Two Life Lessons From The Lockdown

About two months back, as Mumbai witnessed the first rains. I was standing in a queue to buy medicines. And Yes, I had put on the mask which has now become so much a part of our lives. For a minute or two the mask slipped. And then what I experienced was pure magic: the smell of the early rains. This was something that Iike everyone else had I had taken for granted. But this time I really savoured the moment. As I went back home, my mind was flooded with memories of previous monsoons right from my childhood in Mumbai. Inevitably I also remembered the dreaded traffic jams during rains. I would have gladly traded the traffic jams in return for a normal life. In that moment I learnt to appreciate the simple joys of life and life itself. This was my first lesson from the lockdown.

The second lesson I learnt was that one could manage no matter what the circumstances. For instance, one room in my house just could not be used after the lockdown. The air conditioner had already stopped functioning. Next it was the turn of the ceiling fan and then the table fan. The television set which had become a kind of a lifeline too gave way. Finally, it was the turn of the clock as though to signify that time now stood still in the room. Despite that as a family, we managed for over two months with one room less. All of us now just used to watch one TV. No arguments on which programmes to watch. We just went with the flow!

Slowly as the unlock began we managed to repair/replace all the non -functional items in the room. The icing on the cake being when we got a new clock. The clock may not have ticked in the room during the period but then of course time had not stood still. As a family we were reminded about our own resilience again. The same resilience that will help all of us beat the Pandemic!

Wishing All of Us A Speedy Return To Normalcy!

(The Author is Vice President-Corporate Communications, HDFC Bank. The views expressed are personal.)