Z : Zoom Calls and Other Stupid Stuff #AtoZChallenge2020

I came across this meme on internet. I found it hilarious, because I connect with it. With 'Work From Home' being one of the most used terms during lockdown, and Zoom calls / other video calls becoming the norm, people are misusing it. What should have been an email, becomes a meeting. 

Today, I wanted to share some good and bad aspects of Zoom calls / other video calls with you. 

Good Aspects of Video Calls: 

1. You see someone digging his/her nose during the video meeting. You are relieved, as you wouldn't be shaking hands with him/her at the end of the meeting. 

2. If you get ready on time, switch on the video. If you wake up late and don't get ready on time, switch on only audio. That's an amazing choice. 

3. Unlike real meetings, you can mute others at your will.

4. Not having a good internet connection is an excellent excuse to not attend the meetings. I mean who is going to verify! And no one is going to ask you to come by cab, if your car is broken.

Bad Aspects of Video Calls: 

1. As there is no infrastructure (meeting rooms) constraint, the number of random meetings shoot-up. As mentioned above, what should have been an email, becomes a meeting. 

2. Whether someone digs his / her nose or not, there will always be one person in the video call, whose nostrils you can look into with microscopic details. 

3. I thought all of us look ugliest in our Aadhaar Card pictures. I was so wrong. Some look uglier than that on Zoom calls.

4. Unlike real meetings, others can mute you at their will.

5. If internet is bad (car broken), you are expected to use mobile phones to connect (cab). Doing video calls on mobile phones is even more tiresome. So use 'bad internet' excuse sparingly.

I am sure you have experienced a lot of stupid things with video calls. Do share your experiences in the comments section. 

Like guffaws filled video calls, there is other stupid stuff that has become normal in this lockdown. As this is last post of the April challenge, I wanted to list few of those stupid things too. 

• Baking cakes at home to post pictures on Instagram. However good it looks, there is no good cake without the creamy icing. Stop kidding me and wait for good bakeries to open. 
• Workout videos. Stop playing with my mind. You were doing workouts before too. Why showing off now? Be kind and humble in this lockdown.
• The guys who said, Netflix khatam ho gaya (Everything has been seen on Netflix) after 15 days of lockdown. You are idiots. That is Doordarshan, not Netflix. Netflix is like Akshaya Patra (inexhaustible)
• The parents who claim on WhatsApp groups with an air of superiority that they are engaging their kids in a proper manner. Friends, I am saying this from my personal experience, that these parents are lying. It is our kid who is engaging us, entangling us, making us run around the whole day. And he is the one who makes all those Zoom calls, tad more tolerable, by pressing random buttons on my laptop, when these calls are on. 

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter Z

2017: Zebra / Jebra

2018: Zoom in

2019: Zeros & Stars in Hindi Films / Bollywood

Y : Youth & Regret #AtoZChallenge2020

The dreams of the youth are the regrets of maturity 

~ Tim Curry, English Actor & Singer

Extended lockdown period is also about to get over on 3rd May 2020, and many of us in red zone districts are not sure about its further extension. While everyone in my social circle is making efforts to stay positive, some have faced few moments of anxiety and in some cases moments of regret too. Regrets which cloud our peaceful existence in idle moments! Regrets which we shouldn't carry into our old age / maturity! This led me to a poem, I had written on a whim in 2016, but never shared it with anyone. It is the job of a novice. But I didn't want to regret later, that I never shared it on my blog. 

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Poem : Youth & Regret

I remember my harum-scarum youth,

When I kissed you in the school booth.

I remember the freckle on your face,

Getting you in my arms was no less than a chase.

I remember the day, when we took different routes,

You forgot me completely, but I missed you in bouts.

I remember the years where worth remembering happened nothing,

I got lot of action but stopped feeling a thing.

I remember getting married and having a grown up son,

It was too late when I realized, you were the one. 

Today, I am alone on my death bed,

Looking back on my life, some tears I just shed.

I wonder where you are and what you are doing,

I wish I hadn't slapped you that day, it was my undoing. 

***

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter Y

2017: Yumdude

2018: Yes and No - The success mantra

2019: Yash Chopra's cliches - Hindi Films / Bollywood

X : XY chromosome in danger #AtoZChallenge2020

Few scientific facts first, to understand the post better - 

The XY gender-determination system is the gender-determination system found in humans, most other mammals, some insects (Drosophila), some snakes, some fish (guppies), and some plants  -(Ginkgo) tree. In this system, the gender of an individual is determined by a pair of gender chromosomes. Females typically have two of the same kind of gender chromosomes (XX). Males typically have two different kinds of gender chromosomes (XY). (Source: Wikipedia)

Since Covid19 outbreak world wide, it has been found, that males (XY pair of chromosomes) are more susceptible to this disease. They have a higher mortality rate than women. And they tend to remain infectious for a longer period as compared to women. (Source: Several news reports)

From here on the post becomes non-scientific and I will be giving my mumbo-jumbo theories on "Why a typical male / XY chromosome is in danger due to this C virus". 

I will be using the SWOT template for explanation.

Strength: Men are brave and risk takers. 

Evidence: They can drive at 100 mph on the roads with maximum speed limit of 60 mph. They jump a lot. Especially into other people's fights. They are the ones breaking most lockdown rules with a swag. 

Impact: Corona Virus is smart and loves a symbiotic relationship with risk takers and brave people. It is good for the virus' evolution. 

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Weakness: Men are idiots. Since Covid19 outbreak, many call them covidiots too!

Evidence: They tend to repeat their mistakes. Like getting involved into drunken brawls. Or falling in love. They are the ones who think wearing a mask is not cool. 

Impact: Corona Virus falls in love with idiots. It is clingy like men that way. Men are great carriers for its spread. It is good for the virus' gene pool increase.

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Opportunity: Men are braggarts. 

Evidence: They tend to exaggerate their performance data. They normally overstate their performance in bed and video games both. They wash hands just for 10 seconds and report that they have done it for 20 seconds.

Impact: Corona Virus doesn't go by reported data. It just knows the real performance like girlfriends do. This opportunity created by braggarts is something good for the virus' virility. 

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Threat: Men are lazy. 

Evidence: They can watch TV whole day long, without moving an inch. They sometimes don't even take a shower. They are used to staying at home for long periods without any form of socialization. 

Impact: Lazy Men are a big threat to Corona Virus. Corona Virus hates them. Brave men - idiots and braggarts, are of no use to the virus, if they don't step out of their homes.
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Key Actions for Men:

• Be Brave. Cook something apart from Maggi noodles. 
• Be an Idiot. Ask silly questions during office Zoom calls.
• Be a Braggart. Exaggerate about your exercise routine.
• But Stay at Home. Stay Safe. Till lockdown is not over. 

Make the XY pair of chromosomes great again!

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter X

2017: Xeroxed

2018: X words and other tough things

2019: XL sized egos in Hindi Films / Bollywood

W : Work/Life/Wife in Lockdown #AtoZChallenge2020

This is not a didactic post. So if you believe that you will get some great tips for a good work-life balance, you can stop reading right now. Because I am really, really, really bad in managing work-life balance. If I am immersed in work, I don't realize the passage of time. I find it very difficult to switch off my work-mode. The gears in my brain are constantly moving. Thinking the thoughts. Making the plans. Optimizing to-do lists. Even when I am sleeping. I get dreams about my work. Some might call them nightmares. Now you know how bad I am with work-life balance. And at rare times, like on longer holidays (anything more than 3 days) when I am able to switch off, I get so immersed in my personal life, that I need a serious kick in my butt, to switch on my work-mode. So inertia works both ways for me. I can't seem to do anything in half measures. 

But there were some factors pre-lockdown which helped me somewhat. Like it was clear to me that you could afford not to work on weekends and instead be a couch potato. If I could see darkness, outside my office cabin, I instinctively knew, I could now go home. Fixed office timings helped a lot, as you couldn't have meetings if everyone had left. Also my stomach used to tell me it is time for dinner and thus I knew I should shut down my laptop.

But this lockdown has played havoc with my carefully cultivated habits and instincts. Now every day is same - the concept of weekends is like a thing of past. I don't need to go home to eat, as now food comes to me. So another signal to shut down my laptop is taken away by these really cruel times. People can now call for meetings at the drop of a hat. They think if you are 'Working From Home' there is no point in following office decorum, of not calling some one late in the night. And in these dark times, even if you get engulfed by physical darkness, your natural instincts - of calling it a day - are curbed. 

So if you are like me and you too have a spouse who is totally totally aghast at your inability to be at home while 'Working From Home', here are few things your spouse can try at his/her own risk. If any aggrieved spouse is reading this post, don't hate me. Thank me for the suggestions below. 

1. After 5 pm, start mixing alcohol in his / her beverages. It will lull him / her into sleep putting the laptop on sleep mode. 

2. Start playing music / TV at a really high volume. He / She can't have too many meetings by just being on mute. 

3. Jam their mobile signals and kill their WiFi - without them suspecting that it is not God's act

4. Throw his / her laptop outside the window, by mistake of course

5. Video call his / her office crush. That will force him / her to come out of makeshift office space, in a more agreeable mode. And may be with his / her pyjamas on too.

Reiterating. Aggrieved spouses should try these things at their own risk!

What are the methods you will try which are less riskier? Help my wife know, in the comments section!

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter W

2017: Wikipedia

2018: WhatsApp Groups - Types and Management Techniques

2019: Whites in Hindi Films / Bollywood

V : Very Good Questions #AtoZChallenge2020

A behavioral scientist, Elizabeth Weingarten, recently published an article titled - 20 questions to ask instead of "How are you doing right now?" 

She goes on to say that when the pandemic started it was a useful question at first, an assumption-free signal of care. But when you keep asking this question on default mode, the responses become almost scripted and reflexive. Also when you keep asking the same question again and again you lose out on a chance of building deeper connections. It is a beautiful article which then goes on to list 20 questions which go beyond "How are you doing right now?"

Though I must also say, that in a totally different context, I had dabbled with this subject myself two years back. You can click here to read that post as well.

For today's post, I am going to answer the questions listed by Elizabeth, for myself. May be this exercise will help me get in touch with my inner self and help you understand me much better. So here we go.

Eleven questions for making a true connection

1. How are you taking care of yourself today?

Answer: Not something earth shattering, but during this lockdown, I have reduced my diet a bit and have been drinking less and also ensuring some physical activity whenever I get time off from my work. 

2. What part of your shelter-in-place residence have you come to appreciate the most?

Answer: Our terrace and balcony. I mean these are the only open spaces we have access to right now. I envy people who have gardens. 

3. What surprising thing have you been stocking up on (that isn't toiler paper)?

Answer: Surprisingly nothing. We are not panic buying. Though we have to always keep enough cookies in stock for our son. Also I wish I had stocked up some liquor before the lockdown started. Now I have to ration it judiciously. 

4. What's a story - from a book, a movie, an article, a conversation - that you've been gripped by recently? Why did it capture you?

Answer: I recently finished Jaya by Devdutt Patanaik. It is a retelling of Mahabharata. It had some fascinating stories. A total escape from these dreary times. 

5. What habit have you started, or broken, during the quarantine?

Answer: Nothing much. But I think I am watching lesser TV on weekdays. And I am spending relatively more time with my son. Now whether these are habits or the situation is forcing these acts, time will tell. 

6. Which specific place in your neighborhood are you most looking forward to visiting one this is all over?

Answer: Obviously, a cinema hall and the neighborhood bar. 

7. What is the easiest part about the quarantine?

Answer: There is no commute to office. But I must say 'Work From Home' is something I have come to dislike as it means that one has to be connected for more hours. 

8. What are some things you have realized that you don't really need?

Answer: So many shoes!

9. What is something you own that feels useful?

Answer: Internet connection, microwave and books

10. What is your COVID-19 nickname/alter-ego?

Answer: No one has kept a nickname for me but I think my alter-ego should be Iron-Man. Because, I keep tinkering with stuff. May be this is not an honest answer. So my dear reader, why don't you give me a nickname in the comments section. Moderation is on. So be nice please! 

11. What problem - either yours, or something more global - do you wish you could solve?

Answer: Fake news & people who think 'Work From Home' is a holiday. 

Nine questions for taking things a step further

12. What's something that you miss that surprises you? What's something that you don't miss that surprises you?

Answer: I miss office and its more regular working hours. I am not missing watching films, in a cinema hall. Surprising, because I am a movie buff, who can watch back to back movies on a big screen, every weekend. May be that is also because nothing is getting released anyway so I am not having FOMO.

13. Which member of your family / friend group have you been thinking about the most during this time? Why?

Answer: My parents. They stay far from me. But I always had this comfort in my mind that we can visit each other, whenever we want. Now I realize how we take things for granted. Something as simple as flights. 

14. What's the most generous act you've seen recently?

Answer: I really appreciate the work, doctors and nurses have been doing. And people who are ensuring delivery of essentials. I know some people who are feeding the hungry. That makes me feel the goodness all around. 

15. What's the last thing you experienced that made you laugh, or cry?

Answer: My son always makes me feel happy and makes us laugh. Last night, we played hopscotch on our terrace. Me and my wife. For a brief time, we went back to our childhood. 

16. What times of the day or the week are hardest?

Answer: Every night when I lie down, I am more anxious these days. When I am engaged in work, I feel okay though. Also Sunday evenings are gloomy. Because you may believe it or not, I still get the Monday Blues. 

17. What's giving you hope right now?

Answer: That I am not alone in this. My family is with me. And the fact that I still have a job. 

18. What's the best thing that happened to you today?

Answer: Few people gave nice comments on the blogpost I wrote yesterday. 

19. How do you want this experience to change you? How do you think it will?

Answer: I don't know if it will. But I want that it helps me make more brave choices in life.  

20. What do you hope we all learn or take away from this experience?

Answer: I hope that we all learn that joy is in smaller things and let us hope we all slow down a bit and reflect on the purpose of our lives.

I urge all of you to do the following:

1. Read the original article written by Elizabeth by clicking here

2. Read my post on a similar subject but written in a different context

3. Give me a nickname (refer to Q10) in the comments section

4. Answer few of the above questions, if you feel like, in comments section and let me know more about you. 

See you all on Monday, with my letter W post. God Speed! 

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter V

2017: VCR and Video Tapes

2018: VCR and Video Tapes Part II

2019: Viewers and Voice-overs in Hindi Films / Bollywood

U : Umbrella, A Pair of Formal Shoes & That Suitcase #AtoZChallenge2020

The black formal shoes stomped about in Umesh's closet. Angrily!

The jaded blue umbrella lying in the corner, stifled a yawn and ignored this tantrum.

The blue, classy suitcase, as usual was sleeping on the top shelf of the closet.

"It has been 30 days", shouted the pair of shoes oblivious to the discomfort it was causing to the suitcase. The blue suitcase was the newest member in this closet and it usually kept to itself. The commotion made by the shoes, woke it up, but it kept pretending to sleep. 

"Hmmm!", said the umbrella. Umbrella was considered the wisest in this closet. Though it was a pretty standard 'Hmmm', everyone in the closet thought it was full of wisdom, unknown to them. 

"30 days since I went out! Umesh has never done this to me before. These days, all he wears is his stupid bathroom slippers," the shoes whined.  

"I haven't seen sunlight or rains for months now. I think rains are still two months away", the umbrella spoke calmly. 

"Don't you get bored? May be you are used to getting neglected by Umesh. But for me it is a new experience. Till a month ago he used to shine me daily. Now I lie here in a corner gathering dust. Those damn slippers - they are plastic. I am the real deal", the pair of shoes retorted sharply. 

The umbrella knew that there was hard truth in what shoes said. But come rains, Umesh can't do without it. Though it never gets to see his office, like the black pair does and is usually left outside drying. It also doesn't get to travel with Umesh like the suitcase does. But umbrella had the wisdom to understand that it has a purpose to serve and it is very good in it. "Hmmm!", umbrella responded. 

"And why is Umesh not going out of the home anyway? Is there a curfew outside? I don't like this 'Work-from-Home' drama which he started a month back. He doesn't even wear his socks now. I used to really like the pink ones that he wore on Fridays. They were so soft. My insides used to get excited seeing them. You know I really have had some dirty thoughts about the pink socks in past. Also I really liked that grassy, muddy, sticky patch in the parking lot of his office. Every time he stepped into it, he used to get agitated, but the warmth and moistness of the mud really touched my soul. Every time, I tell you", the shoes kept on blabbering. "Tell me what is the most exciting thing you have done", the shoes asked the umbrella.

Normally the umbrella would remain silent when asked such stupid questions, but today it was in a giving mood. "When I was relatively new and my blue was like that of a bright sunny sky, Umesh used to lend me to his office colleague at times. She was a beautiful lady and her hands were so soft. And she really used to take great care of me. Sometimes I miss that kind of love. But then Umesh has had me for years now. His colleagues generally change their umbrellas every season", the umbrella replied and the mood in the closet turned somber. 

The suitcase couldn't control itself anymore. It jumped into the conversation from the top shelf. "You guys give too much importance to your owner. We shouldn't get attached to such things. We all know they care for us only till the time we serve their needs. Learn to live happily with what you have. And this Umesh! What should I say about him! I have seen him naked. He changes clothes in front of me every time we stay in a hotel together. And his laptop bag and I share naughty glances every time he does that. I mean he isn't that great. Typical dad-bod", the suitcase guffawed.

"Hmmm!", said the umbrella and this time everyone started laughing. 

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter U

2017: Usha Madam

2018: Urination in open

2019: Uncles in Hindi Films / Bollywood

T : The Infinite Game & Siddhartha - Book Reviews #AtoZChallenge2020

The post "Books in Lockdown" was about books that the current dystopian times reminded me of. Subsequently, I wrote another books related post titled "Haruki Murakami & Other Escapes", which was about few books that I recommended as an escape from these times. But today, I am going to talk about two books, which I actually read few months back, in the period when Covid19 had just started spreading across the world. 

The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

This one comes highly recommended. There are certain books, where you can't dispute the logic or intent, but as a reader, you constantly keep struggling with the solidity and the execution of the concepts being talked about. This book talks about how corporate leaders are conditioned to think short-term and finite, while the game being played is infinite. He provides a framework which is anchored on having a Just Cause or what I would call the purpose that should be your north star. A cause which helps build trusting teams. The author, at one point makes an interesting distinction between sports and corporate world. (While, we have been always given analogies of sports at corporate meets.) He clearly states that we should look out for worthy rivals rather than competition, like in finite sports. He tells with examples of brands like Apple, how existential flexibility, can help a brand pivot from its core product, (in this case from computers to phones, music etc.) if Just Cause is not centered around a product or a number, and courage to lead is in ample supply. 

Some cases shared are interesting. I also liked the chapter on Ethical Fading, because it seemed more tangible than others. It talks about the concept where you might follow law to the letter, but not necessarily in spirit or as per morality. But its the analogy of the Vietnam War and who really won it, that stayed back with me. 

I always find this genre of books difficult to wrap my head around. For example the Kodak and the Apple stories have been cited in so many books, using so many frameworks, that you kind of know the beats already and you also get it that in real world things don't operate that simplistically. Things work out or fail because of several variables at play. But among this genre of books, this one is far more coherent, and there is clarity of intent and writing is lucid. There are certain chapters that help you reflect on the way you look at success - both personal and professional and the way you look at team building. Also the discussion between 'legal' and 'ethical' is very interestingly put across. And thus the book is enriching in that sense. 

A line from the book which I really liked - "If the true purpose of business was only to make money, there would be no need for so many companies to pretend to be cause or purpose driven"

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

It is a book about the spiritual journey of a man called Siddhartha during the time of Buddha. I have never read such a book before. It reads like a novel, but it is not. It is easy to read but difficult to understand and absorb. It is a book which one will have to read multiple times over one's lifetime, because takeaways from it depends on your mental state and your interpretation, at the given time of your life. As the book was originally written, in German, in simple lyrical style, I also felt that rhythm in the English translation is missing, which at times may be jarring. But one has to overcome that to really take something away from this book. 

The key themes of the book which I liked were, the totality of experience one must immerse in and the difference between 'seeking' and 'finding' . Also the fact that enlightenment can't be taught but it has to come from within is brought out beautifully through Siddhartha's journey. 

Two quotes from the book which talk about the themes I liked, are reproduced below for your delight. 

“Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else ... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.”

“What could I say to you that would be of value, except that perhaps you seek too much, that as a result of your seeking you cannot find.”

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What was the last book you liked and why? Do tell me in the comments section.

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter T

2017: Trains

2018: Tamil words I learned in last one year

2019: Titles & Title Songs in Hindi Films / Bollywood

S : Sycophant #AtoZChallenge2020

As this lockdown in India is now getting mired in all colors of politics, we see sycophants rearing their ugly heads across the political spectrum - left - right - center - everything in between. This was the time to show some solidarity and display a broad political consensus. May be every democracy deserves the masters and media, it gets. Today, I try my hand at free verse. I tried to write a poem, but couldn't get a rhythm or a pattern. So free verse it is. On sycophants! 

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Poem : Sycophants

She was the perfect one,

Head bowed down,

Tongue always sweet,

As the master appeared,

Hands folded to greet!

She was the perfect one,

Lying prostrate,

Saying things great,

As the master appeared,

Call him handsome,

Ignore his bald pate!

She was the perfect one,

Approve of his scary plan,

Order the genocide,

Without batting an eyelid,

Annihilate the entire grid,

As the master appeared,

Call it a collateral damage,

Praise what he did!

She was the perfect one,

A woman in pants,

Politician's aide,

Perfect among all his sycophants!

***

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter S

2017: Story - The Minor Glitch

2018: Short Sentences / Stories

2019: Slaps in Hindi Films / Bollywood

R : Roads are Empty #AtoZChallenge2020

When I peer out of my window, all I see is stillness. Stillness of the empty roads. This is one of the key and defining features of this lockdown. Roads that now lead to nowhere for most of us. Yes, I am exaggerating a bit. But you get the drift? Right?

Newspapers report that road rage cases and road accidents have dropped sharply since lockdown started. Yeah! Geniuses! We needed a newspaper to infer that.

Despite these positive side-effects of the empty roads, I have now started missing the buzz. On day 28 of the lockdown, am I missing those traffic jams? Not really! But I am also not liking this long pause in our lives. It feels like a midnight halt of a train at a deserted railway station. How would the roads be feeling? They must be growling from inside, that they have been rendered completely useless. Just like us. But then as these random ramblings bother my mind, my phone rings. Something related to work demands my attention. Then for next few hours I am in work-mode. And I forget those lonely and empty roads, till the time I next peer out of my window.

I see an ambulance sometimes. A Zomato delivery guy at times. A vegetable vendor daily. If it is early morning, I see municipal workers too, cleaning the roads. When roads are empty, you notice things that you didn't notice earlier. Roads are not really empty. May be they are happy, that essential people are only using it. No one is spitting on them! Littering! But then roads are so inexpressive. I would never know. Like a meandering road, my thoughts then travel towards the emptiness of our lives. Before I can further go down this path, my little son, walks into the room. He fills my heart like all those essential people who are filling the empty roads now. We go to our terrace for a walk. And I look at roofs of all the neighboring buildings. Every roof has its own walker. An exercise freak. A star gazer. The night sky is beautiful. For many years, we didn't notice these stars too. Then I look down towards the road. It is still empty. But I realize our lives are not.

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter R

2017: Robbed

2018: Recycle Bin

2019: Remixes in Hindi Films / Bollywood

Q : Quotidian Tasks / Trends #AtoZChallenge2020

In week two of the lockdown, I started seeing a lot of pictures, like the one below, on my Instagram and Facebook feeds. This is called Dalgona Coffee. No! No! It is called #Dalgonacoffee. Hashtags are important these days. They describe things that catch our fancy on the given day.

Initially I read it as Dal do na coffee (pour me some coffee). May be I was too caffeine starved, due to work related Zoom calls the whole day and I needed some. Anyway, I had some tea and then noticed that it was indeed Dalgona Coffee.  My curiosity got piqued. How come this popular coffee is not available at Starbucks? But the answer was right there in the name of the coffee. Dalgona is so easy to pronounce. Unlike Frappuccino! After all Starbucks is not just about coffee, but also about a certain experience - mispronouncing the names of its customers and having tongue-twisters on their menu. But my thoughts kept wandering. I had to understand what was so special about this coffee. Then I found out it was a normal coffee, which my mother used to whip up, when I was a child. But now it had a fancy name. So thus my friends, I discovered how an everyday beverage, a quotidian task became a trend. 

As the drabness of our real lives caused by this lockdown, made our social media feeds less attractive, we had to find ways, to keep our virtual avatars active. We no longer had the luxury of posting pictures from our holidays, weekend restaurant visits etc. So every damn daily errand, every ordinary activity of our lives and every quotidian task we perform had now a potential to become a trend if packaged well. Here are some of the #lockdowntrends that made my eyes pop out, not because of the trendiness of the trends, but because of sheer gumption of these tasks to masquerade as trends. 

#Dalgonacoffee - I have already expressed above, how skeptical I was about this one.

#Safehandschallenge - While I understand the importance of washing hands, but if this task was not part of your daily lives earlier, I am not amused. Also when celebrities post videos of such challenges, they shoot it in their luxurious and classy rest rooms. When you do it, we can see that stinky throne behind you. 

#OnlineAntakshari - Give me a break! We are not on a bus ride going for a picnic! And why are you so dressed up when you are at home while singing this song?

#ChallengeAccepted - It started off well with theme of women empowerment. But then it turned into a #sareechallenge. How was it even a lockdown challenge? Wasn't this saree trend, trending few months back and a month before that too?

So what are the trends last few weeks that caught your fancy? Share with me in comments space, while I fix for my self a #dalgonapeg with my Black Label.

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter Q

2017: Queue Story

2018: Questions that are silly

2019: Queer Props and Sets in Hindi Films / Bollywood

P : Pillow Talk #AtoZChallenge2020

Pillow Talk - A Short Fictional Story

Pari was in quarantine. It was her seventh day in isolation, or was it the tenth! She had no idea of the time. Loneliness can be a strange animal. For the first few days it was her pet, domesticated, acting on her whims. But as the days passed, the animal took over. 

With sunlight fading outside her window, she surely knew it was going to be night soon. But she had lost count of the days since she was in this room. She remembered, returning from her first ever solo Europe trip, with happy memories. She had partied there a lot. As if she was trying to run away from some hard reality. When she got screened at the airport, she had fever. She was immediately brought to this government facility, where she was kept in a room with spartan amenities. All her belongings were kept in a safe and she was given a fresh pair of clothes. Her interactions were limited to the visits by doctors and nurses. Food was served regularly. What she got to eat everyday, also gave her a fair idea about the time of the day. Idlis in breakfast. Dal Rice in Lunch. Light Soup in night. She had lost her appetite by the fourth day and her fever was still high.  She had never been this alone before. Long hours without talking to anyone, and being so sick from inside was totally new. She thought it was her seventh day in isolation, or was it the tenth! She had no idea of the time. For first four days, she had a lot to think about.

Her recent Europe trip ... Meeting Shawn there and a promising date with him... getting drunk on the cruise...

Her office... Colleagues... her promotion... those long nights at work... excitement around the launch...

Her first toy... Her parents' happy marriage... Her first scooter...

Her school... her friends... her break-up...

Her breakup... her marriage... her divorce... 

As the days passed, her memories became darker. She wallowed in self-pity. It was her seventh day in isolation, or was it the tenth, or was it the fourth night! She wasn't sure. She had no idea of the time. She dug her face in her pillow. And that moment was the most comforting for her in days. She was sure that the pillow was talking to her. She wasn't hallucinating. She was sure about this as some one was pulling her inside the pillow. She felt a cold, comforting breeze, on her face. It wasn't the effect of medication. She was sure. 

The pillow hugged her. It was the hug of a mother at times! And the hug of a lover at other times! But it was always comforting. She wasn't thinking of anything when the pillow used to hug her. No memories of the past. No plans for the future. No escape from the present, or from her hard reality. When the pillow talked, she was just there. There in the present. The pillow told her things. Things she didn't fully understand, but things that surely made sense. 

The pillow told her stories, which she had always known. Stories of people with fulfilling lives, happy lives. The pillow had a strange habit of using catchphrases.

Carpe Diem,  it shouted one day.

Yesterday is gone, it told the other day.

The pillow made her loneliness bearable. Loneliness was now not an animal to be domesticated. But it wasn't in control of her either. Her fever had vanished one morning! Doctors told her that she has fully recovered now and the disease is gone. They informed her that she had been there for 23 days. After discharge, as she was returning home, she knew her disease was gone. Disease of the body! And the disease of the mind! 

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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here. 

Previous Challenges : Letter P

2017: Perfect Response

2018: Pots in Restaurant Toilets

2019: Parallel Comedy Tracks in Hindi Films / Bollywood