On the 14th of March 2020 my extended family, thirty of us, were at a resort in Karjat, celebrating my parents 60th wedding anniversary. Yes, there were already a few cases of COVID 19 in India. Yes, there were already advisories to stay at home. Yes, we needed to be sensible. Yes, we realised we had several people in the vulnerable age group with us. Yes, my sister and cousin who were to join us from the USA had canceled their trips as the world had gradually begun a long and slow shutdown.
But, we rationalised, we had reserved the entire resort and it would be just family; we would surely be isolated and safe. A lot of planning had gone into this celebration and we were loath to let it go waste. By this time, schools, colleges, gyms, theatres, swimming pools, clubs, and malls were already shut in Maharashtra and other parts of the country, and people were being advised to work from home. Thinking back now, it was extremely cavalier of us to have gone away for the weekend and I can only be thankful that all 30 of us got back to our respective homes uninfected and safe.
By the 17th of March, the Maharashtra government stopped all offices, shops, and factories from functioning, including closing down places of worship and allowed only essential services to stay open.
Around the world, COVID19 stories were getting scarier, but for some reason, we collectively believed India would be spared. We opined about the heat in India, and our news anchors had experts telling us how the rays of the sun weakened The Virus. We talked about our many Gods who would keep us safe. We were led to believe that the BCG vaccines we got as children would act as a barrier to the infection. We tom-tommed the power of gau mutra…..Basically, we did everything except prepare to be slammed by the ferocity of The Virus.
Then, on Friday 20th March, Maharashtra was put into a complete lockdown. Nothing open except for essential supplies. No stepping out of the home unless it was to buy essentials.
This was followed on Sunday 22nd March by the all -India janta curfew and the banging of thalis, which quickly degenerated into a farce as people took to the streets in large numbers to clang and bang their thalis and bells.
Anybody with a bit of sense should have seen a nationwide lockdown coming if they had paid even the slightest attention to the Prime Minister’s speech. Unfortunately, all that stuck with most people was 5 minutes of bell clanging at 5 pm! Which is why most of India was caught, quite literally with their pants down when PM Modi on Monday 23rd March, in another of his dreaded 8 pm addresses to the nation, announced an all-India lockdown starting at midnight the same day which was to last for 21 days till the 15th of April.
Our government actually locked down a population of 1.38 billion people with a 4-hour notice period! And when I say locked down, I mean locked down. None of that “exercise in the park once a day’ and ‘hairdressers and liquor stores are essential services’ nonsense for us. India’s lockdown was and is severe and total, enforced by every possible arm of the law. We simply cannot leave our homes, or not leave whatever home we happened to be in at midnight on the 23rd March, except for short excursions to buy groceries and vegetables. No trains, no buses, no taxis, no rikshaws, no uber…nothing. Stay put wherever you are in the country. At a 4-hour notice!
I believe, and I would be happy if anyone can prove me wrong, that once again, this decision that affected the lives of so many people, was taken without consulting or informing state governments or any other ministry.
In those 4 hours after this announcement shops all around India were hit hard by a surge of panic buying. Everybody who could, hoarded everything they could! Social distancing and COVID 19 be damned in the need to stock up because no one knew if any supplies would be available in ‘Lockdown 1.0’.
The next day while all of us looked on aghast at the videos that played in a loop of panic buying across the country, we hunkered down for the start of our lockdown. Nothing was as yet very grim. The all-India positive cases were still quite low, and we settled in thinking India would escape this relatively unscathed. Better to be safe than sorry was the general consensus.
We discussed lockdown menus, figuring out the best online workouts, scrambled to work and socialize remotely using previously niche tools such as Zoom, Facetime, Microsoft’s Teams, and even the Houseparty app, patted ourselves on the back for managing without house help and felt noble about our paltry acts of kindness towards our building security guards. We were fine. We were going to be brave and weather this out without too much trouble.
A week later, we were shocked out of our privileged bubble when news channels started flashing images of hundreds upon thousands of migrant workers and daily wage earners walking 100s of kilometres to reach their native villages. With no income, no savings, and no place to stay, these forgotten people wanted to return to the safety of their homes and families. Since there were no trains and no buses, they chose to walk the 100s of kilometres to return home to a life of poverty and basic dignity rather than be reduced to being homeless beggars in the big cities.
So many questions arise. Why had nobody thought about this? Why had they not been allowed to return home before the lockdown began? Assuming there was a fear of The Virus spreading, why weren’t state governments told in advance to make provisions for their stay and food and other essentials. Why was everybody caught like a deer in the headlights? The videos of the migrants being sprayed with chemicals will haunt me till the day I die.
This, more than at any time before was when the realisation hit home very hard. Yes, we are all caught in the same storm…but we are not in the same boat.
My little boat of privilege hasn’t been rocked hard at all. The inconveniences, if any, are so minor they don’t count. True, the air conditioner in our bedroom failed and we had to move to the guest bedroom! The perfect example of a privileged whine that really has to end!
The only real anxiety I experienced was when my mum got sick. She lives 15 kilometres away, but in this lockdown, she may as well have been on another planet. Countless phone calls, messages to doctors, organising home visits for tests (including two ECGs), figuring out how to get medicines to her were challenging and stressful. Thankfully the phone consultations were effective and she was better after a week of medication and over 100 Whatsapp video calls.
14th April came and went and our lockdown was extended to 3rd May. As I write this, we are on Day 30 of the strictest lockdown in the world. A lockdown that affects a staggering 1.38 billion people.
Like many, I have learned to count my blessings and be aware of my privileges.
We will emerge from this. Not soon, but eventually. Hopefully unscathed but certainly not unchanged. And when we emerge, we will find that the world as we know it has changed beyond recognition. Yes, we will continue to travel, to eat out, to work, to work out, to be entertained, and to have experiences in person. Just don’t expect any of these activities to be unchanged. Or to be delivered by the same means or brands to which we’ve become accustomed.
When we are unlocked, we will emerge into World 2.0
A very well written article couldn’t have said it better. Congratulations to Dilipbhai and Heena for their 60th anniversary they are truly blessed.
Relieved to hear that Heena pulled out of her illness despite lockdown .
Wishing you all well .
Lena
That’s a very lucid and readable article.
We all are doing g our best to make use of this time on our hands.
You are making the best use of this.
Keep it up!!!!
Just read Diary Part 1 – you have put into words my/our thoughts exactly. We are all in the same storm but not at all in the same boat. Shame on the whiners that we often become. Have to keep vigilant at being grateful everyday second of everyday.