Tuesday, June 2, 2020

The Lockdown awakening

What!!!!! Has it taken so long to compose my thoughts and bring pen to paper or rather keyboard to screen??? Times have changed and so have we all. I should thank the Corona Virus for getting me back to 
writing my blog. I am now in Rayagada since October 2018 and shall be here for another couple of years. I actually started writing in March 2020 when the lockdown began on 24th March 2020 and since then, I have not missed a single day! Today, in the toilet (that's where the most brightest of ideas come to our minds) I thought, why did I not think of writing on the blog I had created some years back? Going back to 
the web, it took me some time to relocate the blogger (then blogspot.com when I had created an ID) website and get started again. Now, I have been writing in bits and pieces since the lockdown began and further. What was it I wrote a couple of days after the lockdown began -

'Day 6 (30th March)

Is India close to winning the war? Around 1100 positive patients, over 100 recovered and around 30 dead would suggest we are on the right track. In a country like ours where population is easily swayed by false reports and the 'appeasing’of Gods by mass prayers, I think we have still some more distance to cover before we can say the worst is behind us. But then, there are reports that we have entered the third stage – of Lateral transmission. The next danger is of community transmission. With the mass exodus from Delhi to Bihar and MP, it is a tragedy waiting to happen. Pray nobody among the thousands on the street yesterday was infected. With my office hours curtailed to the forenoon, I have a lot of time on my hands. Though I have been putting all this time to use ‘productively’, I feel it’s not enough. Should be doing more. Should compile a ‘bucket list’of things to do.' 

And by the 31st of May - 'The last day of lock down 4.0. Tomorrow, we begin the Unlock 1.0. States shall start easing restrictions. https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/health/lockdown-5-0-or-unlock-1-0-what-is-open-whats-not-explained-in-brief/1976472/ These are the MHA guidelines (in a gist). So, are we moving forward or regressing? While the count is at a high of more than 1.75 lakh, the recovery rate is getting better. Should we be happy that the lockdown prevented a massive outbreak? I guess we have cause to celebrate on that account at least. We, as a nation, improved our responses, our health infra and our understanding of the behaviour of the Virus. From tomorrow, I shall be shifting to another word document. '

And then I began the 'Unlock Stories'. I also summarized that it would be better to now write occasionally in the blog, as the world in general and India shake off the detritus and try to rise and shine again.