Sorry, I was talking on mute!

Sorry, I was talking on mute!

Yes, this monologue thrived on, until one fine day the mute button on my phone decided to take a vacation during an office call – opening the floodgates of cacophony emanating from my household to the other side of the cosmos. Microcosms, rather! Each family, a little universe now – with its own chaos and controls. 

The new normal is creating novel ways of doing everything – from launching the next big technology that can transform lives, to chopping onions. The world stands transformed. The world is working from home - as the only ‘home' we’ve cohabited in this universe takes a breather. A COVID-19 medical leave, maybe!

Pigeons crossing the street, peacocks patrolling the alleys, lions snoozing on the tarmac and roosters out for a walk in the park giggle teasingly at us from our digital screens, as we gaze on wordlessly, mute buttons still on, juggling the chaos of an overwhelming shift in our day-to-day lives, devising new ways to numb the cramps of our confinement, embarking on inward quests to conjure up the magic in the mundane!

On the bright side, if there is ever one, this adversity has brought upon us, the boon of realization, even as we continue to get acclimatized to a new rhythm altogether. The realization that the best things in our lives had always been the least expensive ones – being in the middle of a noisy crowd (Am I really saying this?), using public transport (Yes, really!), getting caught in the rain (bliss!), jostling for a movie ticket (oh- the joy of it!), shopping in the streets (another form of bliss!), debating away to glory in packed smoke-filled coffee houses, shaking hands… The list never ends.

The lock-down has brought on its share of mirth too. I busted a groove with my daughter the other day, to a Bollywood number, and loved it so much so that now I am under the threat of being banished from the house if I danced one more time – especially when the husband’s work video call is in progress, or when the daughter’s mood is not that great. 

Jokes apart, we do enjoy a lot of together-time nowadays, as a family – cracking jokes at the dinner table, soaking in the evening sunshine together, reliving memories, singing songs & what not! 

As long as we have each other, our families, our friends, our social network and of course, our sense of responsibility to the self and to the world - to lean on, nothing in all creation can cast us down!

When this is all over, when the curve is finally flattened, let’s give each other a high-five and take on the new world – how much ever changed it may turn out to be. This too shall pass & we shall emerge from this pandemic a much stronger and better race. Stay safe!

Well… the mute button seems to have been off. Hope you all heard me well this time!

Cheers!

Amogha