This was the first time I saw individuals not heckling their passers-bys, aunties not yelling for bargains with the grocer, girls trying hard not to overcrowd the street shops while picking a muslin scarf of their own liking. I too had a pretty darn luck to get a hold of a sunset yellow and a sky blue scarf from the Friday Bazar.
As a woman this wasn't the first time to visit the places one cherishes the most, but the first time to fail miserably in overlooking the faces of the street sellers who had a little bit of hope to see the visitors, but eyes filled with immense fear..
of loss of livelihood, of uncertain times, having family to feed, burdened with a crippling system, with no long term support. Who knows when the next Friday market will be? Friday of next month or Friday of the fifth month? What if it is a random Friday of next year? Will it ever be? And can illness wait? or a search for a refuge.. as the homes of these displaced people were ramshackled by a police raid in fear of rise in pandemic cases due to their crowded hamlet.
It was summery day of the month of May, imitating the scorch of July and misery of lifetime. As a passers-by following the social distance norm, that too in presence of state sanctioned police, in a hot blazing day, all I saw was tears and sweat melting away in blurred reality. How does one unsee pain? I am yet to figure out.
Every displaced being seemed to forget the past just to get nearer to the new normal, struggling to grasp the new reality, life hanging by the thread with murkiness, skillfully waiting at the other end of the universe. We thought we'll beat the odds as if, we were in a gaming simulation or some teen hero from a live action movie, straight out of a hell hole Manga, as if we had enough life lines to win over this upside world. But then, tryst with destiny is that, fear pushed every anticipation aside when it took the form of a total apocalypse. Why not? Appearances can be deceptive!
Even the visitors who came for a brief evening to buy essential commodities, clothes, few here and there, had only one constant thought going through their minds.. to look as far their eyes can see, feel all the colors their senses can perceive, touch the wind with their bare hands, hold a human in their arms if they really can, but alas! the new normal suddenly stands in front of us,
too soon, too late...
Hope the shadow of pandemic shrinks soon and the resplendence of hope and optimism spreads! Beautiful article!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. Yes, we hope for better each day, struggling and grappling with the reality but slowly and steadily we'll reach there, hopefully.
DeletePS - The 'follow' button is enabled now, down the page. I updated it as soon as I got your email. Thanks again and wish you a great day ahead.
I hope this bad time goes away very quickly and everything will be back to normal again.
ReplyDelete𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮'𝗮𝗺 🙏🙏
Hoping isn't bad, we must hope for better. These days it's difficult to find hope each moment but we keep that positivity within us anyways. Quickly is uncertain, seeing the reality, the families around us, country's situation. Even the Gods are reluctant to help us Indians because we chose morons in power. But still, let's hope together 'one day' this situation will change! Change is bound to happen!
DeleteHi Manisha, thanks for coming here. I just checked your page and commented too, you'll find it soon. Also,I am really interested to know all fellow bloggers and I am happy to know you know. Kindly follow for upcoming posts as well. Thanks!
Deleteआज के समय का यथार्थपूर्ण मूल्यांकन किया है,आपने सराहनीय और पठनीय लेख ।
ReplyDeleteजिज्ञासा जी बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद् आपकी हौसला- अफ़ज़ाई के लिए! बहुत हिम्मत मिलती है जब साथी लेखकों का प्रोत्साहन मिलता है! आशा है ये प्यार और दुलार आगे भी बना रहेगा! ब्लॉग से और हमसे जुड़ने के लिए अत्यंत आभार आपका! मार्गदर्शन करते रहिएगा आप हमारा!
DeleteHope India becomes to normal soon with this pandemic gone. I read in the news that two District Collectors (IAS officers) physically beat innocent people. This is unacceptable.
ReplyDeletePathetic state of affairs in our country. It's literally resembles field of open pyres, not even barely breathing. These last few years were are a witness to it's rotten state. Disfunctionality along with the pandemic turned this situation into a man made disaster, the last nail in the coffin. You'll see in coming years, the state of pandemonium we've reached into, can't be undone now. Yes, these rashtrabhakt officers to impress their masters and to get similar media attention are resorting to thrash the innocent kids, the street vendors, daily wagers. In UP a young man died due to a baton blow by policeman. Medical reports said that the guy's skull was crushed under the boots. It wasn't just the man's life crushed that moment, it was our hopes as a nation that died that very instant. We've little hope left now, mustering each day, surving anyhow. Crying and praying, for the change. For the repair and replenishment, we need the Change and we'll snatch it one day from the hands of the oppressor!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the COVID state of your country. I’ve watched TV news holding breath. We have learned “less vigilant” make the viruses take advantage of that. But “pinch can be a chance” to get over it if we frantically fight against and don’t repeat the same mistakes. My country is also fighting. Take care. With best wishes.
ReplyDeleteYoko
Greetings to fellow Tagore lover! I too pray for Japan and our neighbours in Asian subcontinent. I am aware it's not just us who are affected by the pandemic, it's us all. There are people in indigenous communities, islands and smaller nations who face threat due to this crisis aggravated even more due to similar conditions in their home country as well. The thing is, here it's just difficult to control due to how much massive and vast India is. The impact becomes newspaper headlines and the visuals become horrifying. I pray no country suffers the pain what we are going through. To put the blame on a virus and not talk about the brazenness and callousness of the extreme right wing, autocratic government who left the citizens to die and rot amid pandemic while conducting massive elections campaigns and world's largest religious gathering in name of God, the Kumbh, it would be foolishness. We lost over 200 government teachers this month because they were forced to work during these elections. We are loosing our doctors and nurses each day and the heroes behind the crematoriums who day and night are burning pyres and bidding adieu to the dead, who were deserted by even their own family members as they didn't had enough money for the ritual or proper burial. I would have asked Buddha if I could, to take away the pain of my people as he talked about compassion, of pain and attachments. How sage like or stoic a person might be, I feel these stories if doesn't move that human's heart and tear it apart, the person isn't human anymore! There is so much to say but I'll rest it here. Plz keep these stories alive and keep us in your prayers. Love and hugs from this side.
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