Saturday, June 27, 2020

Fever Triggered fear

Two weeks passed since I blogged. Lap times turned nap times – laptop unopened in last ten days.  Anxious ran through the nerves. Mind struggled to grasp anything that comes into attention. The days are hot as ever reflected up on me and I fell into fever that lasted more than a week. First my father caught fever and we feared really but his temperature is back to normal after two days on medicine. And before he touched norm fever clutched me and refused to give up until a doctor’s intervention and strong medicine to light down the heat. Being a pandemic period it is not easy to take anything lighter and more than the suffering from fever, the fear of what it could be jammed me. I know I was cautious with my every step into the pandemic field and keep reminding my dear ones to follow the same but we can’t be certain that everything is under control.

First it was guessed as viral fever because of normal blood test report but yesterday’s urine culture report reveals bacterial infection in urinary system and doctor told to take antibiotic injections for 5 consecutive days and he’s sending his staff to home to inject me daily.  He isn’t a regular doctor I visit, but I have no option as there’s any other doctor available and small hospitals are either closed or refuse to see fever patients in my neighbourhood. After more than 3 months, I stepped out of the house to visit the diagnostic centre in neighbourhood for the blood urine test and I was allowed only after the thermal scanning, which showed fever, but still they allowed perhaps I am regularly testing there.  I expressed my anxiety of fever in facebook and the fiends there really supported me and encouraged to think positive and now I have no fever and the nausea also reduced drastically. I’m on the second day on injection and injection is something I haven’t gone through in a decade is painful to take. Hope I get back to norm soon.4

Covid is something really reaching new peaks daily in Chennai and continues to be second hotspot of India. Chennai and its neighbouring districts are under complete lockdown until June 30 and it could be extended apparently to keep down the death and spreading rate. Take care and stay safe
Thank you

Friday, June 12, 2020

Pandemic Panic

Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu has become the second hotspot city of Covid 19 in India, reaching a new peak of cases with every passing day that counts above 1.5k. Our city is divided into 15 zones and my zone Adyar is at 7th place right now with about 1500 covid cases, the situation doesn’t seem to turn better sooner unless any severe actions are taken to control the pandemic despite people’s cooperation. The lockdown is relaxed almost 2/3rd here and perhaps this could be the causes for the faster spreading of virus and we have any idea where this led so rather creating a panic even though we’re conscious with our preventive actions. We know it is not easy to put stop it’s spreading and holding people at home with no work and income at same, but still something need to be done before yet many losses of lives.

While the experts believe in herd immunity or community immunity or group protection, which happens when a large percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, whether through vaccination or previous infections, thereby providing a measure of protection for individuals who are not immune. But it seems to take a while and before it covers a large population many lives are put at risk as the spreading become uncontrollable. So far we’re doing fine and it’s been 3 months I stepped out of home and it’s the days more than the ones I took for my femur fracture and traveling seems to be a distant dream for me, right now. The season for holiday or summer vacation is over here as the May ends, the time I dream a lot about traveling since many a tours took place during this time and this pandemic break the 7 years chain of visits to my favourite travel destination, Kodaikanal.

And this was the time the tourist hub (and all hill stations) waits for the remaining year to make a peak business but this pandemic and the following lockdown has quite blocked everything related to tourism and the revenue of the people. Though it was a great let down, the residents of Kodaikanal welcome this change or lockdown as it not only keep it pandemic free but also put the princess of hills at peace and pollution free, as it huff and puff usually during this time with lining up of tourist.  As you all know my uncle have a woodhouse and cottage near Kodaikanal and his situation is no different from the mentioned above and he too lose his business that only picks up during this time as his woodhouse is located away from the active tourism. Lately we too avoided visiting his place during the peak season time to not become a cumbersome. So we either visit earlier or later at the end of season, because the place his woodhouse is located is best at all seasons.

Uncle's woodhouse and cottages in night mood. Tried a blur effect on the image
My uncle and aunt had gone there right now to check how things are after getting an e-pass. My uncle used to visit Kodaikanal at least one or two times a month but past three months he haven’t moved out of home because of lockdown and now they got a e-pass with a condition to turn in in 48 hours. But things haven’t worked like they planned and someone locally had informed about their arrival to the health department and they have quarantined them for a week at the woodhouse and a covid test is taken. If positive they would be quarantined for 20 days but they hope for negative. While calling from there, they told us about the strange behaviour of the neighbours who avoids and stopped speaking with them because they come from Chennai – the hub of covid 19. I wasn’t surprised to hear this rather felt happy at the consciousness of the people of the Kodai hills and perhaps this makes Kodaikanal an infection-free state.


Monday, June 08, 2020

RGB Monday


A mini hotel or tiffin centre at Perumal malai near Kodaikanal. Perumal malai is an important junction about 12 kms before to Kodaikanal and the meeting point of roads from Palani, Periyakulam and Batlagundu. I remember landing on this junction when first time visiting the Kodaikanal in 1999, to call the person who invited us to the hill station to stay at their guest house.  

Friday, June 05, 2020

நிலா / Moon


பகலை வென்று இரவு பயணத்தில் 
நிலா,
என் வான் வழியே மேல்மாடத்தின் வெளியே.
அழகிய முகத்தோடு இரவை இதமாக்கி
வெண்ணிலவாய் வளம் வரும் நிலா.

--------------- ---------------
The moon on its night journey
After beating the day,
Outside the balcony – through my sky
Made the night with a beautiful face
came around as a flourished moon.

PS. No, this isn’t the penumbral moon. (The penumbral eclipse is scheduled to happen tonight starting at 11:15 pm to stretch out to June 6 and it is an occurrence of faint shadow of the earth engulfs the moon. Though the scientists say the eclipse isn’t easily noticed through eyes unless you are a seasoned sky watcher and the eclipse in June this year is popularly called the Strawberry Moon Eclipse. The month of June is when the ripening of strawberry crops in the United States takes place, which is why June is labelled as the month of Strawberries. And due to this lunar eclipse happening in June, it is being labelled as the Strawberry Lunar Eclipse.) But this moon shot on June 3.

Monday, June 01, 2020

RGB Monday

'I have been sitting watching that ever since I came back, 
the continuous variations of light and shadow .' -
Laurie Lee
A part of simple light and shadow and shades of red, green and blue on the porch of uncle's woodhouse near Kodaikanal
The weather turned absolutely wonderful right away, from quite sunny to stormy, it was a kind of welcome weather during this season of hot summer although the temperature is mild this year so far. Usually it’s the June turns out hot for us in Chennai and being close to sea, the breeze rose from there is a kind of relief fought over the hot land breeze later by noon.  

We’re almost 70 days into the lockdown that was partially relaxed already but still a month long lockdown is imposed across India from today till June 30. Chennai had become the 2nd largest city and hub in India with high Covid 19 cases next to Mumbai in Maharashtra and we lead by over 700-800 positive cases per day and it only seem to rise. North Chennai being a crowded residential place has become a vital part of transmitting virus in the city and it seems the people in age of 20-30 where influenced a lot to infective. The lockdown and Covid 19 awareness is well taken down into people and they mostly resist coming out after the noon, perhaps they used to the former time restriction and content through it. All evening seems Sunday here and life goes peaceful but can’t deny the fact that there’s a kind of fear of uncertain. Hope you guys take care and stay safe.