For better or for worse, contrived or by co-incidence, I lack situational awareness beyond a point that helps me to work peacefully, do my research, design my online classes, and move on with life. A few things I look forward to everyday are watching the banana flowers sprout rows of raw bananas from my kitchen window every morning as I make breakfast, count the different sounds the birds outside my home make, and of course my cha and shingara every evening. I have managed to stay away from reading the deluge of emails where my colleagues are fighting and arguing everyday (unless they concern me, which they don't), the information overload due to people sharing dozens of COVID-related popular articles everyday, and constant online arguments over whether we should allow 900 students on campus this year or simply go online (or let them in and still teach online).
.
I understand that we all have many unanswered
questions, but arguing over emails everyday is not going to yield answers. When
there were three COVID-positive cases on campus, people lost it and started
sending all kinds of weird emails. All I can say is that I am glad I am not the
dean or director of an institution right now and do not need to pacify people or reply to
their strange emails (including a question like if one of the faculty gets
COVID, who will teach the rest of the course?). "Stay home and don't get
into people's business" would have been my standard template of a response
anyway.
.
My sister, however, has come to my rescue multiple
times.
.
"Didi, do you know, Irrfan Khan died.
Rishi Kapoor died."
.
And there I looked it up and spent the next
few weeks watching Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor-movies after I read about the
news of their passing.
.
"Didi, your city has the
highest death rate per million in India now."
.
Me: "Oh, really? Let me read up!"
.
"Didi, Sushant Singh Rajput
died by suicide!"
.
Me: "Oh, really? I just watched PK
yesterday. Wait, let me read up."
.
And now, "Didi, are you okay?"
.
I thought she is asking me this question
after I told her yesterday that two of the brinjals bigbasket delivered were
rotten.
.
Me: "Of course I am, I even made brinjal
curry with the rest, why do you ask?"
.
"Uff... there has been an earthquake
close to where you live. Don't you know?"
.
Me: "Ummm... no!"
.
"Uff, what were you doing? It's all over
the news!!!" she asks me, sounding very annoyed.
.
"Err.... I ordered 3 kg mangoes and
bigbasket delivered 6 kg by mistake and asked me to keep them all. So I shared
some with the Myntra delivery man who was very surprised. I was looking at all
the mangoes in the fridge and wondering what to do with them!" I replied,
somewhat sheepishly.
.
I don't think she thinks
very highly of me anymore.
.
sunshine
