Awakening to Our Lifestyle and habits
My Servant maid rushed in the early morning on 25th March 2020, saying “Didi, Jahan Dekho log Corona Corona Kehke sab Dara Rahe Hain, Aur Mujhe Kaam Par Aane mana Kar Rahe Hain?? Aakir Baat kya Hain??”
I smiled at her curiosity and innocence which was no different than my little girl, who seemed blissful in her world of legos, kitchen sets, and doll houses, amidst the panic that has gripped the entire world. 2020 began with the discovery of the Coronavirus, at Wuhan in China which slowly spread across the world and soon to India. India too got affected by the virus in the early summer and stringent action was taken by the prime minister to tackle the same.
Summer holidays are very special in many ways. Mothers do not have to worry about packing lunches, parents collectively do not worry about picking up and dropping children off from school and classes, and grandparents look forward to spending time with their grandchildren. The delicious ice creams and mangoes are a treat during holidays. My daughters too had started their countdown, with each exam getting over to usher their vacations with great zest and energy. I too had chalked out my travel plans for summer vacations.
However, the summer of 2020 started on a different note when the Prime Minister announced a lockdown for 21 days, keeping in mind the health and safety of the nation during the outbreak of the corona virus. The entire nation came to a grinding halt due to the pandemic that had caught the entire world. The mantra of this pandemic was “social distancing”. Keeping a safe distance was the key to eradicating this unknown deadly virus It was a bit difficult to think of staying indoors for 21 days, just when the summer vacations had begun. However “Corona”, became the most feared word for everyone.
Surprisingly, though everyone internally resisted the thought of staying home for 21 days, there was an acceptance too, of a greater cause for humanity at large. A pandemic of this kind, not only reminds us of our physical well-being but also our emotional and mental well-being as well. With the continuous updates from news channels and seeing the doctors, policemen, nurses, and various people soldering 24X7 for the affected patients, a small evolution of self-realization and self-introspection were taking place in the background ………..
- Children surprisingly did not fuss about being indoors. They were blissfully happy playing indoors in the company of their parents and grandparents, which would not have been possible during regular vacations.
- Children are pushed into a competitive environment, where they are compelled to attend various classes for arts, sports, and studies even during vacations in an organized manner. Most children truly enjoyed being in their space of just being, discovering, and playing on their own.
With the absence of a maid, mothers brought everyone together by saying “Ab Sab Ghar Pe Bhi Thoda Kaam Karo Na”. It bonded everyone to keep daily tasks going, which made us realize how 50% of the housekeeping activity was well taken care of by the maid. The housekeeping activities pushed us physically to understand the strengths and stiffness of our bodies.- Eating home-cooked food, made everyone realize how much junk was consumed on a normal day, which was a positive influence on health. People also became conscious of how much they ate, as outdoor activity had completely stopped. However, it also made us understand, how doing various chores at home, can keep one fit, which was the fitness mantra for our parents and grandparents.
- The current generation of youth and children are facing mostly lifestyle-related diseases, which were not even heard of a decade ago. Obesity, Diabetics, Thyroid, and Rheumatic problems are related to a stressful lifestyle. The lockdown made us more disciplined to plan home and work-related tasks effectively. People today, lead a sedentary lifestyle juggling various activities mechanically, causing stress-related health issues. This phase will surely help in disciplining and re-orienting ourselves to be mindful and lead a stress-free life
- Though many sectors faced salary cut or some business shops had to shut down, the savings in this phase was of a different kind. People did not indulge in unnecessary shopping, mall visiting, and eating food outside. People are used to setting aside entertainment expenses each month for some entertainment and extravagance. This expenditure has been a saving in itself.
Middle-class people could hoard food supplies from the shops for several days, but it is the most trying time for people, who work daily to earn their food, and who do not have the space for community distancing, I sincerely pray to GOD to protect them with his MIGHTY hands.
During monsoon, whenever the rains would lash out bringing daily routine to stand still in Mumbai, a time I enjoyed eating hot bhajjiyas with my dad, he would say pensively, “It is important to respect Mother Nature and thank Mother earth each day for the lives we are leading.” “Nature’s Fury can bring our lives to stand still”, which I witnessed with this pandemic.
Mother Nature, has made us realize, how humans out of greed to possess have exponentially polluted her habitat. We are living in an age, where people buy, eat, and indulge in extravagance because they like it and not because they NEED it. A family of four owns four vehicles. Our desires have super seeded our needs but that has been at the cost of disturbing the balance of our surroundings. Today, when we see various clippings of unseen animals and birds, being shared happily on social media, I feel Mother Earth is happy and smiling to see her other children rejoicing, trying to reconnect in their lost habitat taken over by humans.
I am sure Corona will be eradicated from the earth soon, healing the world with good health, empathy, wisdom, and its mantra “ Ab Sabh Hamesha Apne Ghar Ke liye Bhi Kaam KarNa “, where “ Ghar” is not just our home, but our community where humans become more mindful and compassionate, to peacefully co-exist with mother nature and make the world a great place again!