Meeta Khanna
The term ‘lockdown’ suddenly came into existence from nowhere! We have seen its usage in times of social disturbances but seeing it be used for our safety and wellbeing is certainly ironic. Nonetheless, we are all making a great effort to follow it with utmost seriousness and sincerity
Humans as a species, are supposed to be the most evolved creature of the animal kingdom. We have a highly developed brain that helps us think and even analyze things before making decisions. We have the heart to feel things and experience various emotions. Our physical and etheric bodies are developed systematically. Our senses are very strong and developed. We are blessed with spirituality through which we can connect with the divine. We need to make use of this incarnation to attain the purpose of our lives by being nice to each other and refraining from causing harm to anyone or anything on this Earth.
When I was traveling in the first week of March and reached Canada from India on the 9th of March, I never imagined how people would be reacting to this lockdown. Since visiting anyone was not an option available, communication was possible through phone only. Everyone I talked to spoke of things like house arrest, confinement, getting bored, life without shopping, movies being dreadful, uncertainty, question marks, etc. There wasn’t even a single positive comment. On top of that, we seemed so worried about keeping ourselves safe that we would look at our friends and relatives with doubt.
Then came the second phase where people around me started talking about being religious, catching up with prayers, living without shopping, family bonding, following creative pursuits, and of course cooking. It appeared as though we were finally realizing the importance of maintaining good health in natural ways, the blessings of nature, and the blissful resources bestowed upon us by the divine. We started reading again, thinking, feeling, speaking good for all or it was thought that way.
Now we are at a stage where this lockdown is almost ending. And we’re going back to work, our household chores, regular groceries, and catching up with friends. But the risk the second wave is still there. We see visuals of people crowding parks, beaches, partying etc. It’s not that we should stop having fun in life but let’s keep the lessons we’ve learned in our minds. Let’s love and respect our mother nature more than ever and let’s keep our family bonds stronger with better understanding and harmony in our relationships.
For me, this lockdown period turned out to be productive, positive, and full of opportunities. I joined the course “Rhetoric- the art of public speaking”, by Harvard, started my blog, caught up on my riaz (being a singer), observed discipline in meditation routines, caught on some long-pending reading, and wrote poetry. My Friday evenings became devoted to the weekly meetings of the esteemed NGO called “Malton Women Council”; where thought-provoking discussions are held on some very important social issues. Apart from participating in virtual meetings of various literary organizations, I have been a part of three big virtual concerts that pay tribute to well-known Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi, the great ghazal singer duo of Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh and the Nightingale of Punjab, Surinder Kaur. I’ve begun my own show called ‘Andaaz Apna Apna’ on a TV channel-Hamdard TV. There’s so much more in life about which I am very excited.
Though the lockdown has turned out to be a bliss for some and a lesson for others, there are unfortunately still some people who prefer to remain aloof and unconcerned about humanity.