Lockdown - a Prequel

Disclaimer

I am not undermining the effect of corona nor am I trying to belittle the efforts taken to keep it under control. 

This blog, as with all my other blogs, is meant to serve as comic relief in an otherwise grim and grave situation.

It all started last week, 17th March to be precise, with our office declaring mandatory work from home from 18th till 31st March. This was keeping in view the threat of Corona pandemic looming large in India and specifically Hyderabad. The initial euphoria about being able to work from home died once we came to know of all the measures taken to ensure that we work. Hangout meeting links were established for each team and we were supposed to log in the morning and be available during the working hours. Status calls twice daily - morning and evening, now that was becoming a bit difficult, weekly status was fine but daily? To top it we need to inform the team via the meeting link when we stepped away from the machine, now that was brutal. We decided it would be better to forgo the work from home and proceed to the workplace. But then the cafeteria would be closed we were warned, so would the AC. Pedestal fans would be supplied they said, and lunch can be taken care of by getting from home but what about tea/coffee? That was a toughie. There were few who didn't have connectivity at home and were forced to go to office till those issues were sorted, we thought we would check with their experience and then decide. The first couple of days were fine, then stringent checks started - no swiggy, no entry if you have travelled by cab or any other public transport system, daily temperature checks. There rested our plans to go to the office.

Working from home was not a bed of roses - it had major thorns. I tried maintaining office schedule but that was slowly becoming a challenge. With the corona scare, ensuring smooth functioning on the home front was proving to be a Herculean task. Each day came with a new challenge. I was lucky to have my maid living next door, so that was taken care of. Many were having problems on that front. Senior citizens are the worst affected, they can not manage without maids, and the worrier that I am I was concerned for my parents and in-laws. Vegetables and groceries were proving hard to procure. Day 2 luckily a street vendor turned up with fresh vegetable supply, and I stocked up. Groceries were not an issue but then the lockdown started and got extended to 21 days. I ventured out only to find the local kirana shop had run out of stock, but he assured me supplies are on the way and if I can manage I should come back in a day or two for any needs. With the cancellation of yoga classes and morning walks, not having my daily dose of the exercise was effecting my mental well being.
Attending meetings in a peaceful atmosphere was also tough. Imagine two people working from home and having to attend meetings, and add to that traffic and TV (better half suddenly gets the urge to watch a movie) noise to it. Then the connectivity took a hit, speed started dropping. Amidst all this chaos how does one be productive????

To top it I had a major milestone coming up - my half-century. Beginning of the year, I was happy that I would get a holiday for my birthday this year, as it coincides with Ugadi. But then not happy with just a National holiday, Global holiday was declared, the entire world gets not just one but an entire month off as celebrations. What did I do? Nothing. Initial plans were a weekend outing with family but that was proving tough given the varied interests of parents, in-laws, nieces & nephew. My brother not too kindly pointed out that I should be doing something I liked to do the best. Point taken, I searched and found Mussoorie trail run slated for the weekend before. I thought that would be ideal, I could take a couple of days off and have a run-cation celebration of sorts. Somehow that didn't pan out. Finally, it was supposed to be a lunch with parents, inlaws and brother's family. That too got cancelled given the situation. I thought I would just go visit my parents and in-laws and get their blessings. Thanks to 21-day lockdown that too was overruled. So much for my milestone. I should have stuck to my resolution last year when I decided no more birthdays for a decade - from 49 years to 60 in one leap. 

My nephew observed that half my life is over but then with this week I feel like I have seen it all......

Continued here....