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!

The Bridge Builders

Since the lockdown has started, I have gorged on a lot of shows and movies that were pending on my list since a long time and of course those that I wanted to watch because of peer pressure or countless articles on the internet. OTT platforms always provide a wide arena of entertainment, with the gush of new releases almost every week. During the lockdown period we realise their importance more than ever. We don’t have to struggle to watch our favourite shows now while standing or sitting in an overcrowded local train, but we can enjoy them sitting at home while maintaining social distancing. Thanks to OTT platforms, our entertainment is not only restricted to Hindi, English and regional languages. Our taste in entertainment has crossed even the English-speaking borders. The world may have restricted its geographical borders, but entertainment content, like a river, is continuing to flow all over the world. Without an indispensable element called ‘subtitles’, this virtual adventure across the world would not have been possible.

The first series that I watched after the lockdown started was Money Heist. Season 4 had already released, and people were raving about it all over the social media. Joining the bandwagon, I started watching this acclaimed Netflix Spanish series. I have heard some people say that they are not fond of foreign language content because it is more of reading than watching. I agreed with them on some level. Hence, I began watching the first episode with English audio. Within 5 minutes I realised that I was not enjoying the show, not because the content was bad, but the characters would have felt more natural and convincing if I listened to them in Spanish. I changed the audio to Spanish and subtitles to English and my involvement in watching the show grew better. Thus, English subtitles helped me enjoy the show in its authentic sense and I became yet another fan of Money Heist. I listened to Spanish and read in English and realised that the two languages had quite some words in common. Having watched Narcos before which was almost 80% Spanish, I was familiar with some Spanish words. Also, as a child, Ricky Martin’s song ‘Un, dos, tres’ had taught me ‘one, two, three’ of Spanish if not A, B, C.

This year the South Korean movie Parasite won four Oscars including Best International Feature Film and Best Picture. It created a mark in the history of Oscars by being the first ever non-English movie to win Best Picture. The movie’s director, Bong Joon-Ho on winning Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes said, “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films”. It is absolutely true as we would have never experienced the masterpiece that Parasite was, without English subtitles. It would have been missing out on something great. Even in India, we have growing number of people who enjoy watching Korean content or ‘K-Dramas’ as they are fondly called. In today’s age of entertainment where content is king, language is no more a barrier. With the help of subtitles, quality content can reach a wider audience. South Korean movies like Train to Busan and Parasite that I watched boasted of unique concepts and powerful stories. From the limited Korean content that I watched, it was nice to know more about the country’s unique mannerisms, culture and society, and what could be a better depiction of the society other than series and movies? I found it amusing to listen to the various intonations in which the language was spoken. While watching Korean, I have to strictly maintain my eye co-ordination between watching and reading, for nothing can be interpreted from what is spoken, unlike European content where some similarity with English can be established.

I remember the times when we were shown German movies in our class. On one such occasion, the subtitles of the movie we had planned to watch were not working. Panic rose in our class and the spirit started to dampen because our crutch to enjoy and understand the movie itself had ratted on us. Our teacher tried to assuage our fears by saying that probably we would not need subtitles as we had known the language for quite a long time then and understanding the dialogues would not be difficult. Yet we had our doubts. Trying to understand the context with strained ears in bits and pieces from the actors’ expressions and lip movements would have killed the movie watching experience. Fortunately, the technical glitch was resolved as though with a magic wand and the subtitles worked. There was a rhapsody in the class and renewed vigour to watch the movie, now that our ‘support system’ was back. Till date I watch German content with subtitles. Where German subtitles are available, I try as much as possible to watch the movie or series with them, so that I can learn new words in the ‘watching and reading’ process.

Why cross the geographical boundaries of India, when our country is embellished with so many languages and equally rich content in regional languages! In recent times, I explored more of Tollywood and Kollywood. Those languages are not similar to Hindi and hence English subtitles lead the way to understand and appreciate the quality content. Every time I watch something in a language that I don’t know, I silently thank the people who write subtitles and make it accessible to all viewers and are responsible for correctly conveying the message that the makers of a show or movie want to deliver to their audience. Their understanding of the nuances of the language must be truly remarkable.

Nowadays no entertainment content is ‘foreign’ as such because of its omniscient availability on OTT platforms in all possible gadgets that we own. Shows like Dark (German), Fauda (Arabic), Crash Landing on You (Korean) and many more have garnered positive reviews from critics and viewers alike all over the world. Every language has its own beauty in form of unique expressions, idioms and even expletives, which cannot be translated to English every time. Yes, the subtitles may give you an English equivalent to that, but the real essence lies in the original idiom or expression, which belongs to no one but that language, state, or country itself and cannot be really ‘translated’. But of course, we look at the bigger picture. We want to get a general sense of what we are watching, and that purpose is served with the help of subtitles. At times I find myself depending on subtitles even in unimaginable situations. Once I saw two Germans in my office conversing with each other in their mother tongue. Though I understood the crux of what they spoke, I silently muttered ‘Subtitles please!’ to understand the words that I couldn’t catch. Later I laughed at myself for inadvertently being dependent on subtitles even in daily life. Today we don’t need to be polyglots to watch content in any language, for subtitles are present to do the needful. They are the bridges that connect our interest to watch a show or movie with the language that we are not familiar with. Sitting and banking on this bridge, we as viewers, need to simply sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

Window to the World

Now that life has come to a standstill and is restricted only to home due to Covid-19 lockdown, our view of the outside world has also become confined, except for the news reporting about how various countries are tackling the ongoing pandemic. The fact that some countries are slowly regaining normalcy is finally like a hope of finding light at the end of the dark tunnel. Some countries are yet to find that light which I am sure will happen soon. Till then, the world is a closed as well as enclosed space.

A few days back I was thinking about some of my favourite German words. I could come up with a unique one like ‘fernweh’, a longing to visit and explore different countries. That’s when I realized how much I am missing Wanderlust this year. Travel diaries on social media too are now replaced by ‘throwback’ or ‘take me back’ memories, making us nostalgic thinking about the happier times. These days I find myself browsing through the pictures of my previous trips or reading my travelogues to relive the memories and newness of the destinations which I had experienced.

The beaches, mountains, monuments look empty with no one to adore them. I imagine that they must be missing being part of countless selfies too. With tourism industry coming to a standstill, several restaurants and resorts lie empty. I read in one of the articles that some East European countries whose almost 25% of GDP comes from tourism have been affected greatly. Airports which were bustling with people look deserted. The suitcases, sunglasses, travel outfits and shoes at home lie unused probably waiting to go on an adventure once again.

Traveling has always inculcated a sense of rejuvenation in me. The excitement to plan a trip, book flights, make a list of places I want to visit till actually visiting that destination is one memorable process. I always make it a point to plan my next trip after one is over, so that the flame of seeing new places always remains kindled. In this way, I love to have something to always look forward to. The joy of going on that most awaited leave is beyond any measure. The world has so much to offer and travel is like a window which gives us these marvelous views. The world has more than the eyes can see, the brain can process and is more than a lifetime. Similar to a painting without its set of connoisseurs is simply a piece of art, even the world would be a mere creation of wonders without anyone to wonder about them. Travel and tourism thus encourage and entice people all over the world to come and admire the world in its varied forms. The business and economy angles surely wouldn’t work if it weren’t for people who had passion for traveling.  When we say that the economy is not doing well in the ongoing crisis, I wonder how many sectors tourism itself influences and money is circulated among so many channels, making it a multifaceted industry. With the world coming closer, curiosity to discover something new, affordable travel options and easier ways available to book a tour to a destination you always have dreamed of going to, surely vacations are not only restricted to your native place like earlier times.

When I think of how traveling must have originated, I am reminded of names like Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Bartholomew Diaz, Ferdinand Magellan and Amerigo Vespucci who were first globetrotters of the world. They set out on their voyages with compasses to explore the world. Today you have the world map to put your finger on and choose where you want to go. Imagine the passion in those times to discover an unknown side of the world without a map or having to go through the formalities of issuing a passport or a visa. They were like birds who could travel to many places with wings of curiosity and thirst to get to know the world. Probably without these passionate explorers we would not have a world map with geographical boundaries to look at. Today we are simply rediscovering what has already been discovered and looking at the world differently from what it was in their eyes.

I boast of having traveled to many places through the books that I read. I create a certain image, a painting of that country in my mind based on the story. But what does the real picture of that country look like? Does it match with the picture that I have painted in my mind? These questions can only be answered by traveling to those countries. When I read Cecelia Ahern’s books with stories set in Ireland, I imagine the lush greenery and serenity of that country. The characters in the books tell me about the nature of people living in those countries, who are strangers yet seem familiar in some way. Human tendencies and emotions are so similar over the world after all! What pulls us towards a particular city or a country is its natural beauty, culture, language, people and also food. Travel gives a sense of authenticity. Though today the entire world is literally on your plate, that experience of tasting waffles or French fries in Belgium, pizza and pasta in Italy, croissants or wine in France, beer in Germany’s Oktoberfest, shawarma in the Middle East, or Chole Bhature in Punjab is unique and remains memorable. Capturing green mountains or vast sea, a freely walking tiger in Tadoba or a pride of lions in Gir or Masai Mara in Kenya on your camera gives you a feeling of being close to the nature. The architectural wonders of the world teach how humans have been different, intelligent and creative and have left a mark of their values and culture in the pages of history.

This year you might not create travel memories. It wouldn’t be fun anyway to enjoy with masks on, for you won’t breathe in the aura and energy of that city or country. In order to not feel disappointed I think of it this way: maybe even the natural and man-made wonders are enjoying this serenity which they have got after many years. Maybe they too are experiencing the older times when they weren’t reverberating so much with humans. Today the world seems like an uncanny space to venture into. The world isn’t ready yet to welcome its admirers. But I am sure that the present clouds of despair would soon make way to a bright and sunny tomorrow. The airports will get busy, travel destinations and the people in the travel and tourism chain will be back on their feet to fulfil travel dreams of people. We as travelers also would have the responsibility to preserve, maintain and respect the heritage and sanctity of a city or a country through our mindful actions. In this way, the world once again, like Christ the Redeemer will welcome humankind all over the world with open arms.

Lockdown Wonders

Nowadays, as lockdown has become a way of life, people have learned to kill time. In a fast city like Mumbai where time is money, killing something as precious as time was indeed similar to a crime, except on weekends of course. Now time is all that we have to kill, after doing the daily required tasks at home. When I feel too lazy to do something productive, my way of killing time is to scroll aimlessly on social media and before I know it, I feel guilty to have ‘murdered’ significant amount of time by poking my nose in matters of people which are too distant, almost invisible. Having said that, I am getting to know people better than before.

Lockdown has drastically changed our lives in a way that we never imagined before. It has also become a time to reveal the innate talents that people may have. In short, we get to see ‘India’s got talent’ on social media. These days whenever I open my ever-active platforms of social media, they are flooded with posts and stories of cooking attempts by many people. Most of them look delectable, whether that’s true magic of hands or of food filters, those dishes and their enjoyers know better. I believe that cooking and baking have gained popularity like never before during lockdown. Kitchens, though not of restaurants but of homes, have become busy laboratories of trying hands at delicacies and a ground for budding chefs. Surely, restaurants are in for a tough competition once they reopen, for there might be people who may have found their true passion in cooking and might find restaurant food insipid. I remember seeing one meme on social media, of a long queue of people waiting to be auditioned for MasterChef. Any art requires time and patience. With more free time now, it is great to see people getting back at art and reliving their younger selves and reviving the talent that may have got lost in the pre-corona humdrum of life. Be it art work or recipes made at home with love and hard work, it is good to see people make fruitful use of gift of time. For foodies like me, there is always a wave of nostalgia when we watch ‘restaurant-style’ or ‘street food’ recipes on pages like Gobble, Yum, Your Food Lab etc., if two months can be called long enough to title it as nostalgia! This pandemic has highlighted the importance of cleanliness and hygiene among all, so when things are back to normal and we crave for street food, we definitely should not turn a blind eye to hands of the bhaiyya who serves pani puri or chaat.

In absence of maids now, we have learned the meaning of household work anew. We have learned to pay attention better at home. Many celebrities post their pictures or videos of engaging in household chores in absence of house help. Corona has thus taught us to not be over- dependent. With the new ‘Work from Home’ culture, we have learned to do the balancing act and are proving to be better managers at home and at work. Manager is not simply a designation at office now, but also at home because we are learning to use the resources at home frugally and keeping the stocks of necessities in check. Many organizations which previously had qualms about employees working from home, have acclimatized to this culture and have realized that efficiency does not get hampered, thus learning that work can be done efficiently from any corner of the world. At my workplace, there are often encouraging and congratulatory mails for those who deliver their best while working from home. We also keep the flame of team spirit alive by playing virtual games and karaoke on Fridays, which help us stay connected and show our sportive and creative attitude. This pandemic has changed the outlook towards the way we work and has quashed the traditional belief that work is done better under the boss’s nose.

On social media, we also see celebrities working out at home and looking their natural selves with beauty salons being shut. Just like home offices, we now have home gyms and people diligently work out at home so as to not gain ‘lockdown weight’. Women who are particular about their looks have learned to live with their grown eyebrows, non-manicured and pedicured toes and nails and gray hair. It is time that we women accept our natural beauty and not depend on external and artificial beautifiers.  Though Covid-19 is a grave situation that the world is facing right now, thanks to social media, we still can have our moments of laughter in form of lockdown memes and videos. In these trying times, laughter is proving to be the best medicine to maintain our mental wellbeing. This spirit of tackling any challenge with a light-hearted sense of humour, is worth appreciating and we are grateful to such ‘memologists’.

For online streaming channels, it is business as usual or let’s say it is business more than usual. In a recent article that I read, Netflix has registered a surge in its number of users during Covid months. The show and movie releases are as per the dates scheduled and we see competition among all the channels to bring up good content and value-for-money entertainment to their subscribers. Recently released Bollywood and Oscar nominated movies are available on these platforms so that people can have a close-to-theatre experience. Surely the wait for some much-awaited Bollywood movies is going to be longer with theatres still being closed. Till then, Netflix, Prime and Hotstar are there to fulfil our entertainment needs and will still be there once normalcy is regained. Since the lockdown has started, I have turned from a normal binge-watcher to a voracious one. The shows and movies which were since eternity on my watchlist are now being ticked off rapidly, Money Heist being the first one on that list. Lockdown times are also taking us back to the simple old times. With shows like Ramayana and Mahabharat back on television and gaining that same old popularity, it is good to watch television again sans naagin and saas-bahus dramas. I often watch old episodes of Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai on Hotstar for my doses of laughter. Indoor games are also back with families planning game evenings or nights. I went back to my school days when I played scrabble with my sister and it gave me the same happiness building words on that board. Recently I also revisited my childhood memories by reorganizing my childhood pictures, which lay untouched and unattended in my set of drawers. As we grow up and become competitive to achieve our goals, we often forget the innocent children that once we were and how life seemed simple back then. What could be a nostalgia bigger than looking at physical photographs made out of Kodak rolls in an era of selfies and high camera resolutions present in our phones?

The year 2020 is not turning out the way we had expected. We miss our former ‘normal’. We miss visiting malls, eating out and watching movies in theatres. Video conference calls have become popular than ever and we see shared snapshots of these cherished conversations with friends and loved ones on social media. We don’t see our travel plans materializing this year, which we may have thoughtfully planned over years. But if we look at the silver lining, these tough times have taught us to be self-reliant and understand the value of freedom. ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ and in these Covid-19 times, we are inventing our newer personas, ideas and unleashing the potential within us. Life comes with its set of surprises and none of us expected a pandemic like this which could bring life to such a standstill. Yet, the world is now learning to deal with this challenge thrown to us by Nature. Pace of life has seemed to slow down, but as individuals at home, we are turning out to be more responsible consumers as well as healthy and creative minds. This lockdown has taught us that life cannot necessarily be under our control and that nothing but change, though not always as drastic as this one, is permanent.

From Pandemic to Pacific

Dystopia, Apocalypse- to me, these concepts were mere words which existed in dictionary. I believed that these words were just man’s imagination or a prediction which was far, far away in future. These topics have been favourite themes in our books, movies and series. Until 2020 no one could have imagined that dystopia was just around the corner, lurking in the dark. Today, Corona virus has brought the world to its knees. A pandemic that has shaken the world- the mighty and the weak alike. This virus unfortunately made its way to India as well. With India being densely populated, we stand at the brink of this danger which has wreaked havoc all over the world. However, our Government is trying its best to bring this infiltrator under control and keep people safe. I am confident that the world will overcome and overpower this demon called Corona because our mythological stories have time and again taught us that good wins over evil. On the other hand, I also believe that even in such testing times, we should look at the silver lining of this dark cloud that looms over the world.

We like to be surrounded by people, be one among the clique, be productive, meet different people, share ideas with fellow beings around and just spend time with people we like. Large human gatherings especially in countries like India, be it during festivals, protests or even local trains is something that is inevitable. In a city like Mumbai, everyone fights for a place and some space. With Corona necessitating social distancing, I think we have deserved our much-needed break to get away from the daily struggles of life, some toxic people as well and breathe freely. The biggest lesson or I would say ‘gift’ that Corona has given us is the gift of time. And this earned time can be invested in introspecting the way we lead our lives. Until Corona outbreak, some people never took washing hands, cleanliness and hygiene seriously. Today investing 20 seconds in washing hands is one of the ways to stay away from corona. This proves the saying ‘Adversity and loss make man wise’ true. It is today that people are showing godliness in form of cleanliness. Just like us, even Nature is basking in the sudden peace that the pandemic has brought. The skies are blue again, air and water are less polluted, normally bustling streets are quiet and we can finally lend our ears to the sweet sounds of birds around. These are simple joys of life, yet distant and lost amongst our daily routine.

People are working from home, commuting hours have come down to zero which means zero burden on resources. We are spending more time with our families, which I think is the biggest gift. We are having more meaningful conversations with our loved ones and are listening to each other, for which we hardly had time. We need to frugally use this gift of time by spending it on our well-being. We have earned time to worship our body by eating well, exercising and keeping it fit. With so much negativity around in form of melancholic news and depressing messages circulating on social media, we must still learn to look at the brighter side, the lessons that this crisis is teaching us. I think this optimistic approach will keep our sanity in check.

In such times, social media, modern means of communication and entertainment are keeping us connected to the world when we are quarantining ourselves. We can spend time pursuing our hobbies, which is one of the ways to be happy. Thankfully with online streaming services being seamless we can still binge watch shows and movies which are long pending in our watchlists. Personally, I would dedicate more time reading my collection of novels. At least they would take me to a Utopian world, till the crisis in real world subsides. Self-isolation according to me is proving to be self-cleansing for the body and the soul. Corona is also teaching us to be grateful. With so many cases of infection and deaths being reported daily, we must be grateful that we have not fallen prey to this pandemic and at the same time applaud for doctors, nurses, staff at hospitals and police force who are working selflessly and burning the midnight oil to keep us safe.

This pandemic has brought the world closer, taught us the meaning of humanity and solidarity. Almost every country in the world today is tackling the challenge, saving lives and is using technological expertise to defeat the crisis. Even economies and businesses are facing and fighting this crisis. Everyone is playing their role to keep the ball rolling. Yes, the growth trends and profitability look discouraging, yet we all are in it together. Together we will revive economies. This too shall pass. As it is rightly said, ‘After every dark night there’s a brighter dawn.’ Soon life will be back to normal. Streets, restaurants, shopping malls, theatres will be reverberating with people. Though all of us want that life back, we must never forget the lessons that Corona and in a way, Nature has taught us to not take resources for granted and find happiness even in little and simple moments of life.

In Other Words

I have always believed that relationships need to be nurtured like plants with love and affection. That is a key to build lasting relationships for life. I completed a decade of friendship with one such friend, who is not made of flesh and blood but certainly has a soul. The friend that I am talking about is one of the best things in my life: German language.

I wanted to learn a foreign language, but I was not sure which one. I had heard that foreign languages open doors to many good opportunities. As a 16-year-old then, I was clueless as to what that really meant. On reaching class 11, I had to choose a second language. My father, fascinated by German history, suggested that I choose German. I was convinced that I wanted to learn German, though I was not sure how difficult the language was. However, a backup plan always helped and hence French became my second preference. I remember that day of filling the college admission form when I had marked ‘1’ against German, ‘2’ against French and ‘3’ against Sanskrit, my ‘ancient’ friend from school. Like a typical student and a materialistic individual, I thought of German only as a means to score good marks. Back then, I never thought that this very language could turn out to be one of the greatest passions of my life.

My relationship with German started rather on a rough note. I could barely understand its grammar, the backbone to learn any language. I felt the articles ‘der’, ‘das’, ‘die’ for every noun play cruel games with me. My first German exam was a nightmare as I could not understand a majority of words. I felt like rephrasing the idiom ‘it’s all Greek and Latin to me’ to ‘it’s all German to me’! I could see my purpose of opting for German getting defeated as I was not scoring well in it. There came a time when I started pondering over my decision to learn German. I could imagine Sanskrit smirking at me with ‘I told you’ look as if it felt betrayed for not getting chosen in spite of a wonderful journey of 3 years in school. While Sanskrit tried to laugh at my misery, I thought of my initial days with Sanskrit, which were no less than tough. The struggle to learn Sanskrit transformed into a memorable friendship before I could realize. That’s the thing with languages. They need perseverance, patience and passion to learn. When you devote these three things to them, they become your friends like no other. That’s when it hit me like a Eureka moment. If I could befriend Sanskrit, then why not German? In fact, German could be my first international friend ever. For any relationship to work, you need to put in efforts. That’s what my relationship with German needed- sincere efforts from me. Maybe the language was standing with an extended hand of friendship, but it was I who refrained from shaking that hand.

With 12^th Board Exams approaching and with an aim of having an overall good score, I needed to score well in the ‘scoring subject’ German. That became my driving force to take German seriously and learn it at any cost to give justice to the purpose why I had chosen German in the first place. I was fortunate to get a good teacher who taught the language from its basics. I realized that the groundwork itself of my German building was weak and I needed to strengthen it to build a stronger structure. I devoted perseverance and patience to ‘study’ German like any other subject. Passion and German were still not ready to go hand-in-hand few years back. In the course of learning, I experienced that the language slowly stopped acting difficult and I could ‘tame the shrew’, like Shakespeare would say. Before the D-day of exams, I was convinced that I had established good acquaintance with the language. Thankfully my exam went as per my expectations and I was satisfied that I did a good job. When I got my results, I was happy to see that I had scored really well in German. The purpose was thus served. At the same time, I realized that I had started loving the language and considered spending more time understanding my new friend.

It was during my graduation years that I started learning German formally from Max Mueller Bhavan. Having strengthened the base of the language in college, I started with A2 level, i.e. the second of the beginners’ levels. That was the beginning of some of my golden years in life. ‘Deutsch lernen, Deutschland kennen lernen’, the motto of the institute, which means ‘Learn German, get to know Germany’ was fascinating enough to start learning the language with full vigour. German language became my window to understand Germany- its history, culture, literature, society and economy. Now German did not remain restricted to only textbooks and scoring marks. It got a wider and creative perspective, thanks to the fun ways in which we were taught the language at every level. At first, listening comprehension seemed like an impregnable fort as I had a difficult time understanding the accent of the Germans played on audio CDs. I still remember the times how dumbfounded and blank I used to be after listening to the German conversations. I found my comfort in writing the most because you get more time to articulate your thoughts into words and of course is a way to keep grammatical errors at bay to some extent. The writer in me thoroughly enjoyed writing German essays and letters. Speaking is spontaneous most of the times and therefore there are chances of committing grammatical errors because you haven’t really ‘owned’ the language yet to flaunt it effortlessly. Reading brings me joy and language is only a vehicle. In German, I found that rejuvenated joy. At times, it took me back to my childhood days as I read the German content meant for children in my initial years to build up my language. To improve your command over any language, you need to read more, listen more, write more and speak more. More the challenges I faced, therefore exciting became the German learning journey for me. I started watching German movies to get acquainted to German society and history. With every level came new set of vocabulary and grammar that simply added to the beauty of the language. I am fortunate to learn from some of the best teachers who taught not only the nuances of the language but also showed Germany to us from their eyes. While most people think that German is a commanding language given its history and the way it sounds, I found sweetness in it and the way it changed me as a person.

There comes a time when you part ways with your friends to pursue your dreams and goals. Yet, the times spent with them leave you with memories to last forever. Similarly, after two eventful years of learning German, I parted ways with it after completing B2, i.e. the intermediate level to pursue MBA. I completed MBA and then began corporate life. While most would think that the important mission of getting a job is accomplished after MBA, I felt that it was time to go back to my now distant friend. I had read that having some passion in life is necessary, it keeps you stress-free. I wanted that to be true for myself. With new energy and enthusiasm, I decided to complete the last legs of German levels, C1 and C2 after being away from it for three years. Being the last levels, the language had become complex as we were slowly heading towards mastering the language like a native speaker. Every German class was memorable with discussions on topics that left me with a new perspective every time. We discussed and read the trends in Germany and how different it is from India. Thus, my weekends were filled with positivity and lots of new ideas. I thoroughly enjoyed making PowerPoint presentations on various topics and share the knowledge with my fellow classmates. Though Germany is known for its crème de la creme technology and engineering, it has a gentle and rich side of literature as well, thanks to some of renowned classics by Wolfgang von Goethe, Grimm Brothers and others, which I read about briefly. Similar to human nature that has various emotions, languages too have different ways to express themselves. As a corporate professional I wanted to learn the language in business parlance and thus completed the last milestone of my journey in German learning.

German gifted me years of happiness and still continues doing so. I keep my camaraderie with the language alive by reading something daily. Though I haven’t really ventured into the world of German books and English continues to hold the numero uno position in this case, I am sure that one day German books will also make place in my bookshelf. As I write about my German learning journey in English, somewhere the language hopes that one day it will create a space of its own in form of a German blog. I admire the word for ‘vocabulary’ in German- it is called ‘Wortschatz’ which literally means treasure of words. I still consider myself a student of German and know that the language still has a lot to offer and to add to my treasure not only in form of words, phrases and expressions but also in form of new thoughts and ideas. I see myself getting richer with that every day because it is a precious gem that I will ever own.

During my course of learning I read the book by Pulitzer prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, ‘In Other Words’ in which she wrote her trysts with the Italian language and her desire to call it her own. The book was full of wonderful lines which made me fall in love with it. The lines which left an imprint on me the most: “What does a word mean? And a life? In the end, it seems to me, the same thing. Just as a word can have many dimensions, many nuances, great complexity, so, too, can a person, a life. Language is the mirror, the principal metaphor. Because ultimately the meaning of a word, like that of a person, is boundless, ineffable. Because in the end to learn a language, to feel connected to it, you have to have a dialogue, however childlike, however imperfect.” I grew up with Marathi, Hindi and English and became like a tightly knit family. German joined my family of languages when I was a grown-up and remains like the youngest child, pampered and loved. It will grow old with me like other languages and I can proudly call it as one of my own. My foreign friend with its proud uniqueness has created a special place of its own never to leave and continues to enrich me, improve me in some or the other way every day.