Mental Excursions

40 questions unasked, unanswered Forty days i.e. 21+19 days of lockdown in two phases to prevent the spread of Coronavirus will be a lasting memory in our minds- generally of inconvenience and pain, sometimes encouraging or about a new life for some. The number 40 has great importance in several religions: Hinduism – Forty-lined Chaleesas are written in praise of various gods and goddesses. Sikhism – Chali mukte or 40 liberated ones were the 40 Sikhs who on December 29, 1705, laid down their lives fighting near Isharsar against the Mughals who were chasing Guru Gobind Singh. Judaism (and other Biblical religions) – ·         God forbade the Israelites from entering the Holy Land for 40 years to separate them from Moses and his brother. ·         Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai before he received the 10 commandments. ·        ...

Hey there, Whatsapp is confounding  me! The ping sound disrupts my sleep. In spite of the curtains, the first rays of the early rising summer sun are filtering into the room. I blink my eyes open and focus on the phone screen-5.30, it says. The bright light blinds me for a second and the three line internet gyan on life wrenches sleep out of my head. Every sunrise I promise myself – tomorrow morning I’d ignore this Whatsapp message. Putting the phone on silent mode before going to sleep does not work for me. Not that I hold any important position or run a business or that there are scores of people calling me daily or there could be emergency calls. In fact, it is the exact opposite. The calls are so rare that I feel any sound that my phone makes should have a purpose- information, enquiry, entertainment, comment, so that it does not disturb the languorous pace of my existence. It was in 2015 when Whatsapp came into my life. My dear friend Ruchira was insistent I instal...

Give soap a chance Look for humour, for good things, for hope, for the silver lining, suggest the wise whatsapp forwards. I do not have to give it any thought. My silver lining is- everybody is washing hands. In these difficult times of dreaded COVID 19, which has taken hundreds of precious lives and affected millions in body and mind, the life-saving instruction is- Don’t wash your hands off washing your hands. In a non- COVID situation I would have been shamelessly gleeful if on their own people started to wash hands, properly and often, with soap. Wow! Sadly, now they are being forced to learn it to stay healthy, to keep the virus at bay. No, I am neither a doctor, nor a health worker, nor do I work for a soap/detergent company. But most of my life I have had a constant struggle with trying to convince or make sure that people, especially those around me whether employed or eager to help, wash hands before touching anything – food, utensils, water bottles, ice...