Captivity in Freedom

    15 August 2020, Indian Independence Day, marks five months since academics have been suspended. Brakes applied after sixteen years of driving the school/higher secondary/college caravan. Education vehicle stalled, but life’s vehicle spluttered and moved on. Priorities reshuffled; survival takes top notch. 

    The lockdown started with a bang for us as we had not stocked up on essentials. When it was abruptly announced, my mum decided to throw my brother and me into the maddening shopping crowd. “Get supplies or COVID”, she said! So, there we were at 8pm, at our local grocery store, squashed like a tin of sardines in brine, you can understand why I am saying brine! Even nearing 10pm, we hadn’t managed to lay our hands on anything, but the sudden arrival of a police jeep with flashing lights and sirens blaring, sent us scurrying for cover. Someone had called the cops! 

Subsequent to that incident, I’m proud to say that although being the youngest in the family, I managed to hunt around for daily necessities. My first step towards learning to survive in such testing times. 

    Respite from college but no respite from my daily 5am alarm. Have to still walk my dog or she walks me, depending on which side of the leash you look from.  Then on to feed the strays at 5.30am or they get into doggie wars. Been feeding, neutering and caring for these dogs, half my life now, but once we were in lockdown it seemed as if the neighbours detested the animals’ freedom and began targeting me to get me to stop feeding them- they are making a mess in the building; don’t feed them here, take them elsewhere… The stray dog problem is all over the country, not just in Goa. I have not contributed to the problem; I’ve only tried to do my little bit in curtailing it. 

Their kids can’t come down to play because of the dogs. A decade ago, my brother and I were also kids. We used to go down the building to play but decided to feed and neuter the dogs existing at that time so that we could continue playing freely. Instead of doing that, they say stop feeding the dogs. I ask- what is better? A hungry stray or a well-fed and looked after stray? Off course, three years back when we got verbally abused by a retired teacher, we stopped following up to get the dogs neutered cause life has not been a bed of roses for us, we have faced more thorns than roses. Despite that we were doing our bit for society, so we too decided to lessen our burdens. With this same repeat targeting in the lockdown, we decided to even further cut back on the feeding cause seriously, we don’t see whether we have food on our plates, but we used to ensure that at least the strays got something to eat so that they were not a threat to society. Anyways…

    In “peace-loving” Goa, I witnessed ten cops hauling a timid youth to the police station for not wearing a mask, that to, after he had paid his fine, just because according to them he was brash. I have seen the dark side of people before. But these and few more incidents showed that even when humanity is facing its darkest times, we are not ready to be kind to one and other.

    With people indoors, nature, birds and animals thrived! It was a pleasure to feed the squirrels, sparrows, robins, pigeons, crows, bulbuls, mynas, kites, a lone eagle like the “Lone Ranger”, and birds (treepie/ magpie) I’ve yet to identify, that came to my windows. Some of them still do visit.

The recent announcement that colleges would resume online brought a smile to my face but with a tinge of sadness as I do miss my friends, lecturers, the books in the library, the dogs and cats on campus, also the trees that I can sit under and attain “enlightenment” like Buddha despite the surrounding noise and the rush. In the present scenarios, any education, even online is welcome. 

    Burdened, but not overburdened with the current scenario. I will float on the rise and fall of life’s waves. And once in a while when the earth’s tectonic plates collide and life throws a tsunami at me, I will run to higher ground. So, “Que Sera Sera, what will be, will be”.  See you soon on the other side of this pandemic.

Happy Independence Day everyone. Enjoy the day safely.