Let me start by saying that I am absolutely fine - hunky dory! A big thank you to those who wanted to know why I had stopped writing this journal. Yes, it has been a week now that I have not written. I was just feeling too negative to write - I didn’t see the point in sharing my anger and sadness with everyone. I watch the TV news for an hour, read a couple of newspapers online and go through Facebook for about half an hour each day. Each medium reiterated the fact that leadership and governance are the need of the day and these are missing in large swathes of the world. The posturing by the leaders of the largest and most powerful countries - China, India and the USA make me alternate between fury and helplessness. And so I decided to just keep quiet for a bit.
Yesterday’s scrabble game has brought back some equanimity. Arguing over whether a word exists or not seems the only thing within my control just now - I can look up a dictionary and find out. The excellent food, of course helps. As does the company. (And the vodka.) Yes, I do want to help, but if I am currently not in a position to, then I just need to bide my time. Six months later, I will still be needed, probably more so, when the current group of “relief” workers are exhausted.
Today Goa has announced that it is the first state to be COVID-19 free. Last week a health survey was conducted across the state, covering 30% of the families. About 30,000 cases of people with respiratory infections were identified. Now, they are going to probe the travel history of each of these people and see if they themselves have travelled or been in touch with anyone who has travelled. Only those people will be tested for COVID-19. However, before any of that, we have declared that we are COVID-19 free and opening up businesses. Goa has been in lockdown now for four weeks. How about waiting a bit before declaring that everything is okay? A process has been started to look for more cases. How about completing that process? Now do you understand why I am railing against the leadership?
So this person came to conduct the health survey. He had an app on his phone to enter the data into, with a set of standard questions.
Opening Q - what is your mister’s name?
I don’t have a mister.
Oh ok. Who is the head of your family?
Me.
No, who else is there at home.
I live alone. Therefore I am the head of my family.
Then he want on to ask about my health and my travel history. Finally he asked me when I had bought the house from Peter. When I said that I had taken it on rent. He immediately came a bit closer and told me that he had a house to rent as well. Did I know anyone who would want it? And he started showing me photos of the house. Then he insisted that I write down his phone number, told me all about previous tenants, how lovely they were and showed me their pictures before leaving! Really, everyone in Goa is a broker!
Our regular yoga classes have also started. There is an excellent teacher in the neighbouring village who is willing to come home and teach and that too in the evening - not at the crack of dawn! My kind of yoga teacher! I have two friends join in and we do two hours of asanas, shavasana, pranayama, breath awareness, some laughter as the teacher tries to assure me that in six months my belly will be so flat that I will be able to roll out chapatis on them! Finally I had to tell him the truth - I don’t know how to roll out chapatis. And my paunch is a family inheritance. My father used to often say that he may not leave me anything else, but he would definitely leave me a paunch. How can I give up this precious inheritance? Overall the classes are calming, strenuous and fun. I am glad to have started them again.
It has become very hot and sultry in Goa now. This is the season for snakes. They try to come in out of the heat. My neighbour found 5 bronzeback tree snakes around her AC unit outside. The family spent two days chasing all of them away. I was being very careful and jumping at every sound. Sure enough one small fellow tries to come into the house. He hid behind the front door, leaving his generous tail outside for me to spot. I uttered the universal mantra of “shoo” and he knew he had been spotted. He turned around and went hop, skip and jump across the small verandah. Then he stood on there at the edge, looked at me and stuck his tongue out at me! I charged at him and he truly fled. Why do I refer to him in the masculine? No female would be so dumb!
I have had these these before inside the house. The snake catchers explained that they are non-poisonous, but do bite. So don’t be scared. Ya, right!
Nature and its revival - I am not so sure. The peahens are out in full force around and on my house. For real - not fake images. And this morning, a couple of tiles on the edge broke. I woke up cursing at the noise and ran out to see what was happening. My neighbour joined in to say that they were dancing on her roof the previous day. We both agreed that they look lovely only at a distance. She wondered what a xacuti of this bird would taste like. I sternly warned her that it was our national bird and we both laughed! It is true that they are out on the road a lot more because there is less traffic - even on this inner road.
Meanwhile my fridge has been attacked by fire ants. It is a double door fridge - the ants are collecting between the two doors for the coolth. I haven’t actually been bitten by a fire ant. One got on my arm and there was something like a mild electric shock that it was giving me. When I tried to shake it off, it clung to my arm and that hurt a bit. But the skin didn’t break.
So as you can see, life is as it was and I am back to writing!
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