This year I had almost given this challenge a pass. I have been working long hours last few months. Things had generally looked gloomy even before the Covid19 Corona Virus outbreak. I have been inactive on the blog as well for months now.
And then last week, a complete lock-down was announced in India. Everyone who can stay home is staying home. Today is the 7th day of this strange and surreal lock-down. It is historical. It is scary. It could be life-changing for some individuals. But I trust human depravity more than anything. When this thing dies down, I think we will be back to our usual ways soon. And I hope I am proven wrong.
Yes, it will impact different people differently. But so far I have felt its repercussions in a more physical way. I am "Working from Home" for last eight days. And I am feeling more tired because technology takes away human touch and most of us are working longer hours than those good old office-going days. Also because in my company we are in crisis management mode and it is important for us that we reach out to our stakeholders and solve their problems, we are constantly logged in. At the same time, many of my friends and family members are using this lock-down differently. They are finding time to learn new skills, introspect, forge new connections and do much more. So I thought to myself that the least I can do in these times, is to participate in this challenge this year too. It will take extra efforts for sure, but it is worth it.
This will be my fourth consecutive year of participation. And I am really excited to complete it this time too. Looking forward to your comments, feedback and most importantly encouragement to make this happen.
For the uninitiated, this challenge is about writing a blog-post daily through the month of April, except on Sundays. And to raise the bar higher, one has to post with topics arranged thematically from A to Z. 26 letters of the alphabet! 26 posts!
In 2017 my theme was 'Anecdotes and Stories from my Life'. You can read all the posts from that challenge here. In 2018 my theme was 'Listicles - Stories, anecdotes and observations from our daily lives in form of easy-to-read lists'. You can read all the posts from that challenge here. In 2019 my theme was 'Hindi Film Industry / Bollywood cliches'. You can read all the posts from that challenge here. If you haven't read them before, do have a look. I am sure you will find few posts that resonate with you.
The lock-down is expected to last till 14th April 2020 as of now. It could be longer than that. Its impact will be felt long after it is over. So I decided to have a theme this year which reflects what is happening around us. I would talk about how I am dealing with this lock-down. I would reflect on different aspects of this invisible enemy, this virus, that has shut us down. If I read a book or watch something along the way I would write about it. I am keeping it fluid. So here is my theme for this year's challenge : Lock-down Blues
You are welcome to share your thoughts on how are you dealing with it. See you tomorrow with my first post. Ready! Get Set! Go!
