Clean Environment and Covid 19

Unity is what Covid 19 taught us or forced us to do so today, but the difference here’s we all have to distance ourselves to stay together in the process of defending from the infectious virus. What this unity proves is that if we decided to stand together we can bring change over anything. Though positivity in Covid is worrisome and life threatening but there’s lot of positivity the togetherness we created by staying at home in influence of lockdown. Air, an essential element of nature, and the life source of every living species, have drastically changed over this period of lockdown since the transportation and industries come to a halt, it gives a great sigh of relief and desires to sustain in this flow.  In Chennai the air quality index has come low as ever and Adyar, where I live is below 8 (of April 29, 16:00) which regularly count 60+ before.

Same as air, the water bodies and rivers too refined without the flow of industrial waste and abuse of human. Prime Minister Modi in his election campaign promised to clean the Ganges River, which become dirtier in the long run of effluent against its state of sanctity, but before he initiate or think about it corona did it on his behalf.  People in belief of overcoming their sins, take bath in Ganges and leave their belongings into the river to become a mess and threat to lives depend on the flow of river. While Covid 19 troubles people and kills many simultaneously, it also silently cleanse the environment by holding us at home, even though it’s uncertain that the recovering of the hole in ozone layer is due to the lessening of pollution levels across the globe in last few months of lockdown, it was a great news and cheerful moment for environmental activists who work on this front.

Like how in sedimentation, the solid matters settles at the bottom of the liquid in lack of motion, the lesser amount of activities on earth helped the environment to resettle things that affects nature and health. I don’t think there could be a better moment like this to look back into the future we come across destructing anything that could be possible to improve our lives and livelihoods, taking nature, the only tool in hand. Now, all taking break at home, and fighting back the Covid 19, nature took this chance to restore the environment to its pristine or close to former conditions. Animals and birds too started to trace back their roots we uprooted to develop our lives or began visiting their ancestor’s homes we destroyed to build our own.

Lately, I was amazed to see a bird picture in Instagram, captured by someone in the neighbourhood and it was the same bird species I found in Kodaikanal. The interesting thing was it was a migratory bird from Himalayas and it flew down to southern states during winter and now I found Chennai has been a stopping ground on its course up and down! Though we know we’re paying a massive price to restore the earth and of course, it isn’t the way we anticipated or wished for things to change on earth, but preserving this state of cleanliness is must when we return to new normal lifestyle. I know it is not possible to quite sustain in this state of clean environment when life kick-starts again and industries open their shutters but creating a balance between environment and livelihood could make better our lifestyle. 

Hope all stay safe

Life changing Covid 19 - 30 days into lockdown

I think the real challenges wait for us only when the lockdown is relaxed, because, so far, almost, I personally feel secure during this lockdown period even though I wasn't content with the indifference in people I connected. People talk about the difficulties of daily labourers, who survive on daily wages, forgetting their own lack of contribution in social distancing and wearing masks which is what going to improve the situation and help the poorer, quicker to get back to their livelihoods.  I don’t think we all could get back to our previous life exactly, because the Covid 19 had almost turned down or blocked the way life progressed as we exposed to rise in transmission of virus, we’re forced to stay home to stay safe and take precaution measures to prevent spreading of virus.

Social distancing comes natural to these ladies... walking back to their houses carrying firewood on their heads, after picking it up in forest near Kukkal in Kodaikanal. Image shot last year during a holiday in mountains.

We have almost used to this custom of lockdown in last 30 days of implement, throughout India, though some continue to act like breaking down the lockdown, three-quarter of people supports the system to hunt down the virus completely. Though we all know this virus is not easily destructive and it could continue to popup anytime into the future unless a vaccine is found, social distancing and masking would become a trend and necessity in our daily life. We, now, have enough time to think about the future and how to adapt to a new lifestyle we supposed to take over once the lockdown is relaxed and the preventive measures to take despite whatever the work we do further.

Lockdown or Curfew is very new to most of us but we have heard this word in news and movies and Jammu & Kashmir, the northern state of India, frequently go through this in order to control terrorism and protests and some districts in south Tamil Nadu had faced the curfew due to certain issues. Now, the entire country, and most of the countries in world imposed lockdown clearly to bring down the number of covid 19 cases and to break the chain of spreading virus and this is the only way WHO prescribed to the world, following the success of China. The earth and the air is pollution free now, but we’re forced to wear mask! See how miserable man on earth, he could not enjoy two things at a same and need to sacrifice something to get another.

RGB Monday

Half baked in light and shadow. 

All days are same these days or to say every day seems like Sundays after the implement of lockdown. Just felt it was Monday today and decided to cheer up with a colourful image while there is sadness, fear and uncertainty rules the globe right away. Here I share my aunt’s colorful Kolam drawn for the Tamil New Year (April 14) in front of our house and it was a day passed like any other day. The lockdown is extended up to May 3 here and the covid cases are only at rise but it was bit better in our state Tamil Nadu where there is good numbers of recovery and less death ratio. I see some people continue to blame the govt. for lockdown as if they purposely doing it to punish them… I wonder where they lose their senses in perceiving the fact or failed to understand the progress of Covid 19 when everything they connected speaks the same. This attitude is really bad and perhaps this makes them act indifferently and disobediently to put others life at risk. Hope all stay home and stay safe.

Silence Speaks Louder

Captured from one of my trips to mountains, staying at uncle's woodhouse in  kodaikanal

The world speaks in silence

Desert as ever before

Soundlessness is strange

Yet it is not so quiet,  

Tiny noises make sense

And annoys as well

Diverts the attention of anything

That I try to concentrate,  

Screeches and screams are loud

Perhaps we used to noises

That sustained to a level of decibel

Now, incredible low, due to lockdown

Silence reinstitutes the natural syllabus

In wind prose and bird poems,  

While the most dangerousness stays at home

The endangered are out

To give voice to their lost chord

Or shriek in restoring its space

As if they got their (last) chance

To speak, when world is mute.

Activities against Covid 19

Our state government is doing their best in preventing the spreading of coronavirus and we’re still in stage 2 and stage 3 isn’t that far, but still govt. working to sustain in current stage.  In Chennai, the corporation has hired people to conduct survive on door-to-door basis to identify those vulnerable to Covid 19 and yesterday a couple of men enquired us and we informed them and specifically mentioned about my condition (a muscular dystrophy patient and a wheelchair bound with less resistant power) so that in case anything it would be easier. Govt. had informed a rapid test would be conducted on everyone from April 10, by taking blood samples to detect certain antibodies that react with the Covid 19 protein. Today we had our disinfectant splashed through the fire engine on the exterior of all the houses and shops in our street to prevent covid 19. Already the roadsides are sprayed with disinfectant using jetting machine, the fire engine reached up to 3 stories.  

Chennai with a population of 8 million have 150+ covid 19 positive cases, including 4 in my zone (Adyar), is the maximum in the state that continue to top second in the country. The groceries and vegetable shopping time is too limited between 6am to 1pm to restrain the activities of public that often hit the roads, lying going for grocery. Surprisingly the weather turned wonderful this evening with sudden rush of storm clouds and wind, chilled down the day warm, but I wonder will this mild showering would wipe off the disinfectant splashed on the houses. With each passing day, the covid cases were only on rise so it’s sure the lockdown that announced till April 14^th will be extended to few more weeks. Being stay home is something very difficult to many, but I see people got used to this difference and understand the situation better than earlier, bring hope the success against the covid 19 isn't far away.

Stay home, Stay safe