Mundane Musings

Lessons learned from the 2020 Covid 19 lockdown 2020 certainly didn't start off well, and it doesn't look like the year will turn pink and dewy later on. On the contrary it might be a while into 2021 that we might all start feeling normal again. So this year is a write off. It definitely sucked when meticulous travel plans had to be cancelled, birthday parties and celebrations had to be limited to virtual ones and Zoom calls; with schools closing up children had to be entertained and taken care of at home, and basically living on edge due to fear of infection. But with the lockdown almost coming to an end, I keep thinking of the lessons learned in the past 40 odd days. Here are my top six: 1. That Maslow's theory of Hierarchy is true. Food, Water, Shelter and rest were priorities this lockdown. As long as those needs were fulfilled, lounging around in PJs and old, old T-shirts didn't feel like such a bad thing. I mean, do malls need to even open? (Okay, don...

A few years ago, during my first visit to Europe , I admonished S for harping on about India whenever he got conversing with the locals. He was unashamedly singing praises of our country and at every opportunity he let people know what his country had to offer; never once falling on the poor country spool that I have generally heard people talk about really. I was the one feeling embarrassed I realized. The foreigners or locals in this case, were lapping it up genuinely and in some cases like our host in Brussels, were also vehemently agreeing with S.  And by the time we made our way from Paris to Belgium (Brussels and Bruges) I admired this genuine love for his country and his desire to keep up his faith in it. He was not willing to put down or malign our country without any basis and there was never a certain casual dismissal of  our country's achievements or our rich culture. Our expressive National Flag There are many reasons why I love S, but that trip reminded ...

Can't let the day pass without mentioning that I have been part of a historic day on November 8th, when the PM and RBI, announced that Rs 500 and Rs. 1000 will be demonetised from midnight onwards. Can you wrap your head around that piece of information? The enormity of it? The outcome of such an action? Whew! I still am finding it hard to soak the implications in. Leave aside busting the black money trade within our country, and hacking the root of Pakistan funded terrorism; this initiative should cause a dent on some serious black money hoarders. Yes, there is now a lot of whining and crying going on at the inconvenience of it all and attempts to piggy back on the drive to get nasty, condescending, doubtful, and more importantly, being unapologetic-ally unaccommodating. What the general attitude of certain people now is that I shall spout words on nationalism and desh bhakti , but I shall not move my sorry ass nor my allow my altruistic self to embrace the change that ...

Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day. Yeah, I know…do you even remember? It’s surely tempting to scoff the day, especially if you are single and cynical or if you are hitched and practical or perhaps if are a little of both. But there’s no denying the fact that like all festivals or occasions that have got hyped in the recent past, this day too has gained significance in recent times.Open the newspaper and there are ads galore for dinner deals and the perfect gifts, check the internet and you’ll need to waddle through a great deal of pink and red hearts and e-roses to get to any shopping site. There’s so much temptation all around. It takes a really, really cynical person to not get touched by the ‘love is in the air’ feeling. Haven’t we all at one point or the other given significance to this day? The day takes on a great deal of importance when: a)  you have someone you’d like to show your love to. This is the coolest opportunity. b)  when you nurse an unrequ...