Ain't No Shakespeare

Or Normal within Abnormal; Of 'Old Normal' during "The New Normal"! Since my birthday falls in summer vacations and my family loves to travel, many of my birthdays have been celebrated out of town - during family trips. But those of which were not, they were homely affairs. Since my job demands that I travel, I had shifted out of my home four years ago. So this was my first birthday celebrated at home since then. It was a simple family celebration. Started with a wake up call of birthday wishes and kisses from parents; my favourite birthday lunch of Amras Puri and Chole that is cooked by mom on my every birthday celebrated at home; cousins dropping in in the evening for cake cutting - and ample amount of family time spent together. Simple, wholesome celebration! It may be a controversial statement to make, but this birthday was special because it was spent in a bubble - a happy bubble created by my family, shielding me for one day from the negativity and panic going o...

 “You are writing too depressing nowadays, write something happier no…!”, a friend commented on one of my recent ‘sad’ poems. Nothing around seems to be happy or cheerful, how do I inspire myself to write something positive, I wonder. But the depressing state of affairs and its reflection in my writings had started taking a toll on my emotional health. So I decided to try and focus on the lotus in the midst of the muddy pond. I know most of what I am going to write, most people know. And yet we fail to acknowledge it in the chaos surrounding us. So I am going to put it out there for anyone and everyone to read, understand and accept, if they agree. I know the condition around in the world is pathetic. In India in particular, it is chaotic, depressing, scary, indefinite. Almost each day I see many people struggling for beds, oxygen, plasma – struggling to live for themselves or for their loved ones. I hear or read stories about people lost in the struggle – people I knew, or peo...

Dear Mama, Do you remember how when I was in school I used to come to Thane to stay with you and Ajji Ajoba in my summer vacations? You used to take a leave for a day and take me on Mumbai Darshan. We used spend the whole day chit chatting, eating out, doing anything we felt like. That was my best part of the vacation. After that each day you would be busy with your hospitals, patients, cases. Even at night you would not have much time to spend with us. I felt that as patients strangers got more right over your time than I did as your niece. I hated that. A few years later when I moved in with you and mami during MBA our equation changed. I had grown older, more mature and I had accepted your prioritisation of patients as a part of your job. Besides I used to be busy with my studies, exams, assignments, friends. Even then I remember how you used to take me out for movies at fort or jogging at Marine drive on weekends. We used to go eating out at fine restaurants and tell each other sto...

It all started with a farewell party – mostly or maximum a day or two after that. The Covid cases were increasing in Pune drastically so we (me and my teammates) thought it will be safer to have a farewell at a colleague’s house than go outside someplace. Irony! Less than a week later 5 out of the 8 of us were down with flu. On testing, all 5 of us came out Covid Positive! I don’t know if I should count the day when I had the symptoms as day 1, or the day I got the positive report. I am going with the latter, because that’s when the emotional nightmare started. I actually thought I was prepared for it, kind of expected it. But when the report actually came positive I went into a shock mode – it was a nightmare come true, I was freaked out, vulnerable and scared. The one thing that I was trying to protect myself from for the past 1 year, with all the precautions I took since last lockdown a little more than a year ago, it all seemed to come crashing down. I can’t describe the emotions t...