Life of kids during lock down

Can we imagine what could be the thinking process of kids during lock down period and staying home. Suddenly they have to stop going out and all uncertainty exists by when things will come to normalcy.

Due to this situation small kids only know that there is something dangerous down the building known as Corona virus. So all questions have the reference of post corona like:

1. Can I come with you to purchase Lays potato chips once corona goes…?
2. Can we go to beach and park once corona goes…?
3. Can I have ….. once corona goes?? So many questions…

Do we or anybody has any answer?

Let us find the solution to solve these questions which looks simple but without any definite timeline.

वाळवंटातील oasis एक अविस्मरणीय अनुभव

मंडळी ह्यावर्षीच्या मार्च पासून ऑगस्ट पर्यंत, गेली सहा महिने कोरोनाच्या प्रादुर्भावामुळे कुठेच बाहेर फिरायला जाता येत नसल्याची खंत मनात होती. मुलीच्या शाळेची दोन महिन्यांची उन्हाळी सुट्टीसुद्धा कधी नव्हे ती घरी बसूनच काढली आणि आता शाळा सुरू होण्याची वेळ दोन दिवसांवर येऊन ठेपली होती. अशा काहीशा मरगळलेल्या परिस्थितीत अबुधाबीजवळच्या वाळवंटातील oasis ला भेट देण्याचा योग जुळून आला आणि जणू काही अत्यंत गरम, उष्म वातावरणात, अंगाची लाहीलाही होत असताना, एक थंड हवेची झुळूक यावी व मन प्रसन्न व्हावे असे झाले अणि कोरोनाच्या परिस्थितीशी दोन हात करण्याची ऊर्जाच जणू मिळाली. कारण सुट्टीच्या दिवशी इच्छा असूनही बाहेर न जाता, घरी बसून वेळ घालवणे हे परिस्थितीशी दोन हात करण्यासारखेच आहे. नाही का!तर असो..

 वाळवंटातील oasis ही संकल्पना अगदी लहानपणापासून भूगोलाच्या अभ्यासक्रमात अभ्यासली गेली होती आणि आता प्रत्यक्षात अनुभवायचा योग जुळून आला. जसं आपण म्हणतो जिथे समुद्र आणि आकाश मिळते ते क्षितिज तसेच जिथे नजर जाईल तिथपर्यंत वाळू असणाऱ्या वाळवंटात पाण्याची तळी असतात त्यांना  oasis म्हणतात. असेच एक ठिकाण आहे अबुधाबीपासून एक तासाच्या अंतरावर ..Al Wathba याठिकाणी..

संध्याकाळी साधारणतः पाचच्या सुमारास, वाळवंटातील रस्त्यातून (पक्के डांबरी रस्ते) वाट काढत, आजुबाजूला फिरणाऱ्या उंटाचे दर्शन घेत, आम्ही या जलाशयाशी पोहोचलो. आयुष्यात प्रथमच वाळवंटात एवढी मोठी पाण्याची तळी पाहून मुलांनी मोठ्याने हुर्यो केला. स्वच्छ अशा निळसर हिरव्या पाण्यात पाय बुडवताच दिसू लागले ते छोटे छोटे भरपूर असे रंगबिरंगी मासे.

वाळवंट, त्यात पाणी आणि त्यात छोटे छोटे विविध रंगाचे आपल्याच मस्तीत खेळणारे मासे पाहून सर्वांचाच आनंद द्विगुणित झाला.

तलावाकाठी, झाडाच्या सावलीत मस्त चटया टाकून बसलो. लहानपणी आई-बाबांबरोबर रंकाळ्यावर फिरायला गेल्याची आठवण झाली आणि त्याचबरोबर आठवली तिथली स्वादिष्ट भेळ..

नवर्‍याच्या मनातले विचार ओळखू शकणार नाही ती बायको कसली, आमच्या मनातले विचार पण महिला मंडळाने पक्के ओळखले आणि बेत जमला फक्कड भेळीचा.. बघता-बघता सूर्यास्ताची वेळ  जवळ येऊन ठेपली आणि मुलांचे लक्ष गेले वाळवंटातील डोंगरांवर ते म्हणजे sand dunes वर… मग काय वाळूमध्ये लहानशा डोंगरावर चढून घसरगुंडी करत खाली येण्याचा खेळ सुरू झाला. 

वाळूचे डोंगर, शेजारी तलाव व आजूबाजूला हिरवी झाडी, असा मस्त त्रिवेणी संगम या वाळवंटात जुळून आला होता.

एकमेकांशी गप्पा मारत, तळ्याकाठी मस्तपैकी मसाला चहाचा आस्वाद घेत, अंधार कधी झाला आणि मस्त चांदणे कधी पडले हे समजलेच नाही. अशा भारावलेल्या वातावरणात, मनात असंख्य आठवणी साठवत, परत एक रम्य संध्याकाळ इथे घालवण्याचा विचार करत आमची गाडी परतीच्या मार्गावर लागली.

A week in office after lockdown

Let me first thank you all for your overwhelming response to my previous blog.

Now it is almost a week, I have resumed office after a long lockdown break. As I said, it was a challenging and a dare decision to make and I am experiencing the same every day. Why??… reasons are very simple…

If you look at the world, in a bid to save lives, every country has its own different approach to confront same virus/problem. Similarly, now you will see how daily life has evolved in the world just finding its new normal post quarantine as every person is struggling to make his own way of survival in this pandemic situation. Does this makes our society more vulnerable, in general?? I feel, in society 99% people are obedient but 1% people act differently, unintentionally or deliberately. This makes the situation more complex.

If you take a simple example of wearing face mask, you will see most of the people do wear a mask, but some often fidget with the mask pulling it down off their face and pushing it back up. Some wear mask over their mouth but not their nose or some even don’t cover nose and mouth but will pretend as wearing a mask. Even at times while talking when mask loosens up and exposes nose and mouth, people still keep on talking. Isn’t it really frustrating?. What do people make out of doing such unmindful things… I think until and unless anything happens to yourself or any of your close person, people tend to take the situation lightly.

So is there any thing in your hands?? Yes, SELFISHNESS!…Don’t get puzzled…I am saying so because we need to be extremely selfish in guarding ourselves by proper measures which can protect our surroundings and in turn our society.

Looking at the situation, I wish I had ‘CORONA SPECS’ -the spectacles which will identify the novel corona virus existing on any surface – so that I will be more aware of its presence and can be more efficient in fighting back. What is your wish??

(Please feel free to share your peculiar experiences in the comment box)

Day 1 of my office after lockdown

Due to covid-19 pandemic situation, I stayed more than 2 and half months at home doing officework from home. This was the time when you would keep on watching news of numbers of patients, understanding the situation of the entire world and then looking for a ray of positivity. Over the days it has been understood that this unknown enemy will not go immediately and society has to learn living with it for some time. How long??, nobody has the answer. Though strange, its a bitter fact.

Also, news started coming in, that shopping malls, beaches will reopen and government offices will be resuming their work, under strict control measures.

This made me rethink about joining my office after a looonng break. This took me back down the memory lane, my first day of school after summer vacations, when we used to go to the school with new school bags, new books with that smell which holds promise for something fresh and new. That was the time of mix emotions of excitement, curiosity but at the same it was the time of resilience to adopt new system. I am having similar feeling today also.

So at my first day of the office after lockdown break i was excited but was little apprehensive too. And that was because, we can take utmost care to prevent this dreadful viral infection but its not fully under our control. But as they say life is all about accepting challenges. Once decision was made then its our duty to carry on. All possible weapons like mask, head shield, hand gloves, sanitizers were ‘polished’ to safeguard. Even I sprayed disinfectant and cleaned my office shoes and tiffin bag, was it necessary? I dont know..These actions means no loop hole from our side to let enter this big V.

On the door step of home many thoughts had come across my mind, am I doing it right?, Is it a wise decision to resume the office in such a situation…. but then as someone has said “SHOW MUST GO ON” and I firmly started my work journey back and till now it looks “so far so good”.

(Read next blog for day1 experience in office….coming soon.)