Corona- Random Thoughts

For most of the people, the haircut is a necessary ritual  observed  monthly or bimonthly  depending on the growth of hair on the scalp. I must admit that I have to be persuaded or cajoled into  going for a haircut  as I am not too willing to go to a barber's shop.

I  had a hair cut a bit longer than two months back  and  now my wife says that I am due for a haircut. But where to go and how to get this done is the moot question  in these  Corona ridden times. Quite rightly and justifiably the saloons and barber shops have been ordered to be closed as a preventive measure to combat  the Virus. After all the main plank of the exercise  called social distancing cannot be allowed to be flouted or compromised. The barber  stands close enough behind you or on the sides to do the job . The long device like a branch cutter has not been devised as yet to cut and clip unwanted growth of hair which could ensure social distancing . My wife would volunteer to do the job but  I have neither the tools nor the equipment  to facilitate this. We have two good enough barber shops at a walkable distance albeit in the opposite direction, which saves me the need to go to the fancier Deluxe on the Mall .
But ironically too near also seems too  far in these days of curfew and lockdown. For many days to come I have to live and bear with Kishore Kumar looks as in the movie Padosan .

Corona Musings

Corona Virus has emerged as the worst medical emergency in the recent past claiming a large number of casualties in many countries of the world. How long this will continue only God knows . The worldwide ramifications in terms of Economic slowdown affecting all sectors and resulting in  loss of employment   and making the weak sections the weaker are simply alarming. No amount of tears is sufficient to be  shed for the people daily  falling victims to the virus and losing their life battling it . Comparison of numerical figures of the dead is hardly any consolation. In near or distant future, a remedy by way of some vaccines or some other formulation may stop and stem the  menace. Slowly in the years to come, Economic growth may also recuperate with improvement under various parameters. 

The worst that has happened is  also manifest in the change in the social outlook  vis a vis the victims.  Some insensitive landlords have misbehaved with the suspected victims as also the cured ones asking them to vacate accommodation  and the aggrieved persons have had to seek Government intervention in the matter. 

Most painful is the case of  next of kin of the victims refusing to take the dead body and  resultantly Government officials on duty chipping in to cremate.

The humanity is being tested in more ways than one, some failing the test and others coming out with flying colours.

Kudos to the Corona warriors !! me

Pre- Corona days

I look back wistfully at pre- Corona days.We were free to move anywhere with out fear , shook hands with friends as a spontaneous and reflex actiob, even made  jaffi waffi with close friends , but no longer now. It is a total disconnect from the real world except making and receiving occasional phone calls or taking to neighbours from a safe  distance. Baljee's, my favourite haunt on the Mall closed last July. The once in a while vegetarian lunch at Gupta jee's  in Middle Bazar is now a thing of the past.
Now the virtual world comes to rescue. Amid securing knowledge of whatever is happening around, the social Media is an all purpose platform.
To live the past, I became member of a group on Facebook the members of which post pictures of delicacies prepared by them at home. The choice of stuff is wide open , snacks and sweets included. I savour and gorge on Samosa, Jalebi, Dosa , and cooked dishes of vegetables .
In addition, a friend comes up with all types of dishes every other day .
I partake of all the vegetarian stuff on offer as I have to live upto someone's not so flattering or charitable a remark " You live only to eat !"

Corona Virus

It is nice and quite encouraging to see fellow beings putting up a brave front in the face of  a  worldwide disaster which is going to be there for pretty long.A close look at the current scenario shows  how inadequate and helpless we really are despite our claims of wonderful scientific achievements.An invisible virus has brought the world to knees. The rich and the well to do can afford to abide by the instructions and the safeguards pronounced ad infinitum by the knowledgeable people on media and sit at home indulging in and catching  up with pursuits for long put in the back burner for long for lack of time or leisure . The worst hit are the poor, caught in the vortex and not getting enough to eat despite many organisations coming forward to cook food and distribute it among the needy.The economy already hitting a low is sure to get worse during  many years to come and shall requiire meticulous planning to put it again on the rails.The labour in large numbers left by their employers  to fend for themselves in this difficult time had no alternative except to head for home carrying their meagre belongings on head.It may not be easy to find labour immediately in case various industrial and other activities were to resume.
All praise to the medical fraternity  putting their best and making all out efforts to  provide care to the afflicted and to the personnel maintaining and providing essential services, exposed as they are to the attendant risks. The seamy and unpleasant sight of doctors and others being attacked  by unruly elements is really worrisome.

MAHASU DAY & SARKARI DAAL

Today is Saturday and there cannot be a better time to reminisce about the gone by days when this day of the week was also known as MAHASU Day. 
Until 1September, 1972, Mahasu was a full fledged district of Himachal Pradesh, which  till 1960 also comprised the present day Kinnaur district .Solan & Arki tehsil of present day Solan district  also part of the Mahasu District.
Upper & Lower Mahasu were the marked areas with separate linguistic and cultural identities.
A very large number of government employees at Shimla belonged to adjoining areas of rural Shimla, and Arki tehsil and lived alone, their families left behind in the village. On Saturday, most of them would leave the office early to catch buses to their native places and would make sure to be present on duty on  Monday in the morning.Resultantly , the strength of the employees in any office during Saturday evening was thinner. This is the reason behind the coinage Mahasu Day.
At Shimla, School vacation was in Winter for the entire months of January and February and  employees would leave their families at village to pass the winter. For two months they would stay alone at Shimla to attend  office. The winter days being shorter, cooking meals and attending office would be cumbersome, so the Malka ki Daal would come to the rescue, as being easy to cook and taking comparatively less time than other food items.
So the term Sarkari Dal was coined to mean Malka ki Daal.
Those were the days !!