Mental Excursions

    They meant just that!  My attempts to clear the photos saved on my phone got derailed once again. As I was going through them, I got distracted by this one. I remember the great time we had with our friends and their family at this Goa resort last winter but these two boards put up next to each other had stood out like the proverbial eyesore. This was the first time I had seen the option of spelling 'strictly' four ways, forget ‘necessary’ and the way the sentences are split. Please do not take it otherwise. I am no Angrez (English).  Years of editing has affected my vision in such a way that errors seem to pop out.  It does not matter if it is English or Hindi, mistakes rankle equally.   I fail to understand why people who spend money and effort to get a billboard or signage painted and fixed, do not spend a few minutes checking the spelling themselves or getting them checked. I shall talk about the error-filled menu cards of restaurants some other time when I start

    Bachche Bechare (Poor kids)! Slowly, I have learnt to ignore the constant pushing and screeching of furniture, sounds of bawling or of running, sometimes another one’s steps too who is perhaps playing with her, coming from the flat upstairs. Also the pre-teen boy cycling on the pathway where cars come and go, does not irritate   anymore. Stuck inside the house with schools closed, longing to meet and play with friends and favourite cousins, meeting relatives and grandparents, going out for an ice cream, jumping and running around in the playground, having birthday parties, Covid-19 has put a yet unknown punctuation mark in children’s lives. Those little pleasures which comprised the ‘routine’ of their daily life are distant dreams now. The summer vacation has come and gone, but the school life has not returned to normal. What do you say when a small girl looks at you straight in the eye and asks you with such faith, “When will this Corona go? I miss my friends and my teacher.”

Cover it up, please!                                             Jim Carrey in The Mask Thanks to the notoriety of the super-active killer virus during the large part of this year, there is no need to check the dictionary to know the meaning of the word mask . It is one of the commonest words in everyone’s lexicon now. Alarmed by the cavalier attitude of the people even during the rapid spread, the Central government has made it compulsory for people to wear masks in public areas, including workplaces. Nagpur Police even used Jethalal of  Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashma  to convey its message. You can also see photos of how TV and cinema actors are shooting with masks on. People generally cover their faces with dupattas or scarves as protection against dust and strong hot summer or desert winds. Yet, in 2016, police of some districts in Punjab had banned the use of face coverings by two-wheeler riders after two bikers with cloth-covered faces shot RSS leader Jagdish Gagneja in J

  What did you do in the lockdown?                                            Back to the Future Now that unlock ki prakriya (the process of unlocking) is in its fourth phase, I feel brave enough to talk about the time during lockdown. The virus and the humans now seem to have got used to each other. It brings me immense solace when my doctor friend says that with time not only have we found ways to survive the attack, but the virus too has gone less virulent. Apparently the virus senses that to survive, it needs a host and if it feeds off all of them, it would lose its very existence. Wise thought though still scary! Fortunately, most of the people I know, did not have to face difficulty of travel, major treatments or any other crisis during the lockdown period except, of course, the all-pervading sense of concern and a lot of precaution. They sometimes shared what they were doing. Whatever news was left, was filled in by the news channels which continued to make me ask back – Wh