Lockdown-4-Roorkee

Lockdown-4 

Go Green. Hip,hip hurrah! 

The district of Hardwar, Uttrakhand has been given the status of Green amidst the Covid-19 precautions and relaxations. The restricted freedom, bestowed on us beleagured citizens, is being celebrated albeit with caution. On the flip side there are areas in many states which are still under strict restrictions being given the RED ZONE tag. Soon, they too should be revelling, but if the restrictions are followed to the T. 

In the area that I live, in the home my ancestors made 150 years ago, along with my family, had to shut down completely. Although our houses are back to back with hardly any space in between, with everyone knowing everyone, it was difficult initially. However, the gravity of the situation , the handsome cane of the law and  the compulsion of survival, compelled all to fall in line. Initially, like little kids who are told to do this and do that, they revolted (which is a very normal reaction to authority) and took to the streets as if life was normal. The scenes that I witnessed were like something from the "Planet of the Apes", wherein Caesar, though caged longed for freedom even in the restricted area that he and his fellow apes were allowed in.https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2472384/all-the-planet-of-the-apes-movies-ranked 

Just imagine that! The peole failed to see the invisible domed cage enveloping the very lives of each. It was unthinkable that one is free yet freedom would be restricted. And how quickly humans adapted to it. Soon, streets were deserted and we were untouched so far by this endemic whilst all over the country infection was takeing it toll with many dying. Yet, to us, it seemed a far off thing. For, we felt secure and followed the norms in these extraordinary times, although, the news flashes on the idiot box  showed that the grim reaper was at work. 

There was no sirens wailing, no medical attendents looking like cosmonauts around us. This invokes to the mind the movie Contagion (2011). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598778/ .

The initial shock had worn off. The hasty and for-the-camera distribution of food packets had by now trickled down to nothing. The fact that such benevolence could not be sustained for long hit all of us, which no doubt, was bound to happen.  It appears that the locals had little problems to scream about. The brunt of the lockdown was felt by the migrant labour. Their condition was really bad. They are the ones who got sucked into the vortex of suffering: lack of work ,food and shlelter. On social media much is talked about, much is shared, But coming to brass tacks, we all did our bit in hwatever way we could, especially this month being Ramadan, in which, alms are given, food is distributed among the have-nots. 

Our district has been given the green status in this lockdown-4. This has had a effective affect on all here. Life is slowly, but surely limping back to narmalcy, Of course this will take some time though. Places of mass gatherings still remain closed. On the whole, work has started, restaurants have been allowed to make home delivery, barbers are back to work. The roads and streets are busy with a little traffic, shops are opening on alternate days. We are happy for us, but sad for those migrants. Let us all pray things will improve for them too!

How about you and your area? 

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy and Stay Blessed.

Till next time, 

A Sunday to Laze Around

Sunday dawned . Lazily, I pushed myself out of the warm bed. Through the window, the dim sun had uprisen, still misted by fog. As time passed, the sun and the fog were at loggerheads. . .each trying to supercede the other. At one point of time the warmth of the sun was very inviting. An ideal day for a scooter ride. I got the chetak,christened  '225 Karishma' by the male siblings (its a charisma that the scooter still moves; "Karishma" in that sense), off its stand and sputtered towards the main market enroute to the gas filling station. With the fuel in its belly, we backtracked a little and rolled towards the Solani Park. The wide roads, now free of encrouchment of any kind, was a pleasure to drive through. Continuing down the slope and moving along the canal road, a most breathtaking live show of nature's beauty began passing by. The fields lush green with deep green wheat plants, interspersed with the bright yellow of the mustard flowers in the initial stages of bloom, against a backdrop of a slightly hazy blue sky warmed by a mild sun. I felt "If Heaven is on Earth, it is Here, it is Here, it is Here." 

Its a wonderful drive down this road. The canal on the left, the greenry on the right, at a lower level.The ruralness of the area began to be apparant. Human settlements are on the right, some close to the road, others a little away.

The shrine of the Sufi Saint at Kaliyar was reached , respects were paid and the return trip began. This time along the old road from Kaliyar to Roorkee. Along the way were the familiar imli trees, the fruit of which had been tasted during my childhood. The slope and the dip along the road and a little later a rise up. This road has an interesting topography, driving thorugh which is memorable.

 This single laned tarred road, surprisingly, has a good amount of traffic. A large portion of the vehicles are two wheelers, the remaining being horse-carts, tractors and not forgetting the hardy old Matador,the poor man's transport. The older modals sputtred by,SUVs swished by, and the latest motorbikes whizzed by. My memory fails me when it comes to their names and their `cc '. So, in keeping with this,  is a beautiful doodle of a bike by one Master Tushar Bhatt of Class VII. The firmness of line and the shading is reflected through his hand. Let your eyes feed on his artistic expression. Motivate ! Appreciate ! Inculcate !
P.S. Refer to the last posting...I have been corrected . . . The name of the contributor of the doodle accompanying the last posting is Akshay Pillai of  IX-A. An artist in his own right.