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An unplanned pause




Life was running it's usual course dwindling between windy Fagun mornings and humid noons until this unplanned pause took its toll. My part of the world is a tiny, often ignored speck which recently caught attention in the political upfront due to the burning infiltration agitation inscribed as CAA. Our silent streets roared with people thundering slogans and protests.

CAA taught us another way of looking at our lives: to answer back when threatened. It taught us to fight for our rights.

This time Covid 19 has put an unplanned pause to our ever busy rat chasing race. When was the last time we actually stopped chasing stuff without being instructed to?

I was apprehensive in the beginning. I, like most of us thought doing nothing can be boring. But, the stillness around me has brought my tormented soul home. I have learnt to relish the morning light and smell of the evening dhuna. The unfamiliar yet familiar looking still landscape has taught me to uncover meanings.

I remember getting anxious of crossing signals. Each time I rode my scooty, I would pray to not be stuck in that one minute red stop. A minute of stillness was not something I couldn't afford but I was not used to be at ease in stillness. It jerked me from within. I wasn't trained to stop ,I was trained to keep running.

This time, life has drawn a red light urging us to stop being the person we used to be. It has taught us the simple story which we have ignored. Nature has the power to teach us when needed. Nature has a way of reaching you. You might be stuck in a concrete one bedroom flat but the moment you bring home a tiny plant it teaches you the art of perseverance. It talks back when needed. The tiny buds appearing after days of tending and care, reassure you of the possibility of healing.

We all heal when we leave ourselves open to experiences. Our scars make us stronger. This time would soon pass, life would catch it's usual vigour but let not any red light make us impatient anymore. Right now we need to train ourselves to make use of the red light time: the more we try, the more silence will put us in ease.


Read any book, play silly games, laugh out till your belly hurts, try yoga, try what you thought you couldn't try as you didn't have time and even if you have more time try to run behind time. Sit back, take deep breaths, let loose toxic thoughts. Bring home a pet plant. Water it. Let it grow as you grow holistically.

The time is difficult but better days are ahead.

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