A Door Always Open

Ten years ago, I stood at the edge of a decision that felt like standing at the edge of the world.

There was a man who loved me. And I loved him back. But love alone never quieted the questions that lived in my chest at 3am.

Would he stay the same? Would his family hold space for mine? Would he see my brother, my siblings and choose them too?

This isn't a story about doubt. It's a story about what held me while I doubted.

My grandfather was eighty-five years old. A man who had seen enough of life to know that happiness is never guaranteed and that a woman's willingness to endure is both her greatest strength and her most dangerous gift.

He looked at me and said something I will carry until my last breath:

I know who you are. I know how you were raised. You will adjust that's just who you are. But that is also what frightens me. So hear me: if you are ever unhappy, if you ever feel unseen, if you ever feel small in a space that was supposed to make you feel loved our door is open. For a day. For a month. Forever. You will always have somewhere to come home to."

He didn't tell me who to choose.

He made sure I knew I would never be trapped by my own grace.

And I've learned ten years in what a working marriage actually feels like.

It feels like standing beside someone's dream even when it isn't yours. Showing up when they're ill, when their mother is ill, when the world is heavy and nobody is asking you to carry any of it but you do, because love doesn't wait to be asked. You do something extra. Something quiet. Something no one will applaud you for. And that selfless love the kind that asks for nothing in return that is the kind that builds something real.

And a good partner? They don't have to be told either. If they want to show up for you, they will. Not because you demanded it. Because love, when it's genuine, moves on its own.

That is marriage. When two people choose each other not out of habit, not out of fear but out of a mutual, unspoken yes

There is respect that doesn't have to be negotiated. Self-worth that neither of you dismantles in the other. Families that don't draw blood with their words. No abuse not with hands, not with silence, not with the slow erosion of who you are. You stand up for each other. You stand up as yourselves.

But let me also tell you what marriage is not.

Marriage is not the version of yourself that only exists when they're watching.

It is not the long exhale you take the moment you walk out the door that relief of not having to pretend anymore. Of not having to make yourself smaller, quieter, palatable. Of not having to lie just to keep the peace.

If you feel more like yourself without them than with them that is not a rough patch. That is a sign.

And I know what you're thinking. The children. The families. The years already spent.

I hear you. I do. But hear this too:

You are allowed to have a Plan B.

Not because you've failed. Not because love wasn't real. But because you are real and you deserve a life where you don't have to disappear inside it.

And before I leave, I need to say something I mean with my whole heart.

This is not only a woman's story.

I have watched men break too. Quietly. Behind closed doors, behind composed faces, behind the silence that the world never thinks to check on. Men who loved completely, who gave everything, who chose a partner with hope and slowly lost themselves in the wrong hands. Men who had their self-worth stripped from them piece by piece and were never handed a language to describe the damage.

Men have every right to stand up for themselves. For their peace. For their dignity. For the family they are trying to protect including protecting themselves.

This is not about sides.

This is about souls. And every soul deserves to be safe.

So if you are in a partnership any partnership and something in you already knows it isn't working, I want you to consider this gently but urgently:

Talk. Seek help. Find mutual ground if it exists. And if it doesn't - 

Leave.

Leave with your dignity. Leave with your children's future in mind. Leave without bitterness if you can. But leave.

Because there is always always another way forward.

Ending your life is never the solution. Never. Not when the world still has a version of you it hasn't met yet. Not when your children still need to see what it looks like to choose yourself. Not when somewhere, on the other side of this pain, there is a quieter, truer, freer life waiting.

The door is open.

It was always open.

Walk through it.

The Blank Canvas

 Aren’t we all born as blank canvases?

Well… yes and no.

Sure, we arrive with a genetic blueprint—our DNA, our lineage, the ancestral whispers embedded in our cells. But that’s just the underpainting. The real masterpiece begins when life picks up the brush.

From the moment we take our first breath, the world starts to paint on us. Parents, siblings, teachers, friends, neighbors, even the grumpy uncle who always complains about the Wi-Fi—each one adds a stroke. Some are bold and bright, others subtle and shadowy. And then there are those invisible brushstrokes—the words of encouragement, the gentle nudges, the “You’ve got this!” whispered into our ears during moments of doubt. These become our inner monologue, our guiding principles, our emotional GPS.

Ever wondered why some people seem to carry calm like a second skin, while others are like soda cans shaken one too many times? Is it temperament? Or is it the echo of voices they’ve heard growing up—voices that either lifted them or let them down?

Let’s be honest. Parenting is a wild, beautiful, chaotic art form. One moment you’re calmly explaining why licking the floor is not a great idea, and the next you’re threatening to cancel birthday parties, confiscate screen time, or call in the big guns—“I’ll tell your father!”

It’s a cycle. A dance. A crescendo of escalating tones:

“That’s not nice.”

“Please don’t do that.”

“I said no.”

“I’m serious now.”

“Okay, that’s it!”

And then… we reset. Back to square one. Can we break this cycle? Probably not. Did our parents? Nope. Do we love them any less for it? Absolutely not.

Because here’s the thing—every parent, whether human or hedgehog, wants the best for their offspring. Even a lioness teaches her cubs to hunt, not just to survive, but to thrive. And in our human jungle, we try to do the same—teach kindness, empathy, resilience, manners, and the art of saying “thank you” without rolling our eyes.

But the window is short. Blink, and they’re off to school. Blink again, and they’re taller than you, borrowing your charger and questioning your music taste. During this fleeting time, the canvas absorbs everything—not just the good habits, but the quirks, the sarcasm, the eye-rolls, the street smarts. It’s all part of the painting.

And what a painting it becomes.

Some canvases end up in boardrooms, others in classrooms, hospitals, studios, or tucked away in cozy homes. Some are displayed proudly in galleries of success, while others wait patiently in storerooms of potential. Some are abstract, some hyper-realistic. Some are layered with experience, others splashed with spontaneity. There are acrylics that withstand storms, and watercolors that fade but never lose their charm.

And just like art, we are open to interpretation:

Your spouse might have to tilt their head to understand you.

Your siblings might see a completely different picture.

Strangers might admire your bold strokes or question your color choices.

But every canvas tells a story.

Yes, there will be patches—mistakes covered up, regrets painted over. The varnish might wear thin with age, but the essence remains. A life lived, a journey painted, a soul expressed.

So, whether you’re a minimalist sketch or a riot of colors, remember this:

You are art.

You are evolving.

You are a canvas in progress.

And someday, somewhere, someone will look at your painting and say, “Wow. That’s a masterpiece.”

 

My feet...My Shoes!

They were meeting for the first time. It was a blind date, her friend had set up. She was tensed and fidgety. Before looking at his face, his Jhony Bravo like smile and physique she looked at his shoes. They said “Woodland” with a tree like woodland logo, the ranger make of those shoes made her contemplate he might be adventurous. They looked at each other with unmitigated expressions and she said in a soft tone “You like travelling?” He smiled and said 27 states, 8 countries…I love to travel. Relaxed, she could now converse for an hour about travel, food, traveling agents and the like. And then with a wry smile and a virtual tap on her shoulder, she wondered – “What a guess ;)”

Noticing and observing the shoes of people when you come face to face seems to be just a stupid and a peculiar rather a strange habit but it definitely makes you understand the “type” of person he/she is. Not trying to be judgmental here but it really helps. Shoes teach us a lot…read through what I write and you will understand how we can categorize and fathom people on the basis of their shoes.

To my dear (angrezi phoruner phriends) foreigner friends I mean – The word for slippers in Hindi is “Chappal”. That’s how we address shoes in India. But as a girl in her twenties I have explored, been obsessed with and collected a lot of shoes …a few I know of are -

Stiletto Heels, Kitten Heels, Cone Heels, Bellies, Prism Heels, Pumps, Spool Heels, Wedges, Sling backs, Flats, Sneakers (low top/ High Top), Clogs, Espadrilles, Marie Jane Shoes, Ballet Flats, Mules, Boots, Platform Heels, Athletic/ sports/ running/track/tennis/walking/gyming shoes, Beach shoes, Monk straps, Wingtip shoes, Galoshes, Pointes, Sandals, Slides, Mukluks, Flip Flops, Moccasins, Cleats, Kamiks, gladiators, Tap shoes, Saddle shoes, Open Toes Shoes, Indian Variety - Kolapuris, Canvas Shoes, Punjabi jutti, Beeded with glitter and flowers and fruits and colorful candy etc., Morris, Oshos, khussa shoes, gliders, Juttis etc (phewwww)

You can accurately judge a person just by looking at their shoes, psychologists say. Researchers at the University of Kansas found that people were able to correctly judge a stranger's age, gender, income, political affiliation, emotional and other important personality traits just by looking at the person's shoes. Lead researcher Omri Gillath found that by examining the style, cost, color of condition of the shoe, participants were able to guess about 90 percent of the of the owner's personal characteristics.

So I am certainly NOT wrong here. But what if the person is wearing some one else’s shoes? Wouldn’t that be a little unfair? The whole concept on one hand sounds too judgmental, but on the other hand, people do wear shoes that reveal their personality, whether they intend to or not.

Expensive shoes belong to high earners (predictable). Flashy and colorful footwear belonged to extroverts and shoes that were not new but appeared to be spotless belonged to conscientious types.

While some of the clues like the ones already described were obvious, other clues are more surprising.

Practical and functional shoes generally belong to agreeable people (I have always seen my Mom and Grandmother in DR Scholl’s). Ankle boots fit with more aggressive personalities and uncomfortable looking shoes were worn by calm personalities.

Shoes serve a practical purpose, and also serve as nonverbal cues with symbolic messages. Quite a lot of people tend to pay attention to the shoes they and others wear. "Shoes have great variety of styles, brands, looks, and functions. Because of this variety, shoes can carry individual difference information, but do they? I suggest the answer is yes and so does researchers.

However, psychologists noted that rarely some people will purposely choose shoes just to convey a certain public image that is different from their real personality. So there, I rest my case my lord.

According to me, shoes can be related to human lives, in a psychological way. The size of the shoe remains the same after a certain age, like the inner you, the beautiful girl/ handsome boy in you, the child in you, the flirt in you. The innocence that remains in you throughout your life, whereas the make, color, brand, taste, comfort and appearance changes. If the shoe does not fit, we do not change the foot. A shoe that is too large is apt to trip one, and when too small, to pinch the feet. The silliest thing is to get expensive baby shoes, because as the baby grows the shoe is doomed to be wasted, and if you still linger upon them, it gives blisters (shoe bites). The same situation when you have a high ego, if you still have it, it will give you blisters (bites that leave a deep mark). I have a cousin who is in school, his shoes are worn out, every now and then and my aunt happily says – “these are the days when he would play and grow tall and handsome”. So she gets him shoes from the most expensive brands so that the playful lad could concentrate on his football sessions comfortably. We go to the cobbler with high hopes to get our dearest shoe repaired; the sole can be changed but what about the soul if it were us? Stress disrupts human thinking? I say uncomfortable shoes disrupt human thinking. Ever walked in uncomfortable shoes and then walked on wet grass with bare foot? The feeling is just so incredible. That can be related to an unhappy relationship and then liberation…weeeeee…freedom! Or a nice holiday for a week after concluding your targets at work! Or that pebble in your shoe that irritates you and makes your life miserable, you cannot achieve anything until you shake it off from your shoe and take a deep sigh of relief.

Cinderella wouldn’t find her perfect prince if she hadn’t lost one shoe, not trying to make a point here, to carelessly leave or forget one shoe anywhere (preferably men’s locker room), but it was the shoe in the end, that made her a popular fairy tale heroine. (Really?)

Heard of passion for walking barefoot? Late Mr. Hussain (the Picasso of India) walked barefoot throughout his life, he never wore shoes! Now he wasn’t insane, he wasn’t poor (at all), the abstract paintings had bottomless capacity to make uninterrupted moolah, he was efficacious and tremendously artistic and imaginative…I mean the Richie’s who drive long luxurious cars, live in castles but still crave to earn a 'Hussain' on that exceptional wall. What was the reason for wearing no shoes then? ...He loved the feel of soil. I find that (unhygienic yes) but truly incredible. That’s innocent love…true love I say. Sticking to what feels good which brings that smile to your face.

Shoes teach us a lot, the cheap ones like the negative people the villains in your life who criticize and let you down have to be disposed and the expensive ones (family, friends and peers) have to be worn with extreme care.

Gawking at my shoe stand right now and thinking of accomplishing some more, I would say, it should be never so much about the shoes, but the person wearing them.

Everything and More...

It was 8 degrees in the capital today and I was literally shivering. I went to the nearest mall to grab a cup of coffee which would warm my numb hands and defrost my tongue. While I was at the coffee shop I ordered 1 cappuccino to-go…and the man at the counter billed it and asked me to wait for 10 minutes because of the rush. There was no place to sit in the busy evening 7ish hour of the coffee place so I chose to stand in the corner waiting for my coffee, sinking my cold numb hands in the deepest corners of my pockets. Restless as I am I started fiddling with my phone and looking around. There was a lot of noise.

Towards my right diagonal say 10 o clock there were fine gentlemen in their late 20’s or early 30’s (not all of them were charming) but over all, well bred, sophisticated and very well dressed. One of them had a classy leather bag which grabbed my attention and all six were so engrossed talking that I could barely hear.

It was just 2 minutes and I was told to wait for my order. So I started to concentrate further towards the hot “topic” among the boys and there I began to overhear. Bad habit though but amazing time-pass.

So one of them said – and this is why I don’t talk to girls. I so wanted to know “why”! I HAVE TO KNOW why…its my fundamental right to know why this fellow would elude girls for some disconcerting reason. The other one said – dude I am married, I am telling you they are all nice and cute in the beginning but from the day we got married till now, it has been 2 years or so she is a pain. Sometimes you cannot tolerate pain but other times you just deal with it. The third one said to him – you are so lucky you are married, we have been seeing each other since the last seven years and she still threatens that she will leave me one day and that I would not be able to do anything about it. All the while there was one who was very quiet, he hardly spoke and when others tried to ask him rather include him in the conversation he said – I am a happily married man, I see no fault in my relationship and everything is fine.

The stupid waiter started asking me about sugar and anything else mam etc. in the mean while and I missed some part I believe but I couldn’t resist and started to pretend that I was busy…started fiddling with my phone again and sat on a small table beside a little away from them.

1.    He just gave an opener I guess, which I missed, and then he continued. Think of women as – he started looking around for an example and then looked at his large coffee mug…think of women as a cup of coffee. The other five were quiet now and wanted an explanation for such casual comparison with the problem of their lives – so did I, suddenly I represented the women on earth and wanted an explanation too rather enlightenment ...so I listened more carefully now, pretending to read the menu.

2.    He pointed towards his cup and said - You cannot drink this coffee when it is very hot: Never talk, misbehave or aggravate a woman when she is angry. It will burn you and your blister your tongue.

3.    You have to drink this hot coffee at room temperature or cold – just the balance : talk in a gentle mood (room temperature) and do not neglect her (cold)

4.    Pour milk per your choice in this black coffee: you have an impact on her, your personality will reflect her and vice versa. Initial years and your actions will result and reflect throughout life (the amount of milk poured is permanent till the end if more)

5.    Sugar should be not too high or too low because it will be bitter: appreciate her not too much that she thinks it’s fake. Do not be bitter, else you wont be able to live

6.    Appreciate the waiter for he would serve you properly the next time also: appreciate and regard her family as yours, it will be all good as a result.

7.    Flavor it with chocolate, cinnamon, butterscotch for more taste : do not be boring, take interest in whatever she says, feel her emptiness (if the coffee is bland) and provide solutions (flavor it up) for a delightful taste.

8.    Respect the expensive cup and enjoy every bit of it: regard and respect your lady. She is the most desired, high maintenance asset of your life, the cup that you would demand and enjoy.

9.    You never leave the coffee that you ordered mid way and order another lest it is undeniably rubbish and you had no idea what you ordered in the first place : be loyal, our cup or your lady is yours till the end, do not have an eye on others coffee or you will have mixed tastes. You would forcibly change it (break the relationship) only when the expensive coffee (your valued marriage) is venomous or extremely disgusting.

10. Snacks with coffee are amazing - she will blend with every addition you give her in the most loving way – cake (children), sandwich (friends and family) etc.

11. You can take the cup far and wide when its to-go (love marriages, living away from family) – it will warm your hands and throat. Drinking it here is also an option but that way you will have to see if all others  have finished their coffee or not (arrange marriage – more compromises) but any which way the coffee is yours.

The others heard and all that while I considered myself as a cup of coffee and smiled. A coffee bean, may be because, I am not married yet ...but amazing co-relation! Till then my cup was empty but I wanted to hear more…and it was getting late. They all heard like a saint was enchanting prayers. And then one of them said – mine is Irish coffee, the other said mine is frappe…and I just got up and came home and smiled at the interesting comparison overheard at the coffee place.

The Closure

We exchange notes with a lot of people everywhere. Some are bound to stay some don’t. Acquaintances, common friends, people whom we greet, say hi’s within our workplace or external teams, neighbor’s neighbors, distant relatives, people whom you meet while travelling – in the metro, stuck at traffic signal, helps, cable guy, cute guy from the store, wrong numbers, vendors, shopkeepers, consultants, doctors, in the gym, at the club, in the swimming pool, drivers, guides, hair dressers, masseuses, nurses, hotel housekeeping staff, receptionists, security guys, car poolers, gardeners, your driving instructor, traffic police men, people who share cabs with you or that guy who collects money in front of public conveniences, ticket collectors, teachers, invigilators, IT team, people you just meet once or twice and then never…

On the other hand, in a parallel world, there exists those people whom you meet once and they have an imprint in your mind forever. If this lot disappears all of a sudden then one expects a ‘closure’. One gets a shock - How could he/she go missing? A loved one met with an accident and dies on the spot, astounded family and relatives question for a closure or the guy you love or are in a relationship with says I shall call and never calls makes you demand  a conclusion. Why wouldn’t he/she call me? Why would the person disappear from my life all of a sudden? Why would the person not answer my calls…why? The very thought would make you think, miss that person whom you have met once or may be never but has mistreated you by not accepting your calls and being rude to you. You would want him because he wouldn’t pay any attention to your madness for him. Or that interview clearance call from your dream organization that rejected you after the first round and said – “we will get back to you”, you would wait. Makes one gullible, like that puppy that was fed with milk and cookies by the owner for a few days, is at present kicked and mistreated, but still wags his tail and returns to the owner in search of food or love.

So, is a closure significant? Lets see, if the person/ thing that once made your world goes missing or is omitted all of a sudden, you would search. If the situation is out of your radar, say death or permanent damage or an intentional good bye then LET GO. We often have the tendency to fall in the same trap over and over again (the milk and cookie fed to a puppy example) and in the end of the entire episode which is bound to relapse, hurt ourselves or end up being emotionless, not trusting people or even worse, embrace pretension. Remember - “If people or things do not come back to you they were never yours”, living in false hope is a crime. Meera married lord Krishna who was well, God.

Time and again people hold on to someone and spend their lives thinking about them, comparing other people to the mentally married person, holding on to thoughts and expecting to get back to times they were once in. Similar situation is when people hold on to emotions or grudges for quite some time and grumble all the while. Trust you me, the other person would have no feelings or even the tiniest of clue as to what are you thinking or are cribbing about. Unless, you make your grieves rather apparent and believe in giving a theater performance to every single person who knows you and gain what was that petty thing you call – “sympathy”.

Often people tend getting physically hurt in order to gain sympathy over petty issues they would like to cover them up with. For instance – Little Jhonny broke a crystal vase and he sure knows that he shall be in trouble and grounded, however, when his mommy arrives – he would start crying and say, ah I have hurt my ankle so that the potential attention is diverted to his ankle and not the shattered crystal on the floor. Seeking sympathy is easy and there, closure becomes easy. Similar is the case with depression, we hide away from our feelings and start hurting our thinking process and our brain for mishaps and unfortunate circumstances that have occurred in our lives. Move on and let go. A mother left her daughter when she got divorced and mum and daughter were never in touch throughout their life. Mother married again, daughter lived with her father and step mom. She lived with a trust of closure but what did she hope for – nothing? If you say why does it always happen to me – there is always a “why not” glued to it. The bravery award goes to the one who handles all the why not’s in the most “let me not waste my time thinking about the closure, rather start afresh” way!

Closure is a waste of time, closure is not forever momentous, closure is not for the one’s you meet once or for someone who never reciprocates or those who treat you like anybody or an option rather “time pass”. Life goes on and one should move one without insisting on an appropriate finale. People come and go, life – goes on! If your words were a painting and you happen to write or say it to someone who just left you midway and never cared to come back, then that painting would always be incomplete and the canvas which is your life shall never be utilized. “The end” is not always important because there could be a new, better story that would just pop up to brighten your life.

Mind, Body and Reality!

It has been long since I have written. Really long. A very distinctive thought came in my mind today and I thought, let me, well …put pen to paper about it. Let’s just talk about the human mind…about humans…about us. What makes us foolish and what makes us so special. Going by the definition of “mind” - The mind is a set of cognitive faculties including consciousness, perception, thinking, judgement, and memory. The mind is the faculty of a human being's reasoning and thoughts. It holds the power of imagination, recognition, and appreciation, and is responsible for processing feelings and emotions, resulting in attitudes and actions. Our thoughts reflect our body and our action. It’s something that I am thinking or doing right now, will lead to consequences, good or bad, later. In times today, if someone tells you to “get your shit together” or “you’re messed up”, it just means you need to take a good control of your actions!

Most of us spend most of the day in office or commuting to office, office - where we work for which money gets accumulated in our respective accounts as salary. We get a few hours until we work again the next day. We get the weekend to relax where the accumulated money is swiped or drawn on EMIs, bills, eating joints, movie theaters, spas and shopping malls to give us leisure or fulfill our needs and wants. That’s life and that is it. Not to forget weekend getaways which required more petrol and more money go somewhere far and do the same, probably climb a hill in expensive shoes and tag ourselves on the online portals with pictures and stuff.

We are brand conscious. We want variety. We want more money. We want luxury and we need a relaxed mind which we are deprived of. Earning to eat a meal peacefully is so orthodox these days. We earn to eat at the loud and crowded food court after we watch out favourite movie with popcorns and coke. The typical “me” time is shopping alone or getting a spa, food I like is “at the luxurious 7 star restaurant”, place I like to visit is “ofcourse out of india”. Home is where the heart is because the 55 inch TV, AC, and a more comfortable bathroom with maids and a Jacuzzi?  is available with a number of remote controls and tantrums. Where are we heading to? Wrist band with heart rate and pedometers are a must with smart phones and ipads. Life is unimaginable with an air and a hair conditioner. We are slaves to technology and objects. And what adds to the hall of fame – the number of medicines one takes and which hospital one goes to for treatment. A lot of people take a lot of pride in announcing their diseases and consuming multi colored capsules as dessert. We walk with high thoughts, egos, iPads, iPhones, debit and credit cards and car keys with a lot of pride. Because without them we are nothing! Absolute Zilch!

Visit a mortuary today! See what happens to a dead body step by step. The same body you did not respect by eating junk, taking drugs and drinking. The same eyes which saw more money and comforts…get burned. The same nose and the same mouth …all in flames. The objects you choose to stick by other than relations are just left behind for someone maybe or for no one. Those expensive rings are objects but those hands who could have done a lot are wasted and burnt. Those high heels and suede shoes are yet again objects but the feet under them which could make you walk with your old parents for medicines and chores …are remembered.  Every part of you can be valuable to those around you, to the world but if you do not want to utilize them and do not understand your worth, they will still be burnt BUT not remembered. What matters are your deeds which your sane mind forces you to do. What matters is making someone smile, what matters is being a good son, friend, husband and a father. No one remembers that guy who was shot in a mob and was dumped beside the road. As Buddha states – “Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.”

The mind is a beautiful thing. The Greatest Power is the Power of our Mind. Once we understand this and learn to use the power within us, we can create wonderful changes in our life. Think good and value your actions for what you have today, for tomorrow is just a “body”, burnt, buried or thrown…

One Virus

What is a Virus?

Well in layman terms – you sneeze or have a runny nose, have a temperature maybe. The doctor recommends some tests with rest and anti-biotics. You take a leave from work and feel down for a day or two. You then return to work and realize there is a lot of pending work and your body copes up with the unanswered emails, busy hours, and the rest.  Also sometimes a virus is also a way or telling people that they need to be aloof, they need some me-time and that their mind and body are worn out and you need a break. That’s a usual virus we all know of.

But who would have thought that the coronavirus, the giant imported virus, which is still threatening us, will have devastating consequences! Consequences that would move you and your world! Consequences that will make people insane! Consequences that will make them stay at home for more than a year! And Consequences that would take a billion lives to an extent that their last rites would not include their own family members burying them or burning their pyre, rather dumping them by men wearing PPE kits layer on layer, treating them as a radio-active waste!

We live in a different world now. The economy has been shaken, a lot of people have lost their lives or seen someone die, they could not even see the deaths of their closed ones! A large amount of people are unemployed or have changed their profession due to Covid because they at some point needed money to eat and support their families. Businesses have incurred humungous losses; a lot of market-sectors are doomed. Everything now is low key and most of us are scared to step out and are comfortable at home. There may have been some positives like spending time with family, Greater use of technology and digitalization, very less usage of petrol, no useless or unnecessary travel, surge in healthcare, financial inclusion etc BUT…

Is it all worth it?

As the word has spread that the cases have reduced, people have started going out, travelling to destinations for vacations etc. Now they might be taking precautions like wearing a mask or sanitizing themselves, but do we realize that 99% of use are still not vaccinated. The risk is the same as it was a year ago. The lockdown still exists. Now the question is when will this be over? Rather when will be able to breathe without masks or stop being a neurotic specially about our parents and children or loved one’s? Will the coronavirus ever end? Well the WHO says early 2022, but is that permanent? The roll out of vaccines is a huge task for the approx. 1.3 billion people in India, with other problems like rising unemployment whereas the government is primarily thinking about GDP. But with that said, per reports, the humidity in the weather (although coronavirus has flared up at different times and different temperatures in the world) and the moisture from the masks might lessen the severity of the virus. We might also achieve herd immunity, who knows! Nevertheless, there are a lot of other challenges that lie way ahead of us and we must collectively and responsibly surpass them. Therefore, it is time to be patient (and not a patient)!

It will end (well maybe) but one must be careful because there are monsters and viruses out there!