Unlimited Knowledge by Deepa (Laji) Bhagnari

COVID 19 the most dreaded words of our lifetime…yes, there have been pandemics before this but most of us have neither witnessed them nor even maybe heard of them till now when comparisons are made between then and now. I am not someone who delves deep into politics. I know a few of my friends who know the A to Z of politics like Asha Poplay and Lata Gehani.😀. Unfortunately, I am a Piscean and I love to live in my little make-believe world. So, politics is just not my cup of tea. I randomly read the headlines and that is sufficient for my knowledge. But since Covid has invaded our lives, every morning I attack the newspaper with a vengeance to see some breakthrough coming up in our nightmarish lives. But alas, that is not yet happening.
 
Since the Covid era has started, I have started reading the virus-related news and my eyes first go to the number of global cases, then the alarmingly rising cases in India and then finally the UAE scenario.  It is sad for us Mumbaites to read about the rising cases there and we fear for our near and dear ones and regularly call them to know that they are safe. Fortunately, UAE government has effectively controlled the situation here and we are a little free to move around. Then the newspapers declared yesterday that around 43% of the Indian population is facing depression, which is such a sad thing as the economy has taken a beating. people are facing starvation and business shut-downs. All this is creating chaos in so many lives – a very sorry state of affairs.

Covid has infected the global tourism industry – the most thriving industry I would say. All the countries are facing economic downfall, as tourism contributes to a large percent of their revenue. Besides that, there is a forlorn look everywhere, as tourism creates a buzz in all the cities – makes everything come to life. Now everywhere there is an eerie silence, no bright lights, no parades and no clubs bustling with dance, music and laughter. It is said that passenger traffic will return to pre-Covid levels only in 2024. Now that is really far away, I would say. Hope all these predictions prove to be wrong and we see better times soon – miraculously.

I feel I have gathered enough knowledge of the pandemic and decide that I should stop reading the papers  the next day but the very  next morning my eyes again eagerly scan the papers to see if there is any new development in the progress of the vaccine which will bring back our world to normalcy. No one cares which country wins the race in making the first safe and effective vaccine as long as it is successful and in this fortunately all the countries are united. So, let us keep our fingers crossed and pray for that path breaking day. OMG!! the amount of knowledge I have amassed about this virus I think I could write a book.😂. Which of course no one would bother to read as the very word Covid would make people run to another planet.

Since this new lockdown time in our lives, we all wondered how we would stay at home with nothing to do and being social animals, how would we would cope with the situation. But now more than 4 months have passed and we have all settled into a routine. In fact I think all have become too busy with their household chores and if some have time on their hands then they have honed their talents in cooking, baking, etc.

The greatest quandary I face is, setting priorities. Suddenly now we have satsangs on Zoom. Then meditation on Zoom and other channels, live cookery learning, musical programmes on Facebook, Instagram, etc. Yoga too is online now. Then, we have talk shows and discourses by acknowledged gurus like Gaurdas, Sadguruji., Daaji of Heartfulness, Prof Prema Pandurang of Kshetropasna, Deepak Chopra, Luke Coutinho and many others. All good so far, as these keeps us both physically and mentally alert and at peace in these chaotic times, but sometimes we wonder whether we should do meditation or learn a good dish that we would like to cook or hear a discourse by one of the gurus or just relax and listen to some lovely forgotten melodies. Because unfortunately sometimes there is a clash of timings and then of course my husband gets restless sitting at home all day and would like to go for a drive at around the same time – though we just drive aimlessly to the same Meena Bazar and Karama lanes every day and in fact I think I could easily get a job as an inspecting officer as I could rattle off all the names of the eating joints and jewellery shops and textile shops which have unfortunately shut down and all the big hotels which are in total darkness hoping to reopen once business is back to normal. So, you see I have to prioritise and I am sure all must be facing this dilemma and yet we say we are bored though actually we have so much to do. It is because we are all social animals and miss the human contact. Sometimes I feel I am in an Exam Hall and I am given a multiple-choice question and I have to choose only one. I think I found that easier than here –  choosing what one thing I would like to do ..😀

But all this has made us more God loving (people say God fearing but why fear the Lord) more appreciative of our families, our friends and our household helpers. This is God’s way of teaching us new lessons in life, which hopefully we should always remember.

So, I think this Pandemic has really given me unlimited knowledge, but please God I think this much is sufficient for me. I have learnt sufficient about this Covid subject – now let us proceed to the next new chapter in our life called NORMAL LIFE.