hot spots in the city and these hotspots may have even stricter restrictions. Looks like they are zooming in actively and isolating and containing the spread.
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| 'The Eye is Watching You' - Scribble art - Anjali |
One can sense a bit more freedom in the air, less tension in people. The increased amount of traffic, I can hear some work going on somewhere, I can see maids coming back to work and most importantly, I found our Kirana store empty when I stepped out for some essential buying. Namely - Mission Mop. Now as the reader may have noticed, I caused a separation between the handle and the mop in my earlier exertions this week and now our mop cannot be used. I am on a mission to buy a fancy one with some contraption to mop easily at Ratnadeep and also buy stuff so I don't have to venture out for a week.
Ratnadeep had a queue of twenty. I parked and stood in the sun, socially distancing myself from my brothers and sisters, thanks to the virus, whom we don't know if we should thank or not. I noticed some were not distancing, some were in shade and were not helping out the brothers and sisters in the sun. I did my bit by moving up and asking the guy next to me to do the same so the people in the sun could get some shade. He was mildly unhappy that I told him like an uncle, when he was about to do that anyway. I smiled from behind my mask but he can't see that - I hoped it showed in my eyes. Anyway, when the next guy didn't move, this chap looked at me indignantly. I shrugged. I wanted to tell him, now you do it. I am not here to do it for everyone.
The security sprayed sanitiser and I walked in feeling victorious and expecting an applause. Yes, I made it! You, know, they should keep a time limit, like they do at the airport parking - that would be fun, and they can make a lot of money as well. Then I started picking up things, essential stuff like pizza base, pizza cheese, icecream sandwich for Anjali, MOP for me (I found a simple one by Scotchbrite which was costing some 1100 bucks - maybe it has a gold handle - I didn't check). Anyway, rice, this, that, and then I piled up a bill fo some 4K. Hmm. I looked a bit sheepishly at the people around me wondering if they thought I was a hoarder until I saw the guy before me - he was a pucca hoarder - had three times the stuff I had. Maybe he was panning not to step put for the month or has a very large family. I also noticed that the Ratnadeep people now seemed to have some morally superior angle to them - they were doing us a favour now. How things change! After I loaded my ship, I headed homeward, heaving a sigh of relief. Now to sanitise the items one by one, like our ancestor Sabari did in the Ramayana.
Lunch and then I read Bruce Lee's bio. Meditation at 5. Watched a movie last night called 'Edge of Seventeen' (ok) and one today 'Sierra Burgess Is a Loser' (not as good). I am into these teenage school romances now and find them much more relaxing because their problems in life are no more than trying to impress some other kid. Sadly, due to several other Zoom calls by other parties at home, the table tennis was off today - just when I was finding my rhythm. Meditation at 5.
It looked a bit rainy so I headed outside and enjoyed the fresh air, breathed in the smell of rain on the earth and felt very refreshed. I made some serious progress on the book, ate some fine homemade bajjis. I am now wondering what to do with my hair which is growing rather a bit too rapidly. If I am wondering, then I wonder what all the regular parlour visitors must be feeling. Dinner, music and here I am. I discovered a peppy and rhythmic version of the Hanuman Chalisa by Atul Ajay (above). I could listen to these things all day. (Is that a sign of getting old? Of seeking the divine?)
Anjali is discovering some new apps and is making some videos so she is quite busy. She's also having Zoom meetings with her friends - collectively and individually - so she is quite busy these days.
Just two calls today - one from Vivek Pande of Karnataka, with whom we played cricket when young. Vivek called me from Australia and we had a nice chat. One call I made, which I realised was not necessary. I suddenly realised that I can do pretty fine without the phone and the calls. Good stuff.
Life (and Death) After Corona
Like I said, I realised that I can live with even less then what I live on now, and perhaps will incorporate that into my spartan life. A lot of stuff seems unnecessary. If one thought of dying and thinking of the number of people who turn up at their funeral (I have heard stories, done exercises etc) one wonders at the quiet exits of those who died in these times. Why worry about that and waste a good life trying to be nice, so people will come to your funeral? Guess you better be yourself because it does not matter either way.
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