The Golden City of Bravehearts

 

It goes without saying that India’s diversity is like no other - in terms of landscape, languages, history, people and culture. Every state in India boasts of something unique which distinguishes itself from the others and thus is a marvel in its own way. With Covid curbing mobility in terms of tourism for almost two years, tourists all around the world yearned to get back to exploring and visiting new places. Steadily and thankfully, now the doors of tourism have opened and is seen regaining normalcy. When it comes to exploring diversity, there’s no better place on earth than our very own India. Not having explored North India enough before and with an objective to make good use of my holidays, we decided to visit Amritsar – a city of great spiritual and historical significance.

From the ever-bustling Mumbai airport we landed in Amritsar, at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport. The airport derives its name from Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru and founder of Amritsar – the holiest city of Sikhism. At the airport, I saw pictures of attractions in Amritsar and I could not contain my excitement to explore the city. The itinerary was already chalked out, it was only few hours before we absorbed in the beauty of the city. The next morning, we headed out to visit the holy Harmandir Sahib or the Golden Temple. Before visiting the Golden Temple, we were greeted by the tall standing and proud-looking statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Lion of Punjab. Saddled on his horse and with a sword in his hand, Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s glory could still be felt in the air. It seemed as though he still had his protective hand over Amritsar. Paying our respects to the great king, we headed towards the temple.

Though Golden Temple is a Sikh place of worship, it is open for all people, from all walks of life and faith. The sight of the temple is one to behold and we felt the sangfroid and sanctity emanating from the temple, even standing from a distance. As expected, the temple was buzzing with numerous devotees – some taking a bath in the sacred pool near the temple, while some waiting in the queue to enter the holy shrine. The temple looks picturesque from all angles. This golden beauty shines and will continue to shine and shower its blessings on all those who go to seek its blessings. We enjoyed the kada prasad prepared in pure ghee which not only was a treat to the taste buds but also seemed like a pure blessing from the divine presence. The temple also houses a Sikh Museum which is an interesting insight into the Sikh history. The museum exhibits paintings of Sikh Gurus, saints, warriors and other prominent leaders who protected and fought for the honour of Sikhism. I had not known much about Sikhism before but reading about those great personalities made my heart swell with pride as well as wince in pain for the hardships and torment that they had to go through to protect the good.

Having basked in the divinity of the temple, it was time to revisit a sombre chapter in the Indian freedom struggle at Jallianwala Bagh. We had read about Jalianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 in our history textbooks but visiting the place where the carnage happened gave jitters. We entered the Bagh through its narrow passage and imagined how difficult it must have been for the innocent people to escape from death. Once we entered, we saw the point, from where it was written, the bullets were endlessly fired at a peaceful crowd protesting against the Rowlatt Act. Today Jallianwala Bagh is a historic garden and a memorial is built for the wounded and the dead. The Bagh also has a Martyrs’ Well in which people had jumped to save themselves from the ongoing onslaught. It is said that around 120 bodies were recovered from this well. There is also a wall which bears the bullet marks. There are galleries inside the Bagh which unfold the events of that fateful day, recounts the nightmarish experiences of those who survived and aftermath of this grisly incident. The facts send chill down the spine and it was hard to fight tears at this place where injustice and diabolism were beyond human imagination.

We further went to the Partition Museum to learn about the significant years in Indian freedom struggle and partition. This well-structured museum has a repository of materials and documents from various periods of Indian freedom struggle to partition and post partition. It was literally a walk down the historical lane as we navigated the events that led to partition in the sequence that they took place. The pictures of overcrowded trains as people rushed to go to the country of their choice, the refugee crisis, the squalid conditions that they lived in and countless number of people who lost their loved ones amidst this turmoil, certainly expressed more than a thousand words of unimaginable pain and suffering that the people then endured. The museum reverberated the proverb that there is light at the end of the tunnel. As we reached the last section of the museum, we saw stories of people who rose up from the wounds of partition like phoenix and led a respectful life, the prominent examples of which were Milkha Singh i.e., the flying Sikh and Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, MDH spices fame. We left the museum on an optimistic note that though life can throw unexpected challenges and tragedies, it is up to us to rise up again with sheer determination, patience and courage to lead a better life ahead. Our history and our great forefathers have passed on this grit and perseverance to us.

Amritsar is not only a cradle of Sikhism but it also has Hindu temples. We visited Durgiana temple next, the architecture of which is similar to Harmandir Sahib or the Golden Temple, with a sacred lake surrounding the temple. The temple derives its name from Goddess Durga who is worshipped here. The temple also has idols of Lord Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Krishna and Radha, Hanuman, Parshurama and Ganesh. It was Janmashtami on the day we visited, hence we saw some matkis to celebrate the playful childhood of Lord Krishna. We paid our obeisance to these deities and again got an opportunity to immerse in the serenity of divine presence. Since we were in Punjab, we had to buy something authentic Punjabi as a fond memory of the place. We went shopping for the traditional phulkari, the folk embroidery of the Punjab. The exquisite and intricate designs were indicative of excellent craftsmanship, the colours so fresh that it was difficult to choose one or two dresses among a heap of dresses. We finally decided on some phulkaris which captured our hearts and attention. To further complete the Punjabi look, we could not miss out on buying juttis. We visited a jutti shop which had a cornucopia of shoes of various designs and colours, again difficult to choose one or two pairs from. Thus, we ended our first day in Amritsar having sought blessings of the Sikh and Hindu deities, visited some chapters of Indian history and of course, shopped to our heart’s content.

Next morning, it was time to visit another era in history. We started our day with Gobindgarh fort. The fort was opened to the public from 2017 and was occupied by the army before. Maharaja Ranjit Singh renamed the fort to Gobindgarh fort in 19^th century after the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. The fort is a well-maintained sprawling space with number of attractions and cannons inside it. We made our way to the first attraction, a 7D show based on the life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh or Sher-e-Punjab. The show takes us back to 19^th century and shows glimpses of the great king’s bravery since his childhood. Having learnt something new in history, we headed towards our next stop – the warfare museum. This museum has replicas of weapons and attires of warfare. We saw some life-like statues donned in these attires, carrying the weapons. From ancient Indian warfare to guns and rifles, we saw how weapons and hence concept of defence evolved. There were some distinct weapons from various Indian states, which also included weapons used by Shivaji Maharaj and Marathas to slay their enemies. Thus, the stories of bravery reach far and wide. The sheer intelligence with which these weapons were built makes us proud of the excellent vision that our forefathers had, in absence of any modern technology. We went to Toshakhana or coin museum next, which houses many old and rare coins. It was also the place where the coveted Kohinoor diamond was stored. Today we see a replica of Kohinoor there. We also visited a Pagdi museum which has life-like statues again, sporting the various types of pagdi, another interesting fact that I did not know of before. We often tap our feet, sing along and dance on Punjabi songs. The origin of this dancing spirit comes undisputedly from Bhangra, the traditional Punjabi folk dance. We also enjoyed an energetic Bhangra performance by men and women clad in traditional Punjabi costumes. Bhangra beats made a non-dancer like me tap her feet and revel in with the enthusiastic spirit.

It was then time to go back to the times of Ramayana by visiting the Ram Tirath temple next, sage Valmiki’s ashram. It is believed that Sita took shelter in his ashram after she was abandoned by her husband Lord Rama. Inside the temple complex, we see Sage Valmiki’s idol writing Ramayana. The temple is guarded by a tall idol of Lord Hanuman, who had dug a water tank in Ram Tirath. The Hanuman statue at Ram Tirath is one of the tallest statues in the country. It was a refreshing experience to see some episodes of Ramayana in this beautiful structure.

It was time to visit the last and the most talked about attraction of Amritsar – the Attari border. My excitement peaked as we reached closer to our last stop. We reached the border well before in advance to catch the best seats possible to get the best possible view. The lowering of the flags’ ceremony at the India-Pakistan border was the most spectacular event that I ever witnessed. The atmosphere was filled with patriotism with Indians and Pakistanis cheering for their respective countries on both sides of the border. It was an experience like no other, where we saw the fathers and flags of both the nations opposite each other, held up high in their glorious form, divided by a border. A daily military practice followed by the Border Security Force of India and Pakistan Rangers, the ceremony symbolises the rivalry, brotherhood and co-operation between the two countries. Before the ceremony could start at 6 pm, the gathering crowd was already filled with a spirit of patriotism and we all chanted ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ for countless number of rounds. We sang along the patriotic songs that were being played. People danced to the songs, holding Indian tricolour proudly in their hands. I had never witnessed so much energy and action before. We also saw some international tourists who had come to witness this remarkable ceremony. In the half an hour ceremony that lasted, with dance-like manoeuvers and legs raised high by forces of both the nations, the crowd cheered endlessly in support of our beloved nation. The ceremony ended with both the flags lowered and respectfully folded, followed by closing of the gate that separates the two countries. We felt great about the fact that we got an opportunity to see this highly exuberant ceremony in India’s 75^th year of independence.

Before we could officially say goodbye to this city which made us fall in its love in only one day, we decided to catch one last glimpse of the Golden Temple as the day proceeded into darkness. The longing to see the temple once again was unchanged. We reached the premises of the temple and there it was, the glittering holy golden structure that had captured our hearts the day before. The temple reflected its golden light into the water around it, thus creating a stunning view which still remains imprinted on my mind. It made me say, “All that glitters is Golden Temple!”. We also considered ourselves fortunate for when we reached the temple in the evening, it was time for their daily prayer, which I assumed to be similar to maha aartis in Hindu temples. Though I could not understand the exact words of the prayers, it sounded very soothing and sacred to my ears. I could only chant “Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji ki Fateh”, having heard of it before. The prayers brought aplomb and calmness to the mind. We finally took leave from this charming temple, carrying our admiration and new found respect for Sikhism and its teachings. When in Punjab, eat like Punjabis do. We wanted to explore the delicacies of Punjab as it was our last night in Amritsar. We went to the famous Brothers’ Dhaba where we enjoyed lip-smacking butter naan and paneer. Generously cooked in desi ghee, every bite was a heavenly treat to the taste buds. The memory of that dinner still makes my mouth water! Thus, our short but eventful two-day trip in Amritsar came to an end. Having explored this magnificent city in North India, Amritsar now holds special place in my heart which walked me through various time periods of history and mythology. The memories of this trip will be cherished in many more years to come.

Past, Present and Future of Independence

 Today as I sat sipping my morning coffee, I was elated to see the view at my window. As the usual pleasant morning monsoon breeze brushed my face, I saw that our beautiful Indian tricolour flag hoisted at my home with its head held high, swayed proudly in the soothing breeze. It seemed to be breathing in the air of liberation which our country got 75 years ago, thanks to the many sung and unsung heroes who dreamt of an independent India for future generations to come.

When we refer to 75 years to a person, we call him or her a senior citizen, as someone who is retired and finally needs a well-deserved rest after many years of hard work. However, I believe that India is not 75 years ‘old’ but 75 years ‘young’, considering how far we have come in the last 75 years. India is young at heart, with its heart beating with immense energy to work towards improvements, to bring about development in every aspect that is possible. We still have a lot to achieve and lot to progress, but the strides in the last 75 years cannot certainly be overlooked.

As someone who is born in the 1990s, I believe that we have seen some rapid developments in the last 30 years itself. We have seen advancements in almost every walk of life – education, business, infrastructure, entertainment, communication (of which social media is the top ranker), and our overall outlook as a society. I think that internet is this dominant factor that transformed everything – not only providing one-click solutions to make our lives easier but also influencing the way we think, the decisions that we make. Somewhere between the wavering dial-up internet connection to 5G today, we have transformed as individuals and as a nation with internet as our window, connecting us to the rest of the world. We have adopted and adapted to keep up with the pace of the world. We have started to think of India not only as our own country but as a country who has the potential to make a significant mark in the world in any field that you name.

When I hear stories of my parents’ childhood, the simple life that they had, devoid of any comforts, luxury brands or anything ‘modern’ as we define today, I realise that it took them almost 50 years to see the developments that we see today in a span of 30 years. The development was by leaps and bounds. We started as a nation where we first focused on working for our basic needs and once these basic needs were fulfilled, we could walk towards and think of comforts and luxuries. India started prospering as the individual families residing in her started dreaming bigger. It does not come as a surprise when Indians make beeline for any new car, iPhone or any international brands or collections that are launched. India is a booming market vibrating with young energy, good purchasing power and every brand wants to tap this huge market. From an agrarian to a service-oriented economy, India has proven that she is the jack as well as master of any skill that you can think of. This immense potential, multitude of talents and skills explain how and what we have achieved till today.

In another 25 years, India will celebrate its centenary. 25 years from now, how will India look like? How would have things progressed? As someone who thinks that our past has sowed the seeds of our present and future, I often think how we would be celebrating the 100 years of our independence. I watched the Netflix movie The Adam Project a few months back. I am not usually a fan of sci-fi, yet I found this concept fascinating wherein the 12-year-old Adam meets his future self from 2050, played by Ryan Reynolds. What if I get to meet my future self some day? What story from the future will I tell myself today? It got me thinking and I started imagining a 100-year-old independent India, in the year 2047.

First, I would hope that our environment – the mountains, forests, oceans, seas, rivers would exist in a form as pure as possible, despite their desecration done by humans. Today climate change is a grim reality, and we see this harsh reality raise its ugly head in form of nature calamities that happen not only in India but also in other parts of the world. A few months back, I watched the Korean series The Silent Sea which revolved around the bunch of scientists who go on an expedition to the moon in search of water after the sources of water on Earth dry up and cease to exist in future. It is shown how people queue up outside ‘Water ATMs’ to fill a bottle of potable water and how often scuffles take place over limited water. The environment around is shown to be arid and lifeless, though technological advancement is at its peak. Those pathbreaking scientific discoveries are of no avail when water, the basic need of any human, becomes a rarity. In such a dystopian world, we would not be able to compare frivolous spending of money with water, as water would be scarcer and dearer than money. For me it was an eye opener of a series emphasizing on the fact that the actions we take today, our attitude, habits, and behaviour towards the elements of Nature will determine the future we would like to live in. This should start from actions as simple as not littering the surroundings or polluting air and water, the very basis of our life. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when there was dearth of oxygen supply, we realised that we have been wantonly cutting down trees over so many years, the lungs of nature and our source of oxygen without any regard for unforeseen circumstances like the pandemic.

Secondly, I would hope that no pandemic should ever arise in future again. Covid-19 brought the world to its knees and taught the world many lessons. The aftermath of Covid-19 was palpable in every small factor around us. People lost their loved ones, sources of livelihood and life took an unexpected turn. India battled this grave situation too and emerged victorious, which showed the medical advancement that she possesses. However, in future, I would hope that these healthcare facilities would be affordable and available to anyone who needs it, and no life is lost in the quest of getting the best treatment.

Thirdly, I would hope that no one goes hungry in our nation. The solution to this would be to have smaller families. It is said that by 2050, India will be the most populous country, surpassing China. The increasing population will put additional pressure on resources which are already under lot of pressure. It would be a challenge to educate the burgeoning the population, to translate the educated population to labour force, who will contribute to the GDP. If India does not create enough jobs for the growing population and if the workers are not adequately skilled for the jobs, then the demographic advantage of young working population would turn into a liability, thus resulting into a vicious cycle of population explosion, unemployment and poverty. Additionally, we would also need to have more female labour force participation in order to have better prospects for the economy. I would hope that every girl in remotest of villages gets the right to education and job opportunities that any equally qualified man would get. Thus, the picture of women emancipation and empowerment should not only be restricted to metro cities but should percolate to every city, every village in India. This empowerment and enlightening of women will help in controlling the population growth as well. As women become more educationally aware and take control of their own bodies, the fertility rates can be seen going down already, which could be seen as a sign of lesser strain on future resources. I would also hope that India’s development should not only be restricted to a few cities. India will be a superpower only if every village and city has equal opportunities in terms of education, job opportunities and infrastructure, and the overcrowding and overdependence on cities will reduce. India will not only be known by Mumbai or Delhi, but other cities as well, who will contribute to India’s growth and development in their own unique way.

Lastly, I would love to see that in 2047 the world would be more peace loving and India rises to become one of those happy countries where people learn to live with contentment without any inhibitions, and fair opportunities and facilities are given to all to grow and prosper, where the Government does not need to spend heavily on armed forces to defend its borders but more on education of its citizens. I would also like to see corruption weeded out from the system and the truly deserving ones are given opportunities according to their merits and talents. If the hard-earned taxpayers’ money is channelized ethically towards the welfare of the nation than filling the pockets of the few, no one would dare call our country ‘poor’ or ‘under-developed’.  

In 2047 we will see the quality of roads and railways at par with developed countries (i.e. if the funds really go in the direction that they are invested for), we might see flying cars like they show in movies, we would scale greater heights and our gadgets will become smarter beyond human understanding. In 25 years, India will be globally competent in all aspects. Technologies will get updated and then become outdated, Governments will change, but what will not change are the values, Indian traditions and millions of years of wisdom that are passed on to generations as treasures of not only our rich lineage but also are the very crux of being an Indian and defines who we are.

I always believe that India is standing firmly on her feet today because of her rich ancient cultural heritage and the great personalities who were its torchbearers. This past of ours paved way for where we are today, it has influenced where we stand today and will continue to shine upon future India beyond centuries. My dream of India in 2047 would seem very utopian, but the world lives on hope and there is no risk in dreaming big and being sanguine. Centuries ago, Indian independence also would have also seemed utopian – yet here we are today, enjoying the 75 years of independence thanking all those who dared to dream and fought for their dream to see an India they had envisaged.

A Dose of Hope

 

These days the human society is divided into two, or let’s say three groups. Forget the times when the society used to distinguish people based on race, colour, caste, language, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and multitudes of factors that make us human. These diverse traits of ours exist even today but they seem now to exist only in the background. Why? In pandemic times like these, when human survival itself is a pre-requisite for all of these factors to exist, there is a powerful force than these which will ensure that humans survive to call themselves most intelligent of God’s creations. This powerful force or potion of hope is the Covid vaccine which is safeguarding the world against the extant pandemic.

When I was reading the Meluha series by Amish Tripathi, I was fascinated by the concept of magical Somras drink of immortality. In today’s times, the Covid vaccine which is circulating across the nations of the world as a result of a year’s perseverance, thorough research and trials, is nothing less than the Somras. The scientists, doctors and even the nurses who administer these doses to common people like us are like the Maharishis of modern times. Thanks to their efforts, today almost each one of us is either fully or partially vaccinated.

I remember how 2021 started as a year of hope when Covid vaccines were launched amid plummeting cases and a bit of optimism. Taking baby steps, it was first launched for health workers and senior citizens, steadily propagating to other age groups as well. India also exported vaccines to countries that needed them. Initially there was a lukewarm response to vaccines as Covid cases were on the decline at the start of the year and people almost deemed that the pandemic was gone for good. We were like that hare in the hare and tortoise story, celebrating the victory over pandemic prematurely. Masks and safety precautions became blurred visions. However, we got a major blow when the second wave turned its ugly head in April 2021, infecting and taking toll on many lives. Thus, the panic situation arose and as a result, we faced scarcity of vaccine. Life which had regained of specks of normalcy was pushed back to a standstill.

Surviving is a race in a preponderantly huge India and we experienced that in our former normal lives as well, more metaphorically though. CoWin portal, which was created to book vaccine slots, gave up on people too, crashing while also crashing people’s hopes to get a slot. People found themselves caught in the loop of OTPs and captcha, while losing the slots in the blink of an eye. Thus, demand surged and supply fell short. CoWin’s failure to show a slot during tense times used to be another day of disappointment spent in waiting. If luck worked in your favour, you were grateful enough to find a slot for yourself or for your family member, again reminding me of local trains where you could manage to find a seat despite the heavy crowd.

This dark cloud too had a silver lining. It is not possible for the government or government hospitals alone to try and cover every single individual, given our population. Hence, corporates too extended a hand of co-operation to the government. Corporates started administering vaccines to its employees and their families and also bore the vaccine costs by having a tie-up with several private hospitals. I was fortunate enough to get my first shot from the organization I work for, which was a perfect example of efficient crowd management, maintaining discipline and following rules of social distancing. With more and more people getting vaccinated now, we have learned to battle Covid with cases now slowly receding. Vaccinations are like our armours which will eventually make this deadly virus surrender in defeat.

Hats off to the spirit of our hospitals and health workers who make vaccines available to us within the vicinity of our homes, we read about crores of jabs given in our country on a single day, which is truly praiseworthy. India is at par with several other developed nations in providing vaccines to its citizens. Comparing today’s nearly bearable situation with the panic situation that we faced in the months of April and May, we are in a better place with people finding not much of a trouble now to book a slot. I was too, taken by surprise when CoWin let me book a slot near my home in a span of minute or so for my second dose. It felt like living in a make-believe world!

Today having a certificate of being fully vaccinated feels like an achievement because we waited for the vaccines with hopeful eyes since last year. There was struggle and competition involved at various levels – right from the common public to national and global levels. This need for vaccine showed the human side of competitive countries and economies. It did not matter whether you were rich or poor. The vaccine continues to reach the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor. With government hospitals providing vaccines free of cost, we as taxpayers can feel ensured that some part of our money is surely being spent on a good cause ensuring healthy citizens.

Being fully vaccinated gives us a satisfaction that we are protected against the virus. Having said that, we should not let our guard down as the pandemic still continues to hover above us like a hungry predator. With an attempt to direct life back to normalcy, we see trains, malls, restaurants opening their doors to fully vaccinated people, thus fueling the mobility and giving a boost to spending economy. Some companies are also offering attractive discounts to their fully vaccinated customers. Shops are seen open for longer hours too, giving us a ray of hope that economy will revive again, benefiting even the smallest of small businesses.  Social media too, plays a role in spreading the need and awareness about vaccinations. Through them, several hospitals and municipal corporations inform citizens of available vaccine doses. Thus, this long human chain or a circle is helping fellow humans to overcome this challenge. 2021 is surely a year of hope, amid the setback of second wave that hit us really hard. The world and nationwide vaccination efforts are not only making us physically but also mentally strong. With a united and strong mental spirit of vaccinated people all over the world, we will continue to battle this pandemic till each of its wave and variant retracts and leaves the world. It is up to us though whether we want to be Covid-cautious by following the norms of social distancing and wearing masks or Covid-idiots by flouting all the norms. Our present actions foretell the eradication of this malice.

A year of Home-cum-Office

 

It’s another Monday. Start of another week. Start the day by checking mails while still in bed or while having tea or coffee and plan the day ahead. Start your laptop by 9 am and then proceed to take a shower and then breakfast. Then starts the busy day sitting in a comfortable place of your home, which sometimes does not end at 6 pm. When it does, the evening ahead looks like a well-deserved time to relax, sans the tiring commute back to home. This is how life has been in the past one year since the pandemic and therefore, Work from Home started.

I remember the day before my work from home had started. We planned how we were going to manage and co-ordinate work going forward and how things were going to be communicated. While packing things that day and making sure that my desk was spic and span, I felt that I would not be gone for long, not realizing that the situation was going to aggravate further. The seriousness had not seeped in my mind even while going home by in a jampacked train, where only few women in my compartment had covered their faces with masks. ‘Such hypochondriacs!’ I felt back then. After getting down the train that day, daily struggle that it was to be able to get down at my station after wading through the wild crowd of the train, I felt that work from home would be a nice break from these daily commute battles. But I had not anticipated such a long break of one year.

Among so many new surprises that we got last year, work from home was one of them. It seemed like a foreign concept for many organisations. Thankfully, the pandemic also changed the definition of work from home for many who thought that work from home was equivalent to a holiday and therefore discouraged it. Thus, the pandemic caused a shift in mindset, though we would have loved that to see that happen under normal circumstances. I think the biggest victory of working from home is an improvement in productivity. Especially in cities like Mumbai where the daily commute drains a person of his or her energy, that saved time and energy levels could be well invested in completing the tasks at hand. I remember a year back when Work from Home was seen as something exciting and novel. People saw the extra time worth investing in their hobbies. Thus, we saw a surge in social media posts of Dalgona coffee, Mandala art and lots of cakes made in pressure cookers. With gyms shut, people transformed their homes not only to offices but also to gyms. As a proof of that, we saw numerous workout posts of not only celebrities but also of our fellow colleagues who paid serious attention to physical and mental well-being. I too seized this opportunity to gorge upon many new shows, exercise at home and read a lot of books. I remember that there was an influx of many new OTT series that time, probably targeting the relatively free class of working people and students.

Meetings too got a different face and we see the funny angle of it through various memes on social media. Team meetings on Zoom, Microsoft Teams gained an impetus like never before. While some enthusiastic people like to leave their cameras on during meetings, wanting to have a feel of face-to-face meetings, majority choose to be behind the camera and be silent spectators or listeners and speak when necessary. Conversations which began with typical small talk topics like “How was your weekend?” or “How is the weather?” now begin with “Can you hear me?”, “I’m not able to hear you” or “I can’t see your screen” etc. thus consuming the time for small talk. Dressing up for virtual meetings was another topic of humorous discussions where there were memes and videos about people wearing formal shirts or tops over pyjamas. ‘Face value’ is thus important for some meetings!

While work from home ensures and proves that we give our best from any corner of the world, it is also seen to have blurred the lines between personal and professional life, especially for those who mistake work from home as work for indefinite number of hours because come on, you are sitting at home and don’t have a train to catch. So might as well sit and put some extra hours to finish that mountain of work as if there is no tomorrow. Such way of thinking disrupts the work life balance, which almost compensates for the commute stress that you want to avoid.  However, it is necessary to lay these boundaries yourself and switch your mind off post work hours. A sense of discipline needs to be instilled in our own selves to finish work on time and catch the train which drops us to the station of enjoying personal life. This mental commute from home office to home is very important to devote time for your loved ones and most importantly to yourself. When we were in office, we used to take tea breaks or go on walks after lunch as a means to spend time with our colleagues and share our experiences of the day. Now that has stopped and we are working remotely, chats on platforms like Skype or other IMs don’t seem like real conversations and we instead focus solely on work, sitting in our chairs for long hours. Breaks at regular intervals or even a power nap has a lot to contribute towards better productivity. I also read articles about how office romances are suffering and have declined because of work from home scenario, which I found funny and made me think how a workplace can have myriad motivational factors for various people.

For me and countless others, work from home which was earlier new normal is now normal, like any other day with that same longing as before for weekends and checking for weekends clubbed with public holidays. Initially I remember how so many of us hesitated to utilise our leave because we were working from home. Soon after realizing that work from home, after exploring and exhausting its novelty, is like a normal work day, people considered leave as not only a reason of getaway to exotic locations but also a reason to de-stress, switch off and relax. The time spent away from laptop also seems like a vacation.

In few articles that I read, employees in some developed countries too would prefer working from home even after the pandemic given how flexibly they can work within the home office setup. Work from home, though is a phase, will be a memorable one. The office days and office fun will be back someday. We have office fun virtually too, by having virtual lunches or events, but we all know that laughter and banter can’t be enjoyed virtually as much as in person. Looking at my wardrobe, I remember how much I used to plan to dress up for the next day to office, one of my motivations to go to office. I imagine the clothes in my wardrobe expressing envy to my pyjamas now that their roles have reversed. The pandemic changed our lives in many ways and even after getting back to office, we will still be cautious enough to be socially distanced, divided by bottles of sanitizers and masks, until we get the vaccine of enthusiasm back to enjoy the previous old, former normal life. Till that happens, we must continue reaping the fruits of work from home in the best way that we can and show this virus that nothing can beat us down!

Battling the stereotypes

 

“Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devata”

Meaning: Gods rejoice wherever women are given their due respect

Now that work from home and limited outings have become the new normal, we all have learnt to embrace it. During this period, OTT platforms have ensured that there is no dearth of content to watch. Even my weekend plans necessarily include the list of movies or a new series that I’d like to watch. Recently, I watched a Malayalam film ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’, at the end of which I couldn’t stop myself applauding for the female protagonist’s courage. As per society’s expectations, this woman gets married in a typical household, where the only role of a woman is to cook, clean and satisfy male egos. Her dreams, her aspirations have no value and are easily overlooked and lost among the drudgery of her daily routine. This was an inspiring film about a common yet special woman who defies the society’s beliefs that a woman’s place is only in the kitchen. How she breaks these shackles and becomes independent is something that would resonate with every woman.

I developed a newfound respect for all women or rather superwomen, who look after their family, cook, clean and are excellent home managers. I would not call them ‘housewives’ but ‘home managers’ who are at par with the managers in a business organization. At the same time, the movie also made me think how we as society have this line of distinction between jobs for men and women. Though today we do have some great male chefs in the world, it is generally expected, even today, that kitchen should ideally be only a woman’s lookout. Same goes with raising of children. Surely, today there are husbands who equally take up responsibilities and help their wives in all the household work, yet there would be some who would see this ‘advancement’ like an eighth wonder of the world.

We believe that times have changed and society is adapting to the reversal of roles as well. Yet, there are some families who remain firm with their traditional and primitive thinking. Women are experts at doing the balancing act between career and family. While some may think that women can’t have both and they must make a choice between the two, there are women who are successful managers at home and in office as well. They are actively involved in the decisions taken at home, children’s school activities and give their best at work as well. Why go very far, we have seen especially during last year, how our fellow women colleagues have balanced work, kids, their online school and household work in absence of maids. Of course, we must also appreciate the support that they receive from their husbands and families. While women can achieve anything they set their mind to, it’s also the support of a strong pillar called family that helps them reach where they want to. In other words, women are multitalented and multitask, as though they are really bestowed with ten hands like Goddess Durga.

Sometimes it is easier to overcome the challenges arising at work, but some women have another difficult test to pass – the test of marriage. I would call it a test, because most of the times the criteria to pass this test are ‘slim and fair’ along with ‘educated’, but slim and fair are given more preference, even in some ‘forward thinking’ families, who think that their sons are absolutely perfect. While ‘Fair & Lovely’ too thought of revamping to ‘Glow & Lovely’, we still have some time to go till the society learns to see the inner glow of a woman for her talents and inner beauty, which is hidden behind her scars, chubby physique and dark skin. All women might not be ‘marriage material’ however the society defines this concept, but they are material to bring about a change in the thought process of this same society by breaking the stereotypes. The movie also shows how the society considers menstruation as something impure and expects a woman to refrain from all household work and even participating in religious functions. In the olden days, this was means for a woman to get some rest while on her periods. In this fast-paced life of today’s women, periods are something does not stop them to take up new challenges, like the sanitary pads’ advertisements show. Therefore, when a menstruation leave policy was proposed in some organizations, it was seen as a discrimination against women to offer equal opportunities, using biology like a weapon.  Women undergo the difficult process of labour to give birth to new life and menstruation just prepares their body for this natural process. Therefore, considering this ‘period of periods’ as a sign that a woman won’t be her normal self is hardly fair because menstruation and childbirth are phenomena that show women are way stronger to endure everything.

A woman does not need only marriage and children to complete her. In fact she has control over her own body and may choose to not have children, which does not make her any less of a woman. Her own company can bring her joy too; ‘self-partnered’ as Emma Watson calls it. The start of any revolution or change begins from an individual household and it requires daily effort, like a sapling requiring water to blossom. It could be something as simple as appreciating and expressing gratitude to your mother, wife, sister, friend or colleague or supporting in every little way. The smile that your smallest of support or encouraging words would bring to her face, amidst a tiring day, would mark a beginning of that revolutionary change.

The Year that was 2020

 

‘2020’. The number itself is enough to remind us of everything that we do not want to remember. The year 2020 has become a metaphor for anything unpleasant, be it a bad day, bad food or bad mood. Everyone seems to be eager to bid goodbye to this year, with a hope that the pandemic, too, will leave the mankind for good. I remember writing my blog around this same time last year reverberating about everything that the past decade had given us, with a hope that the new decade would start on a positive note and give us more reasons to celebrate. And it did, until the month of March. When I look back at 2020, I think that January and February were still part of the normal years before. Reports say that coronavirus has had the most news coverage after the second world war given that the pandemic too shook the entire world to its core.

In the ‘normal’ months of January and February, life seemed to continue at the same fast pace. Going to crowded places was still normal. I passed my last leg of German language learning with flying colours in January and thought that it was an indication that the best year had just started. While visiting the colourfully crowded Kalaghoda fest in February, never did it once strike me that crowded places like these were something to be avoided going forward. I always look forward to next vacation when one gets over. Hence, when I went on a short trip to Mahabaleshwar in February with an expectation that a longer vacation awaited later, little did I know that it was the only vacation that I could enjoy this year. Covid-19 indeed taught us to put question mark next to everything that we may have planned.

While Covid-19 was lurking in the dark and had already reached other countries, life continued to be normal in India. Business as usual. Until then we were only hearing and reading reports about the virus which had originated in Wuhan. The toll on lives that it was taking, the countries that were getting affected, everything was coming to us in form of numbers and statistics. Waves of fear started building up. The importance of clean hands, personal hygiene and need for social distancing started gaining impetus. I remember when I heard about the first case found in Mumbai when I was in office. Social distancing while traveling in local trains of Mumbai? Next to impossible! While traveling by train that day, I suspiciously looked at passengers around with a fear that one or some of them may actually be carrying the virus, like some weapon under a garb. We were soon told to work from home to avoid the risk of infection. While clearing my desk on my last day in office, I felt that the virus, just like a common cold or fever will go away in a matter of few days and life would soon resume to normal. Work from home seemed to be just a temporary setup of working nine months ago.

Soon the series of lockdowns started, and free movement became restricted. Masks became part of our couture, hand sanitizers, a must-have thing when outside. We were confined to our homes. Public places looked deserted, offices and public transport void of human presence. Home became an office away from office. Organisations around the world understood and adopted the new model of working from home and accepted it for the long run as well. With commuting time now reduced to zero, productivity improved, and also the hours became longer for some. Most organisations these days have a paperless way of working and hence the need to go to office everyday was worth contemplating. In fact, the pandemic encouraged the heavily paper dependent organisations to go digital and invest more in IT infrastructure. Virtual meetings, workshops and trainings have kept us connected to the world of business from comfort of our homes.  Those who thought that work from home was as good as a ‘holiday’ or a way to shirk work and had trust issues when anyone requested for work from home, had no alternative but to accept this new way of working. Thus, we learned that an adversity could give birth to new mindsets and thought processes as well.

‘No touch’ policy became a thumb rule. Today we see Zomato/ Swiggy and other online delivery platforms living up to that promise and delivering food or products with utmost care. Few months back, while I was still apprehensive about ordering anything online, I decided to try something new. Staying at home gave me more time to read my books and finish them faster than before. Thus, my stock of hard copy books was rapidly diminishing. Replenishing that stock by ordering online or going out to buy books was a risk I was hesitant to take. Thus, I converted from being a paperback to eBook lover. I realised that books can be interesting in any form, as the plot of the book is something that matters the most. Though paperbacks still remain my favourite, the time during lockdown taught me to welcome and embrace the technologically advanced face of books as well. Thanks to the gift of time and this experiment of trying out something different, I could finish reading 27 books this year including eBooks. Thus, books and OTT platforms helped to pacify my ‘fernweh’ or desire to travel in this unprecedented year, as they provided me with some window to the outside world. This year also taught me to pay more attention to my physical and mental wellbeing. I got more time to exercise and wholeheartedly ate only homemade food, which made me appreciate the value of these simple yet essential aspects of life. I could invest the time saved from tiring commute in my hobbies and spend more time with my loved ones. I was glad that I could get to learn some new things at work, though the days seemed busier than in office. I felt capable and confident enough to take some challenges, as the second name of 2020 is ‘Challenges’.

That is how the world looks today. Covid-19 came, it surely scared and continues to scare the world. But humans have evolved a lot in these last few months. I believe that it is not only survival of the fittest, but also of the bravest. Humans have become resilient or should I say like in the book ‘Ikigai’, “antifragile”, which means that a calamity like Covid-19, instead of making us fragile, has made us even stronger to combat it. Take simple example of Dharavi, the massive slum in Mumbai, where zero cases were reported two days ago since the outbreak of coronavirus. India’s recovery rate is improving and the number of reported cases is falling, which is a harbinger of upcoming good times. Yes, the world is slowly turning to normalcy. Roads, malls and shops look busy again with safety measures and with masked faces. Facebook and Instagram are again flooded with wedding and vacation pictures. We are phoenixes who are slowly coming out of the ashes, all set to fly again, literally as well as metaphorically.

I started the year with the book ‘The Alchemist’ thus venturing into a self-help genre for the first time. The book is acclaimed worldwide and it rightly deserves to be so as it talks about how wonderful life can be. When I think of that book today and about the ‘Elixir of Life’ mentioned in it i.e., a liquid potion which heals diseases and grants long life, I imagine that the intense efforts for vaccine today seem no less than the search for Elixir of Life.  Scientists all over the world were and are still burning the midnight oil to come out with a vaccine and their efforts are bearing fruits too, with some countries having begun with the vaccinations. 2020 will always be etched on our memory as a year of losses and pessimism, when the proud and advanced world was brought to its knees. I would say 2020 should be thought as year of retrospection, where we changed as individuals by being grateful for all that we have, learned to respect Nature and her sanctity, valued the gift of time and money by using them wisely. With this new and updated version of us, let’s turn over a new leaf in 2021 and make this world a healthier, happier and balanced space for all.

Lockdown chronicles- Winners and Losers

 

2020 is proving to be a year which we can never forget.  It has turned out to be a year beyond our imaginations. It is a year when we don’t see our best laid plans materializing. On social media, we see a lot of memes about the year 2020 and have a hearty laugh. Well, that’s one - we are taking our difficulties and limitations in a light hearted manner. I believe we have evolved in some way this year. The human race which is so eager to always achieve success and is always on its toes has learned to slow down. Lockdown, vaccine, pandemic and quarantine are the words which we hear almost every day. I say ‘almost’ because some of us have already given up on watching the news and keeping a track of newly infected cases and death toll all over the world. Surely, the improving percentage of recovery rate brings some glimmer. In times like these when we feel there is only pessimism and hopelessness around, does there stand a chance to think about positive aspects? Of course, yes! If we think of it, 2020 is not only about losses, but also of some things that we have gained.

The first thing that we have learned or should learn during lockdown is to be grateful with what we have, especially at times when we read or hear reports about people losing jobs or are finding it difficult to make both ends meet. We have the facility to work from home and earn our salaries, while there are countless others who have to step out to earn their daily bread. We have learned to be grateful to all the ‘Covid warriors’ like doctors, nurses, cleaning staff and policemen who put their lives at risk to help others. Secondly, this pandemic has also taught us dignity of labour. We often distinguish jobs as per economic conditions, literacy and educational levels. It is only during this pandemic, when our maids could not come to our homes that we realized that every little job, however menial it may look, is important and we have to respect it.

Travel, the most looked forward to thing every year, is a distant memory this year with the entire world coming to standstill and not welcoming its guests with open arms. We don’t have attractive pictures or fancy check-ins to post this year, but only throwback memories to share. I can commiserate with all travelers this year whose plans have been postponed. As I love to travel and explore new places, I had planned to visit Europe this year and the entire itinerary was in place. I was excited to start the new decade by visiting destinations that were on my list since a long time. Alas, 2020 had different plans for me and home became my only and safe destination. Never did I imagine that world would become a closed place with so many restrictions. Expecting the unexpected is the norm of this year! Looking at the brighter side, when I think of my trip next year, I believe it will be a special one and enjoy it even more because that trip would be a well-earned break from this year’s forlornness.

Talking about the things gained and lost this year, I am thankful that I didn’t gain one thing i.e. weight, all thanks to ghar ka khaana or home-made food. During normal times (that seems like ages ago), weekends used to be packed with outings to restaurants and trying out exotic dishes. Why just weekends, even the weekdays were treats to taste buds when we went out with our colleagues to de-stress and enjoy some gala time together outside office. Unfortunately, our wandering feet and experimental minds have to take a break this year. But as they say, ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’, we have turned our kitchens at home to prepare restaurant like dishes which will alleviate our cravings for outside food to some extent. Thus, we have learned (and mastered for some) the art of cooking and savour the food prepared at home, however simple the meal may be. And of course there are numerous culinary pages on social media as well to remind us of the former times when we relished street food and also to encourage us to try new dishes at home.

Lifestyle has changed for better. We have become health conscious and disciplined. Washing hands at regular intervals, maintaining cleanliness and avoiding going to crowded places are some practices which have become way of life. We have become responsible citizens with basic civic sense. This year there is no boisterous celebration of festivals, instead they are being celebrated peacefully in the right sense, thus redefining the meaning of festive fervour. Hopefully this mindset will continue for long.

Work from home has taught us to be more efficient in absence of commuting hours which drained us of our energy. We have cut down on frivolous spending of time. At times unfortunately we feel that the demarcating line between home and office is vanishing and one should be mindful to not lose one over the other. While we are accustomed to this new way of working and we feel that holidays don’t make sense since we all are confined at home, significance of periodic breaks from work should not be overlooked for wellness of the mind. Thanks to online streaming platforms, I take my deserved break by watching interesting shows and movies to drift my mind off the grave environment around.

We are spending only on necessities these days, which of course is not great for an economy which also thrives on comfort and luxury goods. So while we emerge as winners of simplicity and modest life, the economy loses on a huge chunk of consumer base for various products. One’s loss is someone’s gain. While we miss going out to theatres and watching movies, we have online streaming platforms at our disposal to bring theatres to our homes by releasing entertainment content in form of movies and series almost in every week. We miss the experience of munching (exorbitantly priced) popcorn at the theatres while watching a movie, but in a way that is just contributing to our money-saving mentality for a future that looks intimidating after wading through a challenging year like 2020.

Such times have also emphasized the need of sound mental health when everything around seems uncertain and hazy. We have a strong pillar in form of family who is always there to listen to us and stand by us. Thus, this pandemic has given us the opportunity to rekindle bonds with our loved ones to talk and share our feelings. We have also gained a sense of nostalgia for all the pleasant memories that symbolized a simple and happy life sans latest technology and gadgets, by watching the re-runs of our favourite shows or going through the childhood photo albums like I did. While it is said that progress and advancement are good, these happier times make me want to go back in time.

Nothing lasts forever. These disparaging moments too shall pass. Economies will bounce back and start circulating money to build up a shaken world. World will be a mobile place once again. Losses will be recovered slowly and steadily. Life will get back to normal. However, 2020 will be engraved on my mind which will make me revisit the profit and loss account of my life and make me pat my back for the profit that I made in terms of good habits , health, and improved outlook towards life. This profit would be the kind that I would like to carry forward to every year of my life!