
Nowadays I hear the clear chirping of birds in my garden and see less dust on the furniture in my house. The lockdown has given me these perks. It has also given us a silence that is deafening and screaming to be heard. The protagonist corona has grabbed the centre stage all over the world. The COVID exerts a centripetal force on whatsapp messages and current affairs.
The world leaders are grappling with a virus war. Maverick Trump finally came out of a state of COVID denial and has been graciously accepting help for the medical supplies and extending monetary aid to needy nations as well. China is covering up its muddy tracks with a newer trails showcasing help to countries in distress.
In India, various stories are being unfolded in different households. A friend of mine is morose as her daughter has postponed cancer treatment because the braveheart does not want to risk her husband and other caretakers to possible COVID infection at the hospital, apart from the fact that she herself is specifically vulnerable to it. A few relatives are mothers-to-be and unable to be with their spouses who are abroad right now.
There are many, like my retired husband, whose day earlier would be made by driving out and meeting up acquaintances for a gupshup. All my neighbours are businessmen and finding time heavy on their hands. I hear the wives are a harassed lot too, preparing endless cups of tea.
There is the possibility of nervous breakdowns and explosion of anger in such suppressed situations. There is confirmed news of domestic violence and grave withdrawal symptoms experienced by the tipsy folks. Doctors are precious and are being deployed for corona. The best option in such times seems to dabble a bit in spiritual pursuits, which may have taken the back seat in the hustle bustle of pre-COVID life. The Bible, Quran, Granta-Sahib and the Gita offer solace to the disturbed mind. As such, Ramayan being telecast has been a wonderful initiative to engage and seed the mind. The values that are inherent in the epic. Timeless values of friendship and qualities of resilience, tolerance, justice, sacrifice, compassion, humility, respect and obedience to elders, and much more are highlighted.
I remember that the Ramayan movie, watched decades ago, had a stupendous effect on my pre-teen mind, as did the movie that our school nuns took our class to – The Ten Commandments.
The administrators are the think tanks of the nation. Let us not, as individual citizens, worry about the economy nose diving into the netherworld with businesses shut down, offering unemployment as the collateral damage.
Such worry is mere wasteful preoccupation for now. As is said, Que Sera Sera, the future’s not ours to see.
Until COVID makes its exit from the world stage as any other actor, it is better for each one of us to engage our minds in productive pursuits, calming influences, and practise safety. This is the least we can do in the prevailing situation to help ourselves and others.