Month: June 2020

Humanity in the time of Covid (and surprises)

~ Rishi ~ Leave a comment

It was a surprise that took us all by surprise! And a relaxed weekend after many a weeks (which itself was a surprise) quickly turned into a few days filled with anxiety…

When Covid started, I am sure none of us would have imagined the changes that would happen to our lives in just a matter of few months. And as the pandemic has progressed, we have all heard of stories about how on one side people have gone out of the way to help out and on the other how skepticism and misinformation have led to social ostracism for some.

When last Sunday, my niece got detected Covid positive, it was a surprise to us. Surprise because the poor soul had shown no symptoms and had not even ventured out of the house. In fact she had only gone for testing so that she could travel back home to her parents.

Post the initial surprise, we realised urgent measures need to be taken. So while we arranged to quarantine her in a separate room, I also had to inform the society members, where we stay, about the developments.

I must say I was apprehensive. How would the news be taken by the other residents. How would they react? How would they treat the family, specially the kid? These and more thoughts crossed my mind.

However, putting them aside I called up the office-bearers and informed them out of duty. I also assured them that we are all going to get ourselves tested and are taking all precautions as necessary.

I was cautious and doubtful still. Over the next day, as the association sent out an information email without disclosing names, I expected a few not-so-good replies.

But I was pleasantly surprised by the replies. As our test results came negative, and the association disclosed the details, the kind of messages and emails I got from the other residents was overwhelming.

Almost everyone replied and asked if we were doing fine and if they could help in any way. Some even called up and offered their help. It was overwhelming because most of them we have interacted very less with.

As the days have passed by, people have voluntarily filled in for any support required. The association got all of us some icecream, the neighbours joked around on WhatsApp groups and kept the entire atmosphere light, and the other residents regularly checked in.

Although our niece is doing fine now, having tested negative, it has been quite heartening to see the support we have got from the community during this home quarantine period. It has definitely made these anxious days less taxing and dull. And helped us get to know our community better and make new friends.

Here’s to the residents of our society and to the power of humanity. And to life full of surprises!

Ah! Those Mountains…

~ Rishi ~ Leave a comment

There I was, in the middle of the night on my 19th b’day, digging trenches and keeping a vigil. And under the night sky, trying to figure out some nuances of mountain warfare.

It was a mandatory camp at the Academy, for all of us cadets to better understand the various nuances and art of fighting and defending on mountains.

Just in the evening, I had been given charge of the entire company. The instructor had given our company the responsibility to defend the mountain against attacking company. And the first task at hand as night set in, was to dig trenches and set up base.

We divided ourselves into smaller teams and identified the positions we will dig the trenches in, ensuring all the sides are covered. We also plotted our strategy and post dinner, got down to the actual digging.

It took us longer than we thought it would. The teams kept at it and I was myself caught in between coordinating the effort and digging my own trench. It was exhausting but exhilarating, with a tension in the air about how and when will we be attacked.

We just about managed to complete the digging in time. As I took the last rounds and told everyone to settle in while keeping a watch from their respective abodes for the night, we sensed something was about to happen.

Within a minute or so, our forward patrol group sounded an alarm. The attack came in a flash, with the charging party romping in from the far side to our surprise. We defended to the best of our abilities. And as happens in most exercises, we won some and lost some.

As the debriefing was happening in the early morning hours, I was caught napping. The instructor asked me to get up and do a round of pushups (standard punishment in the Academy), which was cut short only because someone blurted out that it was my birthday.

I still distinctly remember the night and what happened in those hours. Perhaps also because I kept getting teased later on by my course mates that I was punished on my b’day.

As news poured in this past week of the skirmish in the northern border and the ensuing fight that claimed some precious lives of our men, I was reminded of that night. Although it was just a training and a mock drill, mountain warfare camp was one of the toughest.

I for one know what hardships our soldiers go through in some of the roughest terrains high up in the altitude. And yet, each time something like this happens, it is a great testament that on every occasion, we are able to excel and keep our flag flying high.

Here’s to the Indian Armed Forces and their indomitable spirit!

What a night it was…

~ Rishi ~ Leave a comment

I used to love gazing at the stars when I was very young. Like a lot of other kids, it used to be a favourite activity, specially during summer nights!

During summer days in those years, my cousins used to come over for a month or so. And with no school and lot of time to while away, we used to design our own schedule.

It usually started with late mornings, continued with rounds of carrom and other board games, spilled over evenings of cricket and football, and dollops of fooling around with each other. In between all this, lots of time spent reading comic books and chit chatting.

But as the evening wound down, we would usually go up to the terrace and wash it clean to remove the dirt accumulated through the day. And then, out came the beddings and pillows and we all propped up on them for rounds of Antakshari and fun.

Dinner used to be light with summer nights reserved for ice cream and other desserts and frolic on the terrace. All of us cousins used to then create our own base on the nicely laid down beddings and chat long into the night.

I for one was the last person to sleep in the gang. Lying down under the clear night skies, chatting with my cousins, I used to keep gazing at the stars above, observing the night pass by. And long after all had fallen asleep, I would still be awake, wondering about what lies beyond those stars and figuring out constellations.

I remember quite a few instances when one of the elders woke up early at dawn and found me still gazing upwards. I am sure they would have thought of me as a little crazy fellow. But it was super fun and exciting, trying to follow different arcs and let thoughts wander into infinity.

With time, as we all grew up and summer holidays became scarce, the times on terrace also dwindled down. And as life filled us with tasks and deadlines, and pollution filled our lungs, sleeping on the terraces became a non-starter. And so the star gazing also came to a halt.

While every now and then, when we cousins meet, our chat lasts well into the night, I sometimes miss that fun of lying down under that vast expanse and talking and thinking non-stop. And allowing time to drift without a care in the world.

As the clouds came by and interrupted my star gazing tonight, initiated by a colleague posting about the brightly visible Saturn and Jupiter at the same spot, I ruminated about the times gone by and those wonderful nights.

Alas! Hope those nights could last forever…

What the shame…

~ Rishi ~ Leave a comment

I committed a blunder. The moment I discovered it yesterday, I was dumbstruck. How could one act this dumb when concerned with something of utmost importance…

The more I thought about it, the more I realised that what I had done was going to be recorded in the annals of history in times to come. And I was filled with shame. For having let down myself and my colleagues.

This wasn’t the first time I had done something majorly wrong in my life. There have been other brilliant mistakes and failures along the line.

Some of those happened in my growing up years and were concerned with my studies – for instance, not being prepared well for exams when I was in 6th grade and ending up having to relocate myself to be with my parents (I used to stay with my loving and adorable grandmother till then).

Or at times concerned people – not recognising who is right and ending up on the wrong side. In the process hurting some of my good friends.

Some have been concerned with work also – goofing up on important tasks and coming undone when not expected.

So, this wasn’t the first or the last time I had fallen down at work.

However, each time I committed mistakes and reflected, I have learnt from them and become better. At least strived to. And that has helped me as a person and as a professional.

So, as I was wallowing in self pity, a tiny voice inside my head called out “apologise and move on”. And while the heart wanted to cry, the mind egged me on to get out of the gloom.

I assessed the damage and understood what to do from here. Then, called up my seniors and talked to them about it and apologised. Called up my fellow colleagues and owned it up while talking about how to minimise the damage. And let it out.

And it worked marvellously. While earlier I was filled with self-doubt, now I had realised how to navigate these waters. And while some damage had been done, I was now determined not to let the mistake shake me down or divert from the objective.

After all, I am human. And shit happens. While feeling ashamed of it is alright, not confessing or apologising leads to agony.

In my view, there’s nothing shameful about apologising if I have done some wrong and admitting it. Helps me heal faster…

After all, ‘what the shame’, when failure begets success!