March, 2020 Bengaluru 25/03/2020 Day 1 Looking out from the balcony there’s complete absence of the usual noise. The stillness at 6 AM is unusual in the neighbourhood. This is a typical residential area with the usual mix of people, places and performance. I recollect a distant memory - of a morning four days back. … Continue reading Lockdown Diary: Day 1
Keeping Count
Day 347 Keeping a count was an instinctive move when the pandemic began. It served the limited purpose of having a sense of temporal distance in these extraordinary times. It is the 347th day since the first lockdown. A month more and it will be a year of the pandemic. India has moved from initial … Continue reading Keeping Count
Roundup 2020
If there was a time when we actually meant most of what we said, it is this year. Our ‘how are you doing’ has often been genuine this year. We have wished to hear from our relatives and friends hoping that they are fine. That they have not caught the virus. That they haven’t lost … Continue reading Roundup 2020
Day 277: Horizons
27/12/2020 Day 277 Barry Lopez died today. The uncertainty about life this year has played out consistently. Yet, every time I am taken aback. I expected a few more essays and thoughts coming from the man as the year turned and perhaps a few more reflections when all this is over. It was not to … Continue reading Day 277: Horizons
Day 236: Where would you want to be?
15/11/2020 Day 236: Where would you want to be? From the anthology on Himalayas, I read some of the essays again - ‘A Mountain Retreat’ by Viki Mackenzie and ‘The Nature of the Highlands’ on Tibet by Lama Anagarika Govinda. The quests in life and inner journeys of people seem to be the same in … Continue reading Day 236: Where would you want to be?
Day 235: Diwali
14/11/2020 Day 235 Two hundred and thirty five days have passed since the pandemic-led lockdowns began in this country. It is as though a whole variety of life lessons have gotten compressed into these months of the pandemic - from personal to professional. Tonight, India is celebrating Diwali. The festival, by all measures, sounds and … Continue reading Day 235: Diwali
On comparison and its impact
The following are some thoughts on 'comparison' - the theme of a module in a course on ideas in education. A mark of the current times is that there is space in a typical day's schedule to explore these ideas and reflect on their relevance in life. Beginning from within the family, some of the … Continue reading On comparison and its impact
Days 106-111: Writing turns into daily log
26/08/2020 Day 155 Posting previous daily logs today. I am phenomenally out of sync. When the lockdown began the idea was to write at least 500 words everyday. It began lagging behind on date. Yet, in the city there was enough spare time to do this (what else can one do switching between drawing room … Continue reading Days 106-111: Writing turns into daily log
Day 105: Pandemic and us
Ajangaon, July 2020 07/07/2020 Day 105 This morning we went beyond the little hillock on which the road climbs up immediately, from the coffee point where we sit during rides. It is a short ramp, about a kilometer long. It then descends into an expansive flat land until the next low rise hill range in … Continue reading Day 105: Pandemic and us
Day 104: Reminders
Rohtang Pass, 2017 06/07/2020 Day 104 In a frivolous way (but noteworthy) I was reminded of the difference between adequate needs and lifestyle needs from the condition of my cycle. It is an eight-speed road bike with two front gears and eight at the rear. After a crash a couple of weeks back, and with … Continue reading Day 104: Reminders
Day 103: Farm and reading
05/07/2020 Day 103 While removing the weeds on the farm this morning I was struck by the burst of life that accompanies rain and the diversity of it. It is a fascinating world if exploring this diversity is appealing for a person. There is enormous beauty in watching the variety of flora and fauna in … Continue reading Day 103: Farm and reading
