Walk the Talk

Some people are capable of giving you evocative narratives. If that narrative is one of hope, in times of despair and dismay, it better be backed by genuine intention and action plan. Otherwise the narrative is nothing more than a fairy tale. Let me tell you, even a romantic and self proclaimed bibliophile (me for one) is not in any mood for fairy tales, right now.

In his speech last week, our PM promised to allocate 10% of our GDP to address the economic disaster caused by lockdown (8 weeks and counting!) and what followed, has been nothing short of mockery of the intelligence of an average Indian.

It was not our choice to stop going to work; it was not for us to choose (nor enjoy such entitlements) health over livelihood. Least of all, it’s not our fault that our healthcare has been down in the dumps forever and though Covid has been a reality for at least 2 months before the lockdown, we were least prepared to face it, were it to hit us.

And then one day, we were told to stay home. The elderly who live by themselves, those who didn’t have the luxury of working from home, students - who are left wondering if their academic year is over or not, hundreds of thousands of daily wagers - our ironwala, paper wala, dubbawala, auto rickshaw bhaiyya, road construction workers, hawkers who sell phone covers, batata vadas and ballpoint pens, cobblers and courier fellows and the rest - had to stay home.

Even the homeless had to stay home. Having lost their livelihood, more and more became homeless and these people who are otherwise part of our daily lives were left to fend for themselves. From where and how? They worked everyday, lived with dignity and what’s more - chose a leader. And even that leader, I am not sure has the luxury of discretion in choosing to save his people from a virus, but rip them of their dignity.

Those leaders who made a choice on our behalf, to lockdown an entire country and it’s economic activities are now worried about what the rating agencies would do, if we were to print and transfer money to the poorest of the poor, who had built life even without a voice or agency!? Is that the worry or is it the misplaced intention that we seize this opportunity and make India great, to borrow a line from the Big Brother?

People are not so much worried about the pandemic as they are about their livelihoods and the grave uncertainty around it. It’s ok if the government and our leaders are too confused to think - for now, it’s enough if they can “feel” for their fellow human beings. How about we:

• Put an end to the lockdown even if in a phased manner
• First put money (500 Rupees is an insult!) in people’s pockets through direct transfers; take them home if they are stranded and then talk their confidence up. Don’t mess up that order. 
• Don’t take us to your state-of-the-art operation theatre and apply bandaid on our haemorrhage - that’s not very becoming. 
• Instead of promoting Modi Sarkar, use media to promote and educate people of all strata how to maintain social distancing and hygiene to avoid contracting the virus. Work with local social organisations and create Covid champions in bastis. Educate on steps if they show symptoms. Make testing easily accessible and build temporary isolation centres every 5 kilometres 
• Stop peddling stories and start building  strategies backed by action plan and sell it to those who matter - industrialists, international investors, credit rating agencies, RBI and us, the citizens. We would like to know what you are thinking or if you are thinking at all. 
• Build credibility - within and with outside world. Making “PM Cares” more transparent could be a good starting point? 
• Lastly but importantly, please advise our honourable FM to stop giving us a roundup of what “Modi Sarkar” has done for us since the lockdown, every 10 minutes during her presentation. If “Modiji” has done something of relevance, it’s likely I would remember. For instance, I remember I am under lockdown. 

It appears that we could be living with this pandemic for years to come. So, let’s stop winging it?!

Kamala
(A dismayed citizen who voted for Modi sarkar in 2014)

The Big 5 - Oh! happened already?

Amidst the gloom and grave uncertainty, I am moving over to the other side of 50. It's (I can hear you mutter "not necessarily") mandatory that I do some introspection? What does 50 look like? 

Before I started writing this, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and carefully examined myself (note to self: that mirror needs cleaning). More wrinkles? More greys? I counted and there’s no significant increase from the last count. So, what’s the big deal? If I skip all the zoom birthday parties lined up, I could just convince myself I am still in my 40s. I am not an ageist though. In fact, I have been looking forward to hitting this milestone; why, I wouldn’t know. And here it is!

Cut to the chase, fifty feels like ripe middle age. On this milestone birthday, I know fair share of my life has already been lived (how morbid)!

Given that the journey ahead is shorter, I realise my choices will have to be wiser. And choices there will have to be. First off, no spreading thin - that’s not going to happen. Next is, more curiosity and less opinion in order to understand people, culture, history, politics and life, in general. Talks over chat, assertion over aggression, (even more) hope over despair, no struggling (with those I am not enoughs) and no obsessing (trying to get to being good enough) AND reinventing myself periodically are going to be firm choices. I realise while we are all unique, we are also alike in many ways. With that understanding, I will continue to share my stories here.

Somethings won’t change – they make me - so those will stay. The world continues to favour those "playing cool" over leaping towards connection; however, I would continue to unhinge my rib cage and open myself for some people, even if it leaves me with a broken heart. Some old-world charms will be my constant companions – long walks, holding hands, marvelling at nature - the sun, moon and the changing colours of seasons, falling in love with music and any work of art that tugs at my heart, Tamil proverbs, train journey, solitude, quiet of the morning, sentimentality, conversations and chivalry. 

I think I will continue to be annoyed by Bombay rains and incessant honking.

Corona has taught us the importance of being in the moment, patient, dealing with uncertainty and to just BE! I hope I retain these learnings and I can’t stop being amazed at how adaptable we are, as a race! In these times, gratitude has helped me stay sane; well, most of the times.

Like most things in life, what I intended to write and what this post turned out to be, are very different. Be that as it may.  I will now go and practice being 50! With the bar suddenly well stocked (credits will roll, soon), bring on the birthday!

Arriba! Abajo! Al centro! Al dentro!

(Until the next travel, memories of Spain will keep us wandering souls alive…)