Dear Mishi
It's been a long time. It's also been a tough time. And tough times like these, push you to think...and sometimes, write. I understand that you are worried too; why is amma not going to office? Why are the evening walks with apappan not happening? Why don't you get to meet your friends at school? Why is no one waking you up early in the morning and getting you ready? Okay, maybe you are not worried for that last one! But something does seem off place. And you are right, Mishi.
1:20 pm used to be the most awaited moment of the day when I was in school as the final bell rang and we ran towards our van. Now, there were some lucky days, where the teacher would ask us to pack our bags at 1:10 and told us that IF WE ALL kept quiet, then she would leave us early. I remember how I used to be in the best of my behaviour with finger on my lips. Even if my best friend wanted to talk to me about buying chanachor garam after school, I used to give him the "Chup-baithna-tu-sabko-marvayega" look. Right now, we are at that 1:10 in our lives. We need to be obedient. We need to make sure that our friends are obedient. We need to control our urge to screw up. And every student in the class has to realize this. But the sad part is, sometimes there is that one kid in the other corner, who screws up. Maybe to the extent that the teacher asks him to get his diary, writes a remark, scolds him and eventually leaves us at 1:25.
Moral of the story?
1. ALL of us need to be at our best behaviour.
2. It WILL end, sooner or later.
It is upto us collectively, if we want this to end at 1:15 or 1:20 or 1:25. Having said that, it will surely end and we will return to normalcy, like we always have. Yes, there will be losses during the journey and the longer it takes to end, higher the number of losses. But this letter is not about the losses, it is about the wins. So, when you tell this tale to your kids one day, do not miss out on the good parts. When you raise that glass of wine to raise a toast, do not forget that this was also a time of love and kindness and compassion and hope. Cheers!
#1. Cheers to Equality! This phase made us realize that we are all equal; created from the same mud. A tiny virus, invisible to our eye, taught us humility; irrespective of the colour of our skin, our bhakt-ness quotient or our bank balances.
#2. Cheers to our Health! In January, I used to judge people wearing masks. Fattu saale! Now I can write a book on the difference between N95 and N99 masks. Even though induced by fear, we have started taking genuine care of our body and mind. Let's try and continue to do so.
#3. Cheers to Planet Earth! It is high time we took care of our planet. We need to constantly remind ourselves how beautiful it is, and not wait for dolphins to appear at Marine drive to tell us Thamba and pause to cherish the beauty around us.
#4. Cheers to Technology! The only thing that is keeping us sane now, is the internet. Imagine a lockdown without the Insta stories, without the TikTok challenges, without the group video calls on Whatsapp and Zoom, without Netflix! Be grateful.
#5. Cheers to Relationships! And Netflix is possible because of that friend of yours jiske credential se tum Stranger Things dekh rahe ho. But strangely enough, you didn't even know that she has shifted cities and she is depressed. We are on a call with friends, but honestly have very few topics to talk about. And that is because we have grown far. Let's come closer; to our parents, siblings, friends, relatives, colleagues and neighbours.
We can dwell on this further and find more reasons to smile. And I am sure that when the bell rings, we will run towards our van as better human beings, healthier human beings, kinder inhabitants of this plant Earth and with our very own list of top 25 movies on Netflix/Prime/Hotstar! Stay safe Mishi baby. Have fun and eat loads of chakka, maanga and kappa! Keep Smiling!
Love,
Mama.
PS. I so very much wish that we were together in Bangalore, fighting to decide between Peppa Pig and Money Heist P4. But maybe, it is all for good. See you soon. Ummah :*
It's been a long time. It's also been a tough time. And tough times like these, push you to think...and sometimes, write. I understand that you are worried too; why is amma not going to office? Why are the evening walks with apappan not happening? Why don't you get to meet your friends at school? Why is no one waking you up early in the morning and getting you ready? Okay, maybe you are not worried for that last one! But something does seem off place. And you are right, Mishi.
1:20 pm used to be the most awaited moment of the day when I was in school as the final bell rang and we ran towards our van. Now, there were some lucky days, where the teacher would ask us to pack our bags at 1:10 and told us that IF WE ALL kept quiet, then she would leave us early. I remember how I used to be in the best of my behaviour with finger on my lips. Even if my best friend wanted to talk to me about buying chanachor garam after school, I used to give him the "Chup-baithna-tu-sabko-marvayega" look. Right now, we are at that 1:10 in our lives. We need to be obedient. We need to make sure that our friends are obedient. We need to control our urge to screw up. And every student in the class has to realize this. But the sad part is, sometimes there is that one kid in the other corner, who screws up. Maybe to the extent that the teacher asks him to get his diary, writes a remark, scolds him and eventually leaves us at 1:25.
Moral of the story?
1. ALL of us need to be at our best behaviour.
2. It WILL end, sooner or later.
It is upto us collectively, if we want this to end at 1:15 or 1:20 or 1:25. Having said that, it will surely end and we will return to normalcy, like we always have. Yes, there will be losses during the journey and the longer it takes to end, higher the number of losses. But this letter is not about the losses, it is about the wins. So, when you tell this tale to your kids one day, do not miss out on the good parts. When you raise that glass of wine to raise a toast, do not forget that this was also a time of love and kindness and compassion and hope. Cheers!
#1. Cheers to Equality! This phase made us realize that we are all equal; created from the same mud. A tiny virus, invisible to our eye, taught us humility; irrespective of the colour of our skin, our bhakt-ness quotient or our bank balances.
#2. Cheers to our Health! In January, I used to judge people wearing masks. Fattu saale! Now I can write a book on the difference between N95 and N99 masks. Even though induced by fear, we have started taking genuine care of our body and mind. Let's try and continue to do so.
#3. Cheers to Planet Earth! It is high time we took care of our planet. We need to constantly remind ourselves how beautiful it is, and not wait for dolphins to appear at Marine drive to tell us Thamba and pause to cherish the beauty around us.
#4. Cheers to Technology! The only thing that is keeping us sane now, is the internet. Imagine a lockdown without the Insta stories, without the TikTok challenges, without the group video calls on Whatsapp and Zoom, without Netflix! Be grateful.
#5. Cheers to Relationships! And Netflix is possible because of that friend of yours jiske credential se tum Stranger Things dekh rahe ho. But strangely enough, you didn't even know that she has shifted cities and she is depressed. We are on a call with friends, but honestly have very few topics to talk about. And that is because we have grown far. Let's come closer; to our parents, siblings, friends, relatives, colleagues and neighbours.
We can dwell on this further and find more reasons to smile. And I am sure that when the bell rings, we will run towards our van as better human beings, healthier human beings, kinder inhabitants of this plant Earth and with our very own list of top 25 movies on Netflix/Prime/Hotstar! Stay safe Mishi baby. Have fun and eat loads of chakka, maanga and kappa! Keep Smiling!
Love,
Mama.
PS. I so very much wish that we were together in Bangalore, fighting to decide between Peppa Pig and Money Heist P4. But maybe, it is all for good. See you soon. Ummah :*
