Good Morning

Saturday, April 4, 2020

#LifeInTheLockdown

We complain now, but we may miss this quiet: Nithya

04.04.2020

The lockdown came upon us a bit unexpectedly, but I don’t think that we are in a terrible situation. It was the need of the hour. None of us would have even imagined that a pandemic would grip the world in our lifetime. It was the stuff of literature and films. So, why can’t this moment in time actually be considered a trigger for creativity?

The first thing I noticed after the lockdown was the quiet all around. It was so calming and spurred me on to write. I am developing scripts and story ideas that I have long churned in my mind. It was difficult for me so far, because my work was taking up my time. Right now, I am loving the open-endedness of the situation. It is so beautiful and uncertain. It makes me feel free. I am learning a new language, new music and songs and also doing yoga every day. I am also catching up on my film viewing and reading. I’ve watched some beautiful films like Kumbalangi Nights, Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, A Separation by Asghar Farhad and Capernaum by Nadine Labaki. And this seems like a good time to be lost in some nostalgia amid the pages of RK Narayan’s Malgudi Days.

I don’t mean to trivialise the situation, but I think as long as we maintain social distancing and stay at home, we are safe. We may miss some of the things that we saw as routine earlier, but things aren’t so bad. Every time I see people posting on social media about how terrible the current situation is, I think the world has seen worse things than the lockdown. And remember, as soon as this is lifted, we will go back to our routine, mechanical way of life; we may even miss this. And thanks to the lockdown, a lot of creatures, plants and organisms can finally breathe freely. A lot of us are getting the free time that we’ve always craved. If you aren’t directly affected by the disease, I think you should feel blessed and be positive. We can use this time to slow down, stay inside, look into ourselves and get in touch with our emotions. You may get something beautiful out of it.

— As told to Anjana.George@timesgroup.com