COVID CAMARADERIE - Week 8

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE!

When civilization worked towards creating a distinct difference between performances and real life, human-kind, somewhere in the journey, forgot to realize that they are one at the same. This chance to be human is nothing less than a 100 hour performance (1 hour = 1 year) and how well we carry our roles in this determines how long we perform, or wait? Can I say that so? . Corona has re-defined this definition of time by making-us-up for a performance(life) which we have only heard as stories. A performance which was only a memory, is being staged live everyday by different people in different ways. This week’s Covid Camaraderie is the 8th edition since lockdown was announced and already has some brutal truth coming out from the hearts. Here are the unique memories, tales from people adorning diverse roles during the Pamdemic.

ART

Add caption

Tripurasundari (name changed) is a wonderful artiste, but never made it to the A-list categories because of reasons we don’t want to discuss here. While she always dreamed of a platform to share with the Stalwarts, here is one this Corona brought. Everyone is virtual audience. She gets to do live shows and much as everybody else does. All the years of her practice and longing seems to now come to life with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where the best and the aspiring together watch her. In her words “ I have always wanted my dance to reach the door steps of  senior most dancers but never could do that for affordability and many other reasons. The cost to put up a show was more than my will to handle the consequence and therefore I used to imagine in my mind creating an evening of performance where I could not only join my idols but also perform. “ Of course, the audience are diverse, some love her, some eager to criticize, some unable to bear that their exclusivity is no more, some enjoying the art, some watching so as to fall asleep… etc..etc… whatsoever, categories have vanished and a commonality of platform has emerged. There is a new hope in the minds of a million artistes out there with this enforced commonality. The life which was a memory is now Real, because, hey world, you cannot step out, remember?

Tirupurasundari – 21 years

 **************************************************************************************************

MY FAMILY

When was the last time Dad that you looked at my rough notes? I do not recall a single day when my parents spent time to listen to what I had to say be it music or poem or simply listen. Of course they love me, I think I know that, but I guess I longed for other ways of expression and that was time. I wanted to sleep with you, talk for hours together, watch movies at home, have my evening snack with you, help Amma while she makes our evening snack. But I never got to do these because I always saw you two work even when you came home. Pizzas became my supplement and Swiggy my chef.

 I did enjoy them, but wait, I wanted to have that pizza with you Dad, and not alone. While this became my story, somebody out there contracted this virus named Corona which prevents people from stepping outside. And guess what, it has brought back all my wishes to real. We all do our work but together. My Dad listens to my stories, he knows who my friends are, he joins Akka (sister) in her live music classes.  While Amma also gets to hear some compliments and comments on her recipes. I didn’t know that Dad knew to cook, he made us a banana cake on my birthday. I missed having my friends around, but undoubtedly this was my best birthday ever. How nice can things suddenly become just because one virus gained control of the world. I heard people are dying, and I am sad about it. But this time I get with my family is also not something I never thought could get, this time every day, not just weekends or vacation. 

I remember my Dad telling that this is how his childhood used to be, where 5 of his siblings long with their parents (my Grand Parents) lived under one roof with just one bedroom and yet didn’t have enough time for their stories. Today, our walls have become the theatres which screen his memories, spending time like those days Bedtime, I hear these lines he says, these were my memories, its been a while since we did these. Indeed, its been a long time since I saw Life like this. Because, remember, we don’t step out, we stay together inside.

Kuttoos – 9 years

 *************************************************************************************************

MARRIAGE

Marriages are made in Heaven, a very well-known quote. But you know what, they are lived on Earth and sustained in Hell. This is at least my story. 6 years have gone by and thanks to our work, we had very less time to encounter each other daily. I do not want to mention his name but do know that I have another man play my role with my Wife. He is also married, perhaps a failed reason I tell myself to feed my ego every time I think of calling this off. There was no love ever between us, but now, with 24 hours under one roof, this is as disruptive as a storm. We cannot stay together anymore, for we know for sure that nothing that should keep together a relationship exists between the two. I was too comfortable with my life, closing eyes to the affairs he had, but now, when I watch my life being played every day, I am ashamed of my role. My mind became a whirlpool inside which I built a world for mine and there alone I existed. Longing for the sunrise, yet another day to escape from the reality, I ran from the truth, the truth of finding the courage to walk out of the gift-of-life, that is how marriage is termed by all my people.

No, infidelity is not the sole reason. But more, those I am not comfortable writing down. I do not want anybody to know what my mind does. I gave myself reasons to hold on to it, until now, thanks to the pandemic, despite not being mutually abusive or harmful, I acknowledge this is the end of our marriage. The energy of this human is certainly not something I want to be in. Her presence chokes me and I cannot help but cry for some lone time. If not for Corona, I would never have come out of my utopian world in my mind, which is more or less my only memory of some peaceful time. I have therefore decided to bring to reality my Memory, because hey world, you someday have to step out!

A sole Mate! 39 Years

**************************************************************************************************

DEATH OR DAWN

 

My Father passed away 15 days back. We were like any other family, taking all the precautions. But do not know where he contracted the virus. Of course we rushed him to the hospital and like every other Bollywood movie, I was hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But then, the it did not go that way. Or may be I should say the tunnel is way too long that we have to go alone for few more years to see the light. Abba left us creating a huge vacuum in the house and our lives. It took just minutes from being addressed-to as ‘him’ to ‘it’. All I have of him is Memory. A virus turned my Father to a Memory. My most precious matter today is that, human-kind’s memory. If we didn’t have this ability, what would be left with us? What can we reminisce? Isn’t life in its entirety a Memory? I have come to realise that death is essential, for nothing can do justice to the abundance this creation has. As painful as it is, I realise we have commenced our routine because life has to move on. We did cry but also made sure our deadlines were met. We did succumb to the excruciating pain of your scent in the house, but also made sure we cleaned the house leaving no trace of somebody having left us. To me it feels that the only measure of your living is how long and how many people’s happy memory you become. It all zeroes down to that aspect. Well, if not the case we would also have died along with you choosing to end our lives, but no, we did not. We will live through the pain, but we will live. That is a gift we all willfully become selfish to face. Quoting Rabindranath Tagore “ Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come” . Here is humankind’ dawn – COVID -19.

Amira Patan 25 years