Lock Down Day 1 to Day 7

Day 1

25-03-20 9.40: hrs IST

While the government of Maharashtra had put in a type of lockdown last week, yesterday the GOI put nuts & bolts into it and stopped everything. Everything, as in 1.3 Billion citizens are expected to stay where they are and need to practice social distancing.

I believe Indians will largely follow the Govt diktat and do as they are asked, the exception being morning walkers who believe that if they don’t go out, the oceans will stop having tides. And yes, the youth drunk on their belief of immorality, will continue to challenge fate.

We made some rules last week at home on how the day should progress
1) we start at our regular hours 
2) exercise is shifted to indoors with nothing stronger then required to keep parts clanking as required 
3) work starts at appointed office time & ends at regular hours. 
4) Only one person follows news. That’s me 
5) lunch & dinner chores are divided
6) cleaning up is also rotational for all.

With strict time-based allocation to each activity, we hope to emerge as better versions of ourselves post the lockdown. At all times we pray for every one’s safety.

Day 2

26-03-20 19:08

I turned 49 today, one shy of half a century. While lots of people called and wished I was pretty subdued as the uncertainty of our situation is beginning to have quite an impact on all things around.

Roads are quieter then yesterday, even though the morning walkers continue to churn the ocean, and some walkers take this trend into the evening as well. I counselled one of my friends to stop going for run and not take the risk of meeting an asymptotic carrier.

Shops are open in the neighborhood; one feels for these folks taking risk to make a living. Spoke to the security guys if they were ok or needed help with tea and other things. Made a note to make extra food to be put on road for animals, fed a crow today from the window after a long time. For no mistake of theirs the birds and strays are getting clobbered.

Oh yes increased exercise time in morning, will progressively take it up to better muscle work out.

Wife is in bit of worry as some of her colleagues seem to be spreader mode, fingers crossed but I believe we are not at risk. Parent try to sound cheerful but I know the loneliness would be killing them Worried but for now no options.

Day 3

27-03-20

Writing on 28-03 8:!3 Hrs IST

200 Meters (as the crow files) ahead is a building where Covid 19 cases have been confirmed, lock down has been clamped on the building. Anxiety levels went  up a notch across the what’s app group. Gives everyone perspective as to how near the disaster lurks. Decision taken that for no one goes out for next  10 days.

The supply lines are holding in neighbour hood for essentials but quality is going down. The veggies look like they spent too much time on the plants growing up. Ripe and super-sized, no choice but to partake them. Anyways no more going out for anything.

Spent evening watching a movie, while others were engrossed in them, I spent time with partial attention to them and more to cooking up dinner.

Will be adding what I read in the day on the blog now onwards.

Day 4

Missed writing

Day 5

29-03-20

Erie silence has fallen over the locality barring stray folks scurrying around. It’s starting to sink into people that this is not going to go away tomorrow. My view if things don’t taper off in a next 2 weeks then we may enter What I call “इस रात की सुबह नहीं”. As of now our chances to solve this asap are minimal. Why?

Some virus story Here on

In past when I joined a large Broking company,the 1^st thing I faced was a virus attack (not even zero day type). The thing would just not come in control what ever we tried containment, tools, cleanup. What finally worked was a massive over haul over a period of time, and this had to be done at a great cost to people’s time, change in habits, processes and then finally controls which were missing. Goes without saying permissiveness before the attack were scary.

As of now for COVID we don’t have a tool. Cleanup methods, containment (Vaccine, medicines, how does it transmit is being uncovered bit by bit). So as is with virus in virtual world this one in real world will have a series of tools developed to control. Medicines to cure once down and stop it in tracks (protocols & practices to keep this under control). All of this will take time. What worries me most is what I read that this one is a pretty unstable in itself and tends to destroy fast. This may look good to folks but my experience is unstable things, creatures, virus tend to give in to mutation fast.

Hopefully I am wrong, but my rationale sense say I am not wrong.

Day 6

30-03-20

Our (me & my wife) morning joy on observing ocean churners continue, coming in all ages and forms these ardent devotes continue to walk the roads. After a lull the numbers are getting back, maybe they feel all is safe now. God must give them all the health as they are really working hard. Forget that they are breaking rules in a society where the same folks would curse poor on breaking rules to fill their belly.

The day’s most news worthy (as per twitter trends) was an outbreak of virus in a gathering at mosque in Delhi. So, our dear brethren’s found our target about Muslims being dirty, in disciplined and prone to making mischief. Some folks even made virtue of poor people (Hindus according to context) who assembled in large number in a suburban Delhi to catch bus did not spread virus while the Talibs did with 2000 people. Really our comprehension and analysis of all trends is getting better. Must say thank you to WhatsApp university and Soap serial institute of how to live sanskari life for making all this so easy for us. Goes without saying the Talibs broke the law, did not listen to authorities and made all kind of nonsensical assertions. Whatboutry done by them is equally reprehensive and condemnable. What they did is just not done, all violation including Visa rules should be investigated and all guilty punished.

What does one do these days here are some of the vignettes I got from my friends and associates?

a.       My cousin says he sleeps and wakes up multiple time in a day. No end of day usually he gets up, eats and then sleep & repeat.

b.       Another cousin hooks up long lost cousins on video call and talk to them for an hour or so.

c.       Few complain about absolute back breaking home from work, no breaks, no gossip and no time passing as video or call is always on in back ground or deliverables are stiff.

d.       Unconventional for my age group some are making video on Tik-Tock.

e.       Few have started writing on social media (believe me so full of ME mine and whatever & sanctimonious *@&* and preachy & yes very screechy also)

f.        Classic are folks who Fw whatever comes on Covid to all groups. No one responds to them but hey they don’t mind. I have all the Govt notification, covid history course, covid graphs, covid alcohol jokes, covid prophesies and covid’s appearance as manna from heaven for India as now every one is going to quit China and open shop in India and how we are doing absolutely the right stuff and getting accolades from world about it.

Other then work, but obvious I am seeing all tick tock fws and also reading all nonsense my country men have to say about solving problems. Maybe I should join the trending group or form such group India will Kill Covid. Kind of Sexy. Await more worthy brain waves before I take call

And Yes, I am reading and about to finish a tome “The Indian Empire at War” By George Morton Jack. Interesting to know how big was Indian army’s role in the World War 1.

Next on the block is “Things hidden since the foundation of the world” by Rene Girard. One can sleep after reading one page of this book. Total 2000 pages so I am all set for it. Write again soon.

Day 7

31^st March

We will not praise our ocean churners today; they continue to yeoman service to a cause unknown. Today’s blog is dedicated to Gen X (Yes my generation), the one which grew up in the  1980's and got a whack of recession and coalition Govt's as it entered work force in 1993. Our patience to work through those trying times has not been detailed much in contemporary writings and folklore. Most of the space and mind share has gone to our kids, the millennial. So why Gen X today? The reason is multitude of Doordarshan reruns catching fancy of media (fancy seems to be fleeting). Some folks even asked reruns of Didi’s comedy show and an old German detective series whose name I am forgetting. TV brands unknown to current Linga franca are sprouting all over Dyanaora, Sharp. Texala, Western, EC tv and what not. Ramayan is being telecast on TV and folks have declared that Amazon and Netflix have no viewers left as all of us watching our desi channels. To all media managers In Zee, Star plus and other Sass bahu serials See how easy it was yank us of streaming service. All of you get paid for nothing.

Well well it’s not only us, the Millennial are watching the reruns of that monster dollop of bad stories CID. These things convince me that the all generation love to go back and watch the most atrocious movies, serials and ads of their generations. It is said that in 21 days habits change permanently, Now think of POST lock-down India and imagine a TV in India You know what would be playing.

Go short on Netflix, Amazon and Disney. We are back to our favorites. One caveat if you give us more H1B we might come back and watch your streaming service. A PR visa would make us convert completely.

Tomorrow we cover March 32^nd. Yes, that the date tomorrow.

PS: I would like to thank you all for feedback yesterday, have tried to keep this one short and precise. Now you cannot accuse me of being a bad listener. Stay safe stay at Home.