It has been an unprecedented last few months. The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has been far-reaching, life-altering and devastating in various measures. Life as we knew it has been brought to a standstill, and the timeline for recovery is uncertain – many of us have been (or continue to be) in some form of a lockdown. A second wave of infections has been reported by some countries attempting to restore a sense of normalcy, indicating the long and winding road that lies ahead. Amid the pandemic there have been various world events that have added to the complexity of the situation – anti-racism protests and inter-country tensions being the prominent ones. Those of us unaffected by the virus, directly or indirectly, can consider ourselves fortunate.
I’ve had the privilege of being in my own largely unchanged bubble, which sharply contrasts with the situation outside as the UK has had one of the worst infection rates and death counts in the world. My employer was ahead of the curve as I started working from home a few days before the national lockdown was declared, and I will most likely continue to do so for the rest of the year. Since my job is wholly done on a computer (in fact most of it takes place on a remote server, so my laptop mainly acts as a conduit to it), there has been almost no perceptible difference to my daily work routine, except that I’m sat at home instead of at the office. Ironically, we had only recently moved into our new office building which was completed after several rounds of delays, and so is now lying unused! There is a possibility that many office spaces around the world will not be required again even after things return to normal, and the concept of the CBD (central business district) as we know it might be redefined in the process.
There are both advantages and disadvantages of working from home. The former includes greater flexibility and better work-life balance as there’s no pressure of having to stick to a precise routine, nor is any time wasted due to the office commute. I’ve been able to stick to a better fitness regimen, and have been able to plan the day’s meals much more easily. Theoretically it should also provide more time for non-work activities, but strangely enough work has been hectic of late so I haven’t had as much time as I would have liked, but nonetheless the semblance of balance is definitely better. On the flip side, there’s more fatigue from the work as it’s more intense without any external stimuli – the line between office and personal life can easily get blurred – and so the need for quality downtime becomes that much more important.
My forays into the outside world (it feels surreal phrasing it as if it were an expedition into the great unknown) have mainly been limited to grocery shopping and cycling (which has been great as many hitherto vehicular traffic-filled roads have become quiet and peaceful). In the initial days of (and also the days leading up to) the lockdown, there was a mad scramble for specific items – people went on a panic buying spree and hoarded toilet paper, pasta, tinned vegetables, breakfast cereal, bread, milk and flour. The pressure on supermarkets to restock empty shelves was so high that it finally prompted them to restrict these items to a limited number per person.
A particular skill that has come in very handy during this time has been the capability to cut my own hair – it’s something I’ve been doing for the better part of almost 15 years now, thanks to the intransigence of the local barber shops in Bangalore (I suppose it might be a universal trait though). Having gotten frustrated and dissatisfied with the random results obtained with each visit, I decided to take matters into my own hands (literally) and have not turned back since. Most people could never tell if I didn’t tell them (like I have done to you now dear readers) so I’m quite pleased with myself, especially when I look at or listen to the botched haircut (mis)adventures of others!
One thing that has been hard for most people during the lockdown is the lack of social interaction. The imposition of restrictions necessitated by the transmissibility characteristics of the virus has meant curbing several behaviours, which seems unnatural. Of these not touching one’s face must be the hardest! It is almost a reflex action, and very hard to be conscious of. On the other hand, actions such as shaking hands has been easier not to do; coming from the land of ‘Namaste’ this should be trivial.
Though the virus has wrecked our day-to-day lives, there is still hope for the future. This period of reduced activity should give us all more time to reflect on the type of society we would like to leave behind for our future generations. The pandemic has brought into stark relief the several issues that plague humankind currently – social inequality, environmental pollution, the economic rat-race among others – and has given many of us existential questions to ponder about. For a long time, we have had the luxury of taking decisions on an individual level over many aspects of our life, such as the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the way we travel, etc. Now, more than ever, before we just go back to our old ways, is a chance to reset and substantially change the way we function.
An unexpected benefit has been the fact that I was able to send the article for Adarshan ahead of time for once! It was supposed to have been ‘well’ ahead of the deadline but as usual I needed to be prodded into submitting it by the gentle reminders of our kind editors J. I guess there are silver linings to every situation.
Stay safe everyone.