Journey from a colleague to BFF during lockdown

 

I don’t think the lockdown of 2020, would be something that people will easily forget. It was the first time, when people were forced to stay home and spend more time indoors than outdoors. This gave many people an opportunity to re-connect with their family members and friends. I too connected with couple of my school friends during last year’s lockdown. My takeaway against all the hardships I faced during the lockdown was, I found a BFF.

I had known Ms A (let’s keep it that way), for couple years as we were colleagues at work place. During that time our interaction was limited as, we were in different teams and we had a lot on our table to finish for the day too. I left the organization an year after Ms A joined but we were in touch through messages and WhatsApp occasionally.

But during last year’s lockdown, Ms A, called me one evening. After enquiring about my well-being, she told something to me, which she wanted to tell me for a long time but something, stopped her from conveying it to me. Her revelation shocked me a bit as I was already aware about few things. But what surprised me was that, she really cared for me and I didn’t know about it. We both realized that, we wasted few years in opening up with each other, for the fears best known to each other. My suggestion to all my readers is, please talk openly about things with people who matter to you, otherwise you may also loose time like me and my BFF.

I must say that evening was all about surprises for me, I asked Ms A, what made her call me? She said, “’my husband told me talk to my friends, I will feel better’. The only person whom, she could think about at that moment was me, let me tell you, till the moment she called me, we just colleagues, not friends.

We spoke for close to two hours that evening, as we had a lot to discuss, which we missed during the years. Once we disconnected the call, I was wondering, WHY WE DIDN’T CONNECT BEFORE? But I made a promise to myself that, I will meet Ms A, once the situation normalizes.  When I was glued in those thoughts, I received a WhatsApp notification, it was from Ms A, where she stated, she had great time talking to me and will connect again when time permits. I replied her back with a smiley.

After that day, whenever time permitted, we would talk to each other, at least for an hour. Since Ms A is quite busy in her personal life and rarely find time to talk to me, I too made an exception for her. If I talking to someone and Ms A’s, call is in call waiting mode, I will pick Ms A’s call on priority. I think we can make such changes for people based on their situations at times.  

Last week Ms A called me, but this call jolted me completely as she made some shocking revelations. Though the call started on a jovial mode as usual but ended on a serious note. We all know pandemic has been hard on people especially for nuclear families. Value of family support was one of the best lessons taught through lockdown, when people were cut off the world for days together.

Ms A has decided to shift to her hometown from Bangalore, I remember she once discussed this idea with me but she was not quite sure about it. Before moving out of city, she wanted to meet all her friends in the city. But the stringent lockdown in Bangalore has poured water to all her plans as social get together’s are banned in the city, in wake of acute covid situation.

Even if the relaxations are eased, yet she can’t meet anyone, as she is leaving at city at the earliest. The moment I heard this news, I regretted not being able to meet her when situations were better in the city. Even if the situation improves, we will still not be able to meet each other because currently we are in two different cities. I am in Kerala and she is in Bangalore.

Ms A, told me that she might come back to Bangalore, when situation improves and then she will plan for a get together with all her Bangalore based friends, till then it’s a good bye from her. All this while I was hopeful of catching up with Ms A, sometime as she was in the city but now, I don’t know. That’s the reason, people say we should not take things for granted.

I just hope one day, we will meet in person and talk a lot, as we have many similar interest, one among them is we both are passionate about writing. Till then me and Ms A will be connected through phone calls only.  Even now, I am yet come to terms to the fact that Ms A, is leaving the city, I think that’s the bond between BFFs.  If, I can be grateful for the one thing about lockdown then it has to be, Ms A. But I so wish, I could meet her once before she left the city, an expectation far from reality.

Second dose of Covid vaccine to mom

 Getting my mom inoculated with the first dose of Covid 19 vaccine, was seamless when compared with the administration of second dose. For the first dose, I just booked her schedule through cowin website and took her to the concerned hospital, got her injected and we were back home but it wasn’t the case with her second dose.

As my mom’s second vaccination’s dose date was approaching, I tried to book a schedule for her through Cowin website but I was not able to find the schedule for her. This rang an alarm bell and I knew getting the second dose will not a cake walk. So I tried looking out for slot every now and then but the outcome remained the same.

Finally one day, I got a schedule and we were too happy about it. This hospital was little far from our place, still we decided to go ahead. When we reached the hospital after so many struggles, we were informed that vaccine is out of stock. I was like, what’s next because both mom and me, were clueless now.

We were back home disappointed and I was trying to figure out ways to get my mom vaccinated. I was even filled with guilt too, as I was the one who persuaded her to get vaccinated. I was scared about any adverse effect of vaccine, if administered beyond the stipulated time. Mom too was little worried and anxious and kept checking with me about the status of her next schedule.

Then one day we read in paper that for second dose, we have to get in touch with our ASHA worker, as online booking has been barred now. Mom immediately called her and she too informed mom that vaccine is out of stock now but she will inform us when vaccine is available.

One day while checking vaccine schedule for my mom, I saw the hospital near our home has been fully booked for vaccination. Immediately I called the ASHA worker and informed her about it, she told stock has just arrived and she will book my mom for the next available slot. After a day, I called the ASHA worker again and she informed that she has scheduled my mom’s vaccination appointment. I was little relaxed but was not too amused by this news. I wanted to enjoy, only after getting my mom inoculated with the vaccine, any celebrations before that was meaningless.

The date allotted for my mom’s vaccination was during the stringent lockdown announced in the state of Kerala. Though the government circular, made it clear the people going for vaccination will be not stopped, still ground reality couldn’t be judged sitting at home. That was another worry for me, second dosage was in the midst of so many worries, unlike the first shot, which was pretty cool.

A day before vaccination one of our neighbor uncle came to me and said he along with his wife would like to accompany us for vaccination. As they too got the same date and the center was also the same, they were also due for their second dose.

 

On vaccination day, we all left in my car for the vaccination center with all relevant documents to substantiate our claim for vaccination. This time my mom didn’t receive an sms confirming her vaccination schedule, so I was bit wary whether cops will allow us to go to the center.

As expected, cops stopped us and uncle told them, we are going for vaccination and they allowed us to travel, first hurdle of the path was cleared. Vaccination center was crowded, I didn’t expect so many people there, especially during lockdown.

My mom, uncle and aunty went inside the center and asked me to stay in the car only. Fortunately I got a shaded place to park the car and waited there till for almost three hours till my mom, uncle and aunty returned back, after being inoculated. My feeling at that time was, I have won a big war against all odds.  Getting the second shot of vaccine for my mom was, no less than a war for me and my mom.

Before making their way to the car, I sanitized their hands and checked their phones for the sms notification, intimating about the second dose. It was important for us, to show to the cops on road, who might ask for proof of vaccination.

Our way back home was pretty smooth, though cops stopped us but they didn’t ask much and allowed us to go. Back home after shower, I downloaded the final vaccination certificate for my mom on her phone and asked her to keep it handy.

Vaccinating my mom with Covid 19 vaccine

 

We all waited with bated breath for Covid 19 vaccine from the moment,  Corona was termed as  pandemic and we all went into covid inducted lockdown. Scientists across globe worked relentlessly to find a suitable vaccine candidate, to temporarily arrest the virus and give some relief to people. Usually vaccines are produced after researching for years but with covid 19, scientist didn’t had the luxury of time with them, as they had to come out with the vaccine in the shortest possible time with some efficacy too.

I was always glued to the news of vaccine, as I thought vaccine would end the pandemic and we will be able to lead a normal life. So when the news of vaccine reached my ears, I was over joyed, finally there was something for us to fight the virus. Best part was my parents were eligible to be vaccinated in the first phase only. As they fell under the vulnerable category and I was always worried about them.

I was behind my parents to get vaccinated but they were reluctant as they want to see the impact on vaccinated people before taking a call. I also wanted to be with my parents when they get vaccinated, to be on the safer, in case of mild side effects. My mom volunteered first for vaccination, kudos to her. I immediately booked an appointment for her through Cowin website, before she changes her mind. I must say the registration process was too quick and user friendly.

On the day of vaccination we reached the vaccination center on time, we had opted for a government facility, here in Kerala. There was huge queue at the center, as some people had reached the place for spot registration too along with online registration. Since we had registered online, we were directed to queue which was smaller when compared to on spot registration one.

At the counter, my mom’s credentials were verified one more time and she was asked to move to the waiting area for vaccination. I was asked to leave the facility and wait outside as family members or attendants are not allowed inside the vaccination room. So I left counter and waited outside for my mom to come out from the exit door.

After 45 minutes, I saw my mom coming out of the hospital. I immediately went to her and enquired about the vaccination along with her health, she said, she is fine. Then we drove back home, first thing we did after reaching home was to dip our clothes in water and then head for shower. We were at a hospital for more than an hour and we didn’t want to take any kind of risk. We had already kept things handy before going to hospital, so things were pretty easy for us.

I checked my mom’s phone after we were little relaxed and noticed that the moment, she was inoculated, a sms was sent to her phone about the vaccine she was injected with. Then I logged in to cowin website again and noticed, my mom has been issued a partial vaccination certificate too. When I downloaded it, I saw it had full details about her vaccine, including the name of the staff who inoculated her. I didn’t face any difficulty in inoculating my mom with the first dose of the vaccine, hope the legacy continues for 2^nd dose too.

That was my experience of getting my mom vaccinated against the novel corona virus, I hope dad to agree for vaccination soon and he get his shots also. Currently, the only way we can protect our parents is by getting them vaccinated, there will be resistance from their side but we as kids should convince them and if possible accompany them for vaccination. Our parents need us the most especially during this pandemic time, I realized it, when I came to be with them.

My first Covid test

 

Going to a pathology lab for any kind of bodily or non-bodily test has been a traumatizing experience for me. I can’t heave a sigh of relief unless my reports have been approved normal by doctors. So I generally avoid such test unless absolutely necessary. But undergoing covid test was mandatory, for me as per the guidelines laid down by Kerala state for inter-state travelers.

I didn’t sleep whole night thinking about the result of the test result, though I didn’t had any symptoms still a test report will reaffirm my belief as well as that of my family members, especially my dad. His policy was very clear, till your test results come, father son emotions are down. A negative report will rekindle the emotion of a father for his son. My dad is too scared of covid as well as people undergoing quarantine.

My sleep was disrupted at 3.00 am on the day of the test, after I couldn’t sleep despite my best efforts. By 7.00 am I got up from bed and tried to meditate to divert my attention but I failed here too. By 9.00 am I had my breakfast and I was all set to go for the test. But I couldn’t go as my appointment was scheduled for 12 noon, I called the lab one more time to confirm my schedule.

I still had 2 more hours to go and I didn’t know how to pass those 2 hours. So I diverted my attention to the laptop, to watch some series which interest me. When I watch action thriller series or movie, I get so engrossed in it, that I forget myself for some time. This trick usually work for me and this time too it worked.

Before heading out for the hospital, my aunt told me to keep my clothes ready in bathroom so that I can directly head for shower. Thanks to corona, a shower is mandatory after an outside visit, especially from hospitals.

At 11.30 am I finally left home for the test, I was driving the car and my uncle was on his bullet to guide me the way. We didn’t travel in the same vehicle because my test results were yet to come and it was a precautionary measure.

By 12.00 pm I reached the hospital and reported at the reception counter.  I was asked to fill some forms before the test, which I did promptly. After that I was directed to the test area, with the forms. One attendant took my form along with the money and asked me to wait for my turn. 

After 2 patients my name was called and I went inside, I was too scared (my cousin told me, she experience nasal pain for 2 days after the test). So I told the guy to be gentle and he told me to relax and sit back.

He inserted a swab first in my left nose, it was little irritating but had to bear it. When he took the swab out I was happy as I thought I was done with the test. But my happiness was short lived, when he put swab in my right nose. It was then that I realized that swabs are put in both nostrils. Finally, I was done with my first covid test.

I was told that within 10 mins my results will be out, this was the longest 10 minutes of the day. I think my day that day was all about diverting my attention, first it was for the test now for its result. I bet people across globe will want this one test report to be negative to be happy while it is vice versa for pregnancy test.

After 10 mins, my name was called out and I went there with bated breath, the attendant told its negative. But I didn’t hear it correctly the first time, obviously because of anxiety, so I request him to repeat, he obliged. I can’t express in words my excitement at that moment, I just wanted to hug someone tightly then but I controlled my emotions, as I was in a hospital.

I informed my uncle about the result and called my parents too, as they had called me couple of time by now enquiring about the result.

Journey back home was joyful, as I was getting relieved about from my quarantine that day.  

Life in rural and urban India during lockdown

People usually want to live in big cities where they have easy access to amenities through which they can lead a comfortable life, in comparison to villages where life is still lagging behind when compared to cities. But lockdown has reversed the thought of people residing in urban area towards rural parts of the country, wondering HOW? Let me tell brief it through few pointers

Living space

I live in my modest apartment in Bangalore and my only connect to outside world is through my balcony, every day I spend an hour in evening sitting there to experience nature.

My parents back in Kerala can walk around the house or the road just in front of house and can enjoy nature to the fullest. They have more access to greenery and fresh air than me, I so wish at times that I could be with them during lockdown.

Stepping out of home

Since Big Basket ditched me, I have to step out of my house once in a week to stock up veggies for the week, in order to follow the norms of lockdown and stop the spread of virus.

My parents haven’t stepped out of their house to buy veggies as they have grown some in our house and rest are given to them by their neighbors, which are also home grown. They have access to organic veggies which I don’t have and I have less option for veggies too here in Bangalore.

Spread of Virus

Cases are increasing in cities due population congestion, as people stay in close proximity with each other which increases the chances of spreading the virus.

Cases are declining in rural India and in places, life has returned to normalcy in comparison to their counterparts in urban India.  Pathanamthitta was one of the worst affected districts during corona outbreak in Kerala, has now returned to normalcy. Pathanamthitta graduated from red zone to orange zone and is slowly progressing towards green zone.

Containment Zones

Containment zones are places, where people have been detected by Covid 19 and their localities have been sealed to control the spread of virus

.

Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Bhopal are few of the cities where containment zones have been created and more cities are joining this list with each passing week.

I doubt anyone of us have heard about containment zones in rural areas, I hope it continues that way.

Jobs stability

None of us can predict what awaits us after lockdown is lifted but few people in cities might lose their job or have to undergo pay cut.

In villages many people are self-employed so chances of them loosing job is very fragile.

When lockdown was announced people rushed to their home towns rather from hometown to cities that itself tells the tale.

My first visit to Supermarket during lockdown

Before PAN India lockdown I bought most of the groceries to sustain for a month barring few things, which I thought could be purchased later on as usual. So now during lockdown I am having a smooth sail and with a veggie shop close to my place, I don’t have to think much about them either along with milk.

But there are few things which I can’t get at the shops near my house, which made it important for me to visit the nearest supermarket close to my place.  I ran out of sauces, spices, coffee powder and few other item kitchen items. With no other option in hand I decided to visit the supermarket, for a change ditched my vehicle and went on foot, it will suffice for my cardio too.

Towards the entrance of the supermarket, there were few people standing in queue, all following the norms of physical distancing. All of them were in their face mask and gloves, for a moment all seemed like surgeons barring their white aprons. Staff at supermarket allowed very few people to go inside and do the purchases at a time. I think it’s due to crisis situation now that people were quick with their purchases and were out of the facility.

Before my entry to the store, I was asked to sanitize my hand and get in, for a moment I couldn’t believe I was in a supermarket. My last visit to supermarket was a day before the lockdown, very long period for a person like me, who frequents supermarket often, once a week is mandatory.

Most things had run out of stock at the store, like Maggi, frozen peas, ice cream, butter, brown bread and sauces, I think production and distribution issue. For a moment I thought my visit to the place had gone vain, till I found 250ml bottles of sauces, it was great relief for me. I picked one bottle each of chilli and tomata sauce, along with some biscuits, spices and curd. I didn’t find soya sauce, Maggie and brown bread, was little disappointed but in this situation can’t complain about it.

At the billing counter, I witnessed few people have stacked their trollies with things as if the store won’t open the next day, panic buying. I think I was the only person to buy bare minimum things actually required by me currently.  After clearing the bill, I exited the facility to walk back home to be in quarantine again. All throughout my entry and exit to the store, I maintain physical distancing and didn’t even talk to anyone at store, except staff for some guidance.

This visit to the supermarket will always be memorable to me, it was one of most unique experience of my life so far which I don’t want to counter again. Second thing was all customers treated fellow human beings as aliens which were weird but necessary during lockdown.

Innovative home quarantined ways adopted by my parents in hometown

PAN India lockdown has brought lot of changes in the lives of people, as all of us are trying innovative ways to keep up engaged than just lying on bed. No one can lie on bed for long time especially when people have led a busy life, parents are worst effected during this lockdown. Firstly they are concerned about their children who are in far off places and secondly they want to spend time productively than just being tuned to TV.

Due to lockdown my parents are unable to go out frequently as they used to go before, thanks to the imposition of travel restriction.  But my neighborhood is very helpful towards my parents, as a result of which I am able to spend my days peacefully here in Bangalore. My neighbors buy veggies, medicines or any other thing needed by my parents, a good neighborhood is always a boon.

This is the season for jackfruits in Kerala and with lockdown in place, people who have jackfruit trees are sharing the seasonal produce with their neighbors. My parents often get jackfruit from our neighbors but due to non-availability of fish they don’t prepare the traditional jackfruit recipe of the state. Even they can’t finish these jackfruits by themselves in one go and it can’t be preserved for long due to its perishable nature.

Then my parents decided to make jackfruit chips, as it has long shelf life if preserved properly and it consumes good amount of time to make it and it will keep them busy for a long time, especially during afternoon times. Most difficult part in the entire process is first to de seeding the fruit and then slicing them down uniformly. My dad is an expert in the entire, he doesn’t need anyone’s help, if required he can perform the task all by himself. But mom and I pitch in the de seeding process and the slowest amongst us in me, as I rarely do it and not used to the process but enjoy relishing upon the recipes.

These days whenever I call them they are usually busy preparing jackfruit chips and it serves as their evening snacks for tea, so they don’t buy snacks from shops now. My parents are the not the only one to make these chips but most elderly people in our neighborhood is doing the same now, few who have banana plantation are making banana chips too.

I am really happy for my parents and the neighborhood for the innovative way adopted by them to make jackfruit or banana chips at home during their quarantined period. Skills mastered by them during their youth days have come to their rescue at these testing times and important aspect of it is that, they are indoors most of the time, which is a great sigh of relief for me.

I have requested my parents to pack the chips safely for me till I meet them next as I love jackfruit chips, my all-time favorite snacks. I hope till the end of quarantine period they make good amount of chips for me and my friends.

Challenging times during lock-down

To fight the pandemic of Corona virus, 21 days nationwide lockdown was announced in India, it was the need of the hour to control the situation and to reduce the rate of fatalities. Challenging one but with no other option people decided to abide by the norm for safety of oneself and their loved ones, whether close or far away.

But there are few instances when people are in challenging situations to take calls owing to emergency situation in family, like someone’s demise or someone breathing his/her last breath. Everyone wants to pay final rites to the departed soul or see their loved ones before final adieu.

One of my mom’s friend’s brother expired in Kerala two days ago, after being bed ridden for long time. His only son (Rohan) is in Gujarat and my mom’s friend is in Uttar Pradesh with her family. Rohan tried to get pass to reach Kerala to perform final rites of his father, as a result of which dead body was shifted to mortuary.

Yesterday, when I called my mom to check, whether Rohan was able to reach Kerala or not?  My mom informed that Rohan has decided not attend his father’s funeral as there are lot of challenges in his path like, he has to travel through 3 states to Kerala and in current situation, he will put in home quarantine for 14 days mandatorily, only then he can perform the final rites and all this while his dad’s body will be in morgue.

Taking stock of these situations Rohan took the most unthinkable decision one can imagine of including me, which was to cremate his dad at the earliest without his physical presence there. He has entrusted this responsibility to his family members back in home town to ensure things go smoothly with just one request, ie to connect with him during video call in order to witness cremation proceedings.

I have no words to describe his act of bravery, well thought about decision but extremely difficult to execute it, at least I don’t have the endurance to do something like this and I hope am not in a situation like this either.

This is another side of lockdown where people are being forced to take emotionally dreadful decisions, I can just pray to the almighty to give courage to such people to sail through such testing times and together we defeat Corona.

Let’s not forget NGOs warriors

Lockdown in India has affected the lives of many people adversely, worst are the daily wagers, who earn and eat on daily basis. Now with no job and money in hand they are forced to fight a battle against starvation too along with corona.  Many people weren’t aware about their plight until NDTV brought their stories before the nation.

Nation was so moved by the plight of these people, who were forced to be without food that both government and NGOs thronged in to action to ensure, no one goes to bed without food.  Many NGOs took up the responsibility to provide food the needy abiding by the norms of the administration.

There were challenges before the NGOs before they could venture out to support the needy people, first of course was funds, then grocery, data of people, resources for both delivery as well as for cooking. Funds were collected through facebook postings and WhatsApp share, since all payments were digital. it was directly credited to the account of NGOs.

Once funds were arranged NGOs were able to procure grocery easily but the biggest challenge for them was to find helping hands to prepare food, pack food and deliver them to the needy people. When the cause is to serve manhood, there’s nothing stopping you, same was the case with NGOs too, since most people were at home with no worthy activities to get involved in, they extended their support to these NGOs.

Once the food was read NGOs had another challenge waiting for them, which was to identify areas where people are stranded without food and non-restrictive movement of their vehicles within city. Since people had pooled in to support NGOs in their cause, they took up this responsibility too, so that food is prepared on priority without thinking about delivery and areas to be delivered.

With the support of masses NGOs got details of people struck at various places across city and NGOs also procured passes for their vehicles to move freely within city limits. With all such details in hand, NGO workers and volunteers ventured into roads to feed food to the needy people. 

During their distribution process they came across people stranded at both railway and bus stations with no support from anyone. For them volunteers from these NGOs were no less than messengers from god, some even that felt their prayers have been answered.

People who went to distribute food to these people on the first day, were so moved by witnessing the difficulty of these under privileged people, that they decided to be available for these people on daily basis till the lockdown period. It really take lot of courage to do that because these volunteers are at very high risk of getting infected by the Covid 19, as they come in contact with lot of people on daily basis and  travel extensively to feed the needy.

Though NGOs are doing their best but I can’t there mention in media or any other channels, which saddens my heart, hence I decided to do my bit by writing about them.

Great work to all NGOs across and their staff for working for serving mankind as always, keep up the good work.

Should cops resort to caning or innovative ideas?

Ever since lockdown has been announced in India, cops have taken over roads of the country to maintain law and order along with physical distancing. But within 2 days news about cops high handedness of became headlines of all leading news channels, newspaper and in social media platform like Twitter, where people vented their anger, tagging all top officials of police department along with PMO and Chief Ministers of respective states. 

Within no time this news spread like fire in jungle, to add fuel to the fire were some of the videos where cops could be seen caning and abusing people were made viral on whatsapp, which made the matter worse. Taking advantage of the situation, people created numerous videos on various applications and shared them through facebook and whatsapp.

There were instances of casualties also due to caning in some parts of the country, as a result of which few cops were suspended and departmental inquiry was initiated against them. If proved guilty, cops may be punished too, as these acts leads to violation of human rights too.

Taking stock of these situations DCPs of few states flung into action and issued orders to the force, not to hit people. Now cops on road were in a dilemma, to figure out innovate ways to keep people thronging road unnecessarily without using sticks.

In Chennai, cops used corona virus structured helmet to scare people away from road and it worked for them, it was applauded by people too. This was very innovate thought by Chennai police to scare people through virus replica, as till date people have seen the virus only in mages not in structural form.

In Kerala, after the initial caning now cops make people to do sit ups, if they are found wandering in the city without valid reasons. When I watched the sit up video recently, it took me back to my school days. I am happy that there is no violence and cops have decided mellow down their anger on masses to handle situation calmly.

Bengaluru police commissioner asked this staff to talk politely with people when on road and not to resort to violence of any kind. He is addressing press on daily basis and taking all preventive measures to avoid any outcry among masses and they cooperate with the administration during these time.

I am happy that now there is no violence on roads now else situation could have gone out of control for the government to manage and the entire purpose of lockdown would have failed drastically.  But thanks to the timely intervention of top brass of police officials they not only managed the situation but also instilled the faith of people in police department once again.

I am against all those people who venture out of their homes unreasonably just to risk their life along with their family members. Action should be taken against them but in a way where they understand their mistake and is ashamed of their deeds, just the way kids are taught in schools.

Challenges of stamped home quarantine people

We have been hearing and reading lot of stories about people who are officially home quarantined venturing out among the masses and endangering lives of thousands of people around them. General public criticize home quarantine stamped people without identifying the reason from them to defy the order of government. I would like to share few challenges faced by such people with a real life incident.

Supply of essential commodities

People suspected of Covid 19 virus are also human beings and have full rights to lead their lives just like any one of us. It is duty of the society to ensure that, home quarantined people are supplied with adequate food and essential commodities so that they don’t venture out to buy them and be harassed by people.

A friend of mine shared the plight of a home quarantine stamped people at his native

An aged man in his 60s had returned to his home town, just before the lockdown after meeting his daughter, he traveled by train for both his to and fro journey. The moment he got down at his station, he was asked by officials to be home quarantined which he agreed to.

But next day he was seen at a super market buying groceries for him, when people noticed the stamp in his hand they immediately altered officials and they reached the spot. When this man was questioned by the officials, his response was, I didn’t had food at home as I am alone now and couldn’t with stand starving for long, hence ventured out. Health official and people were so moved by the plight of this man, that they assured him 3 meals daily all through his stamped home quarantine period. Fortunately for him a neighbor of his volunteered to support him for his meals.

Not all stamped home quarantine people are fortunate like this man.

Attitude of society towards stamped home quarantine people

Societies attitude also play a vital role in ensuring that stamped home quarantine people are at home only. Don’t discriminate them or treat their families as untouchables rather rendered your support to time at their testing time. Check with them about the challenges faced by them and extend your helping hand to them which will make them obliged of their duty towards the society. 

When stamped home quarantine people are ill-treated by their own society they become rebellious and wander out freely to vent their anger which is not good for the society at large.

 Mental agony

Duration of stamped home quarantine is 14 days provided one doesn’t develop any symptoms of Covid 19, else the duration will increase. During this time quarantined people is always under constant mental agony interpreting their journey of the days ahead, as chances of them testing positive for Covid 19 is high in comparison to others. This makes them irritative by nature.

So it is the duty of the people of their surroundings to ensure that they don’t panic, during these times and don’t take any drastic steps. Because we don’t know when a home quarantined person may slip into depression or commit suicide.

These are few of the probable challenges faced by stamped home quarantine people and if we are able solve these challenges, we might instill people to be at home both safely and happily. Because together we can we will overcome this Covid 19 pandemic.

Kudos to NDTV for helping migrant laborers across India

Lockdown of services across India for 21 days was announced suddenly due to fast growing Corona positive cases in India and it came as shock to all Indian citizens. But there were few who were really hit hard by this decision of government and they were the migrants workers spread across country.

The moment they heard this news, first thing which crept into their mind was to head back to their homes reason all of sudden they were rendered jobless and didn’t had the money sustain through the lockdown period. As most of them were daily laborers who earn hand to mouth and this situation was new to them, as this has been implemented for the first time in the country.

To make matter worse all forms of commute like railways, buses and even flight services were stalled during the lockdown period, this added fuel to the fire of the plight of migrant workers. They don’t even have money to pay rent for the month and are not sure how long will it take for them get employed again? Equipped will these problem in hand they decided to march towards their home town irrespective of the distance.

NDTV was first one to draw the attention of the nation towards the plight of migrant workers, as it’s not an easy task to walk hundreds of kilometer, that too without food and water. Some even has kids with them and few were just months old, which made the journey cumbersome but it didn’t deter the spirits of the laborers.

The moment this news was aired by NDTV, nation came together to help the people and they tweeted about it in social media a lot. Thanks to the joint effort of NDTV and the people of India, several state governments came forward to the respite of these people. Now buses have been arranged for all them to ply them back to their hometown and they have been provided with food and water at shelter homes where they are eagerly waiting for their buses.

I read a lot in media that WHY are these workers going back to their home town rather they can stay back in which ever state they are currently as they are risking their life along the ones in their villages or cities.

The answer is these people are worried about their future as they have no means of livelihood to survive in cities now and they are not sure how long with this situation continues to prevail and have no one to rely upon during this crisis. Though state government is trying everything possible to comfort these laborers and their family but in this panic situation all they want is to be at home with their loved ones. It’s more of an emotional calling of this workforce which is forcing them to go back home at any cost.

The most important question which is being missed by people is “Who will feed these people on the 22^nd day” ie the day when PAN India lockdown ceases. Can someone ANSWER this question, I doubt. These workers are actually thinking about their life after the lockdown period, to which none of have an answer.

So let’s not judge them and respect their feeling.

NDTV once again you did a commendable job, you were the flag bearer of this story which is now being covered by all leading news channels, print media and the political circle, which led to quick resolution of the issue.

NDTV, hats off to your team and their unique story coverage in the country

Ways I spend my free time during self-quarantined period Part -2

In my last blog I wrote about few ways which keeps me occupied during the self-quarantined period, continuing the legacy I am going to share few more ways in the second and final part of the blog. All these are my personal tried and tested methods.

Build rapport with family members and friends

In our busy life we don’t get time to sit and talk peacefully with our family members and friends as we have multiple thoughts running in our head then. Now when we have the time, let’s use it connect with our family members and friends and try to cover up for all the time which was devoid to them.

This can be done in 2 ways, for all those of you who are with your family, take time to talk to your family members individually, it will help them to feel connected with you and will help you to build new connections with them again.

For all those of you who are away from your family, you can e-connect with them through phone calls, video calls or any other mediums, I urge all of you to call your parents daily during these time without fail as they will be worried about you all time. A call from you will make them relaxed and consoled during this testing time.

When was the last time, you spoke to your friends at length?  I think months ago, who’s stopping you from calling your friends now to speak your heart out, just like school or college days. Or you can also update the contacts of your school and college friend’s in the alumni network.

Clear files from your laptop and hard drive

There are lot of unwanted files which would have piled up in our laptop and hard drive, since clearing these files takes lot of time and energy it is usually neglected and when we are overburdened we clear files randomly in haste. At times we end up deleting important file too. Use this time to do the herculean task for cleaning files from your electronic devices.

While deleting photos and videos, you can share some interesting clicks in your family group and relish those memories.

Build business connection

Business contacts play a vital role in business expansion and relationship building activities in the long run. Lockdown period can be used by you to connect with professionals in LinkedIn or any other professional website. Professionals will be able to spend more time with you now and you can discuss your proposal at length with them, who knows when situation normalizes you may bag a contract.

Work on your start up idea

Any start up idea need lot of time, research and preparation before presenting it to the investors. This time can be well utilized by you to work on your start up idea as time is enormous and since you are passionate about it so time will never be a constrain especially during your me time.

I hope some of the ways suggested by me is beneficial to you, if so do let me know about it in comments.

Stay home stay safe

Ways I spend my free time during self-quarantined period Part -1

India is under lockdown till April 15^th 2020 to fight the pandemic caused by Corona virus and to emerge winner in the fight against this virus. Together we can and we will, initially it was difficult for me also to stay at home all time and still be engaged. But now I have figured out few ways which keeps boredom away from me, so thought of sharing them with other too.

Web series

Don’t jump into conclusion, hang on till you hear me out completely, I am not talking about the set of new web series being launched on a daily basis rather I am taking about the ones you have already watched. I had watched few web series in hurry and wanted to watch them again peacefully when I am at ease. So I am utilizing this opportunity for the same, few web series which I wanted to watch were “Made in Heaven, Code M, Mission over Mars” to name a few. I watched them again and I enjoyed it thoroughly even more than my first watch.

Movies

Movies like DDLJ, Sholay are the ones which we can watch anytime. I am a big fan of action thriller movies and have a collection of them in my hard drive. Now I am using this self-isolation phase to go through those movies again. If you watch movies of your genre which have already collected you will never bored of it, just try it and let me know about it

Books

I was an avid reader once but due to lack of time, my reading habit declined drastically but I still used to buy books in the hope that one day I might read them. Only time when I read book is while travelling, that time am relatively and devote my self completely to the book in hand.  So in case you too have some books which you haven’t read or have read partially, find those books and go on a reading spree.

I have just mentioned 3 because they keep my busy but I don’t overdo any of them, ie I do them in moderation, watch one web series at time, then a movie and finally the book. This way I keep variations between my activities and I am inclined to repeat another activity when one cycle is complete. 

My gratitude to Indian Railways during Corona times

Corona or Covid 19, I think no one would have heard of term ever but will remember it till their life time now, thanks to the current pandemic situation globally due to this virus. Thousands of people have lost their lives globally and the numbers are just increasing daily. I just hope together we are able to defeat this virus globally by being self-quarantined.

During the initial stages of this outbreak I was at my hometown, that time I wasn’t much aware of the situation because numbers of cases were negligible and situation was under control then. Since my work at home town was not completed I decided to extend my stay by 5 more days. Those 5 five days were very crucial as by then Corona was termed as pandemic by WHO and travel restriction were enforced by the government.

Due to some unavoidable circumstances, I had to travel back to Bengaluru and for the first time I was in the dilemma, whether to travel or not? The situation was more intriguing on the day of travel, till I reached station, I was just waiting for a reason to cancel my travel.

But the moment I reached station, I felt I was in safe hands, they was Covid 19 medical desk at the entrance of station and place was being cleaned by disinfected at regular interval and safety instructions were being announced through speakers. The station had deserted look with bare minimum passengers at the platform and all of them were either masked or had covered their face with handkerchief, first soothing experience.

After sometime train arrived and I board it, to my utter surprise there were hardly any passengers in the coach, including me 10 passengers I believe. I went to my berth and settled my luggage, coach was little different today, as curtains and blankets were removed from AC coaches. All I was offered was a pair of bed sheet and pillow but the temperate was moderated, so it didn’t bother me, so it took some time to get the feel of AC.

I realized that janitor of the coach was making periodic rounds of coach at regular interval, initially it was scary initially but later I got used to it. Then the ticket checker came asked my seat number and glanced over my Id card and went back. He was in mask and gloves, I have never seen them with these additional gears as they are mostly in black coat with white trouser, so was little surprised.

By 8 pm onwards rounds of janitor was intensified and they were accompanied by ticket checkers as I could hear their footsteps till 12.00 am, after that I slept.  Morning when I woke up I realized that the whole drill of periodic rounds by janitor and ticket collector was done to safeguard our interest as we passenger were less in number and were scattered in our seating arrangements. So staffs of Indian Railways made regular rounds, in order to prevent us from any towards incident as we were prone to them in this Corona time.

I would like to my express my heart felt gratitude to all staffs of Indian Railways for thinking so much about us passenger even in this pandemic situation. Thank you and keep up the good work