Two months of Lockdown -Aatmanirbhayata
 |
| Sound of silence - Basketball courts under l ockdown at Park Place |
- One pleasant March evening PM came on TV and shut down entire India for 3 weeks without any notice. He used quite a few fancy sentences but in nutshell he asked everyone to stay where they were for 3 weeks. He said that together we will defeat Covid19 in 3 weeks. This started a two month journey for all Indians. It was a journey in which travel was prohibited.
- The immediate thought that entered the mind was about the welfare of my father who had left for Lucknow just a few days back and was staying alone. Mom had passed away just a few months ago and at 82 - how will he manage without the house helps coming and giving him the meals and refreshments ? A matter of great worry indeed.
- A lot of negative thoughts were meandering inside the mind during the first few days. But dad managed to get their RWA to allow the maids and they managed to reach his complex regularly to give him meals. So this was a big relief.
- However the overzealous Association which manages our apartment complex in Gurgaon made complex rules but in short they prohibited everyone to even get out of apartment. No one from outside was allowed to come into the complex . It's a small mercy that they didn't disconnect the lifts and fitted in us some GPS device to keep a track of our movements.
- The first day the obedient guards wouldn't even allow us to take out our dog for relieving to the pet area. When we threatened them that we would have no choice but to make them relieve themselves in corridors - better sense prevailed and permission was granted. They did try and come up with some weird rules like you could take them only so many times for so much time. Even my pet must have thought they were joking.
- Some people wanted exercise so they would just go for a short walk to the park downstairs. It is then we realised what being paranoid means. Some paranoid residents clicked their photographs and sent them to cops. Next day onward the cops got the license to barge in the condo gates with blaring sirens to arrest anyone in the parks and on roads. Not satisfied with this they started driving on the grass of the park brutally destroying it with their heavy tires. Often they would hide somewhere to catch anyone who would break rules. It reminded me of movies I have seen about Stasi (East German police during communist era). Stasi persecuted people on the basis of other people spying on their own.
- Just as the lockdown started, news came that thousands of migrants had collected at the borders of Delhi. The Government and administration had not foreseen this catastrophe as milling migrants collected on borders and Anand Vihar Terminal. With no employment and no food to eat, all they wanted to do was go home to their villages. An evacuation exercise had to be undertaken just a few days after the lockdown was implemented. Social distancing went for a six. Even then the government didn't foresee the shape of things to come.
- We had shifted to an apartment from a three storey house just a year back. Initially we had missed the house due to the space it had offered compared to the apartment with limited storage and circulation area. But in the given circumstances, this appeared to be the best decision we had taken. The apartment was compact and easy to clean. One didn't have to worry about electricity, water supply and cooking gas supply.
- As what happens in many of our households, we have a team of people coming each day to make our lives comfortable. Besides a 24 hour maid, we have a car cleaner, a cook, a maali and a cleaning maid who come in. Lucky for us the 24 hour maid had come back from her home in Delhi just a couple of days before the lockdown. Life would have been tough without her as she is a jack of all work without being master of any. The cook, maali, car cleaner and cleaning women went on a long paid leave.
- We had always thought that America would remain safe. It was afterall the most powerful nation on earth. President Trump made sure that covid spread like wildfire there. He didn't believe the medical experts or the scientists and refused to change his policies. New York became the epicentre while the president kept up his ante against China and WHO. He withdrew all WHO funding and took decisions which ensured that cases in America kept growing - and so did the deaths.
- TV news announced that members of Tablighi Jamaat (An islamic missionary movement) had congregated at Banglewali mosque in Nizamuddin in Delhi during the lockdown. This congregation of 5000-9000 happened right under the nose of Delhi Police during the time when public gatherings had been prohibited. Malls and cinema halls had been shut down in middle of march. South African cricket team had been sent back without having played a minute of cricket. It's very strange that the cops who were implementing each government order with iron hand did not notice a huge gathering of thousands for days just 100 meters from their police station. Everyone was appalled.
- Being a hardcore non-vegetarian it was difficult for me to survive just eating the vegetarian food made by a makeshift cook. Fortunately Modern Bazaar continued supplying raw chicken, mutton and fish and the quality was good. Most people I talked to in Delhi, Gurgaon and Lucknow were surprised that we were getting non vegetarian and that too at normal price. I decided to make an attempt at cooking though in last 30 years all I have made are instant noodles, sandwiches, eggs and tea. I opened the iPad and looked at mutton curry recipe on you tube. It looked doable.
- Some workers of my factory sent an SOS message that they needed money to survive. I could only pay them somewhere they could reach without hassles. This was just a few km's away but I needed a curfew pass. I applied for a curfew pass online giving the reason as 'payment of salaries.' Next day I received a reply in which they rejected the pass and said ' This is not an important activity.'
- It was time to get into a routine. I started some stretching exercises each morning and evening. It felt good. Once in a while I would go down 19 floors and then come up - all by stairs. I started feeling fit.
- Booze shops were not initially shut after lockdown as liquor came under the 'essentials' category. I had in any case bought a case of Whisky and a case of Beer before lockdown. That was a smart thing to do. Soon all booze shops shut down and didn't open for almost 2 months. When they opened after 2 month's in Delhi - the queues had to been seen to be believed. Had they kept open liquor shops, government would have got much needed revenue and people would not have become so desperate.
- Some TV channels upped the ante and Tablighi Jamaat controversy became a totally different story. Many of these Jamaatis who had been evacuated from the mosque tested positive. Many had left for other states and countries . Many disappeared in thin air. Several of those who got tested in different states were found to be positive. Due to them the virus spread in many places. At one point it was estimated that 33% of cases in India were due to Jamaatis. Then the stories started coming of them deliberately infecting health workers and spitting on them. Many such stories came out and no one bothered to check the authenticity of many of the stories. Tablighi Jamaatis in the eyes of India had become the most hated sect of all times and which alone was defeating our war with Covid. They themselves had to blame for it.
- The best part of my apartment is the direct view of the DLF Golf course. I have been a member there for the last 20 years and visit it 4-5 days a week for some sport or activity. So during lockdown we couldn't play golf but I could certainly stand on the balcony and look at the greenery and the bunkers. Some satisfaction at least.
- The weather remained good in April. I could still run up and down the stairs. Pollution was low and sitting in balcony became a habit. It is easy to get into habits one realised. An afternoon nap became an important part of life.
- My coach at DLF Golf academy Anitya Chand started imparting some online golf lessons. He would teach us to chip, putt, drive and more importantly how to draw or fade from behind a tree. Sitting at home there was no tree in front or a real golf ball to hit. So for a few days I practiced with something called a golf fan in the living room but then lost interest. In golf as in all sports you need to practice in proper environment.
- The government would come out with a few guidelines every few days and then would get busy amending them and issuing explanations about them. Bureaucrats got muddled up in their own rule making. Cops wouldn't understand any guidelines and they would beat up anyone who would venture out - even to find food. Images of cops beating up hapless poor started appearing in media and social media with greater frequency.
- I called up someone I know and he said that he was stuck in another town. He had gone for a day's work but lockdown forced him to stay there for more than a month and a half. His family was in Gurgaon and the hotel he had gone to had closed down. Some colleague had helped him out to get accommodation and money. There were many stories like this. Many had got stuck abroad. Students had got stuck in Kota. Some had driven for short holiday to hills & couldn't come back. At least he could afford it. No consideration had been given to any aspect before this treacherous and inhuman decision had been taken to close down the country at 3 hours notice. No planning had been done and to me it appears that it was done at whims and fancies of just a few without any consultation.
- I didn't have my computer and passwords at home so could not do any online transfers etc. So, again I applied for curfew pass so that I could go to office and get my things. I had to make online payments of salaries and also pay some cash salaries. Once again my request was rejected.
- Cooking turned out to be bliss. Browning the onions, putting masalas, roasting the mutton, adding gravy and making it tasty was something which I got right by following instructions. The mutton curry turned out to be perfect. My debut at cooking was successful. I had done it.
- We have a lot of Japanese nationals staying in our condo. Most of them managed to fly out to Japan after a couple of weeks of lockdown as for them surviving here in such restriction became impossible. Their government helped them in flying out. They just wanted to go home. Just like our migrants.
- Strangely our Government kept comparing our covid cases to that of Europe and USA. I could at that stage understand that perhaps our lockdown had prevented the infections to spread but how do I understand the figures of low death rates ? Was our medical care and government hospitals better than those of France, Germany, Italy and USA ? At this stage no one compared our cases with those of ASEAN countries. Let scientists figure this out why our death rate is lower than that of advanced countries.
- TV became an important part of our lives. There was abundant choice with Netflix, Prime Video and Hotstar. With news channels getting drabber with each passing day by giving covid statistics and obsessing with Tablighi's - it was time to choose a series which would go and on. Homeland at hotstar was perfect with 8-9 seasons and hundreds of episodes. To break monotony there were some hindi serials and movies. Internet and TV became our lifeline. I also started watching the cooking channel.
- Whats app has groups and large groups have varied opinions. Most groups I was part of were heavily partisan towards the PM and government. In a sense that those who were partisan were more vocal. They were oblivious to harsh lockdown, crashing economy, migrant crisis, police atrocities etc. They found solace in fact that by locking down the country, the government had kept them safe and we were better off than most countries. Some of us had a differing view. Arguments on whats app became part of life though it resulted in my BP going up often.
- Back to curfew pass. Desperation was mounting. I had to pay salaries but govt again rejected my pass. But they also passed a diktat that if employers don't pay salaries on time, legal action will be taken against them. So I did what I should have done in the first place. Picked up a phone and called someone influential. The curfew pass arrived on my phone within 30 minutes. Yeh India hai meri jaan !
- Many people were doing good work. Aparnaa Laxmi - my junior in school lives in the same apartment complex. She has always helped the downtrodden and in the alumni magazine which I edit, I had done an article on her a few years ago. She painstakingly took support of many people including my wife Devicka to collect and distribute rations for hundreds of families. Thankfully all over India there were good citizens doing what was required to be done.
- I became the official Non Veg cook of the house. I produced some amazing mutton, chicken and fish dishes. Some friends and internet helped me with recipes. I was extremely proud with the look and taste of 'Bhuna 'Gosht'. We kept getting supply of raw non veg from Modern Bazaar.
- Some people who were to be paid in cash came clandestinely to office. I asked just a few to come and they could collect for others. Indian government is under some false impression that cash is non existent in our economy and only digital and bank transactions work. The workers (migrants) informed me that they had received no help from government so far . For them social distancing was out of question as 6 people shared one room and there was one toilet for 20 people. They just wanted to go home at any cost.
- Having learnt photography a few years ago I have a good tripod, DSLR camera and lenses. I set up camera on the terrace and tried to master low light photography. I got bored of clicking the same landscape from different angles. Got frustrated with terrible results of low light pictures. Eventually the iphone and pixel 2 pictures seemed better.
- People got very innovative and started having drinks with friends and parties over zoom software. It would soon be a trend.
- The credible thing about the lockdown was that there was abundant supply of vegetables, fruits and basic ration. Things like Ice cream, chips etc took time to be replenished but most things were available. We had Needs Supermarket within the complex and Le Marche, Foodhall and Modern Bazaar not too far away. Cops had become a bit lenient and allowed us grocery shopping a little distant away as well.
- On the work front things were not good. Orders were getting cancelled and no money was coming in from foreign buyers. Many fashion chains filed for bankruptcy. Unfortunately my buyer also did the same leaving us high and dry. I made an online application to make fabric masks from the thousands of meters of fabric with us due to cancelled orders. It was rejected.
- The covid numbers were increasing so PM appeared on TV again and asked everyone to light up diyas, torches and candles for 9 minutes at 9 PM sharp. These strange numbers must have been advised by some astrologer. Crores of us followed his advice but covid numbers continued to climb.
 |
| At 9 PM we did light up the diya but did not extinguish it after 9 minutes. |
- I decided that I didn't have much to do so started cleaning the AC filters and ceiling fans. I just hoped that I wouldn't fall down the ladder as no one had any desire to go near the hospital at this time.
- Central Government announced lockdown 2 and issued guidelines. My state government made guidelines based on central government's guidelines. My RWA made guidelines based on state government guideline issued by District Collector . The guidelines basically stated that everyone has to continue staying indoors even though bureaucrats made it into a 3 page guideline. So much drama for nothing.
- Ministers came on TV and praised themselves and the government. They told us how they have saved millions of lives. They informed proudly that everyone was getting adequate food and lot money in their bank accounts. A few million either didn't watch TV or didn't agree with these ministers. In scorching heat they started walking back to their villages. Many died walking while many died in accidents. Many truck drivers and buses started packing these migrants as sardines in their vehicles and charging each person upwards of Rs 5000 each. Government still remained in denial and refused to start trains to ferry them home.
- Days kept passing and we came down to lockdown 3. I got permission to work with 33% workers after trying to fill online form for one week. Either their website wouldn't work or the software had problems. But finally I managed.
- Summer arrived with a vengeance. Temperatures in May touched 47 deg C. Tennis opened in our complex and golf course opened with many conditions. At least one could go out to the golf club and hit a few balls in the evenings.
- Businesses were collapsing but no industrialist or banker spoke out against this draconian lockdown except for Rajiv Bajaj. I heard his full interview. This guy is so articulate with such clear thoughts that I am impressed. His company will achieve a lot more unless he suddenly starts getting income tax and ED notices.
- The central park in our complex came alive in mornings and evenings as our RWA allowed restrictive walking. People came out of the confinement of their apartments and started walking and jogging. Unfortunately many felt that virus phase was over and neither would they maintain distance nor would they wear masks. They had just got of jail and didn't care about parole conditions.
- Work was still in doldrums as whatever orders were remaining could not be executed properly as labour had run off to the villages. Beginning of May, the ruling establishment had realised that migrant crisis was not someone's figment of imagination so they reluctantly agreed to ply the trains so that migrants could reach home. Then we had the usual Central vs State tussle. Borders would get sealed and unsealed. No one knew what was happening.
- PM came yet again on TV and announced a financial package of 20 lakh crore. He also asked us to be Aatmanirbhar ( Self Reliant). I wrote the figure on paper but got muddled up with zeroes. Over the next few days our FM tried explaining in details what these figures were and where the money was being spent and how this would take care of poor and small industries.She refused to break it down into fiscal, monetary and imagination numbers. Luckily I have finance background so understood that government was telling people and businesses of India - 'Hey guys, thanks a ton - You are on your own !'
- Aatmanirbhar jokes and memes ruled the social media for some days. Then officials decided to do something so they banned anything with remotely foreign from the canteens of para military canteens. 1000 items were banned. Message was simple - why do you have to use made in India Colgate if you can make do with swadeshi ‘Patanjali.’ Make in India policy went for a six.
- The government had shut India completely when covid cases in India were around 500. 1.35 billion people were locked up for 2 months to defeat the virus. As the figure reached 2 lakhs on May 30, government felt everyone was safe and mission was accomplished so proudly announced unlock 1.0.
Now we can go shopping, have a haircut, get house helps, play golf, play tennis, open offices and even have day parties. Bureaucrats still don’t want us to go out after 9 PM so there is curfew at night. It is said that it is at night that devil gets activated !
Comments