The desire for liberation among people in hibernation getting stronger

We are in the 5^th week of the lockdown in India. Confined to the four walls of the home every family member has a lot of desires that are locked down in his heart. The biggest one is the desire for liberation. The list of desires, once the lockdown gets over, is huge. But where are these desires for liberation coming from?

It’s the onset of summers in India, a season when the market is flooded with mangoes. Alphonso to Safeda and Dussehri to Langda all stacked up neatly one over another on a fruit vendor’s four-wheel cart. The moment you pass the cart, the smell of the King of fruits attracts you in its direction and you tend to buy a kilo or two.

The Ice cream vendor standing on the corner of the street with a cart with colourful lights tempts you to satiate your taste buds with some chilled sweetness. The elaichi flavoured tea outside the office complex mixed with office gossip was a big source of refreshment.

The routine of life has been disturbed like never before and as the days of lockdown get extended the desire for liberation gets stronger. So, what are these desires that are making the urge stronger?

Missing the domestic help is one of the triggers for the desire of liberation

Check with any housewife and the most awaited moment in her life right now is the return of the maid to the house. The maid community will be surprised to see the kind of welcome they will get once the lockdown is over. It will be nothing less than the welcome PM Modi received during “Howdy Modi” in the USA. The only difference being that this event will be called “Howdy Maidy”.

The maids have been advised to be in lockdown to avoid the spread of virus infection. But there is one virus infection spread by the maid that the ladies are missing the most and that is the gossips of the neighbourhood.

Ladies in a nuclear family though overworked are still enjoying spending time with the family. On the other hand, ladies stuck in a joint family are waiting for the liberation day. After all, Ek mayaan me do talware nahi rah sakti (You can’t have two swords in one scabbard).

The beautiful lady and the desire for liberation from hibernation

All those visits to shopping malls have virtually dried up. More than a fashion connoisseur, your friends consider you a shopping connoisseur because of your high rejection rate. You would visit at least 10-12 shops before finalizing on a piece of cloth (saree, salwar suit or a dress). All those selfie sessions with friends at the coffee shop are over. Your Instagram handle or FB page has not been updated by any new selfie for more than 3 weeks.

The Reflection in the mirror

There is a thick layer of dust settled on the mirror in the bedroom. Nearly 3 weeks after the lockdown started, the lady of the house has wiped the mirror clean for the first time.

The mirror for the first time can see a beautiful lady without all those makeup. The white patch of hair reflects a maturity that comes with years of experience of managing a family; the black eyes without the mascara look beautiful in the mirror and within the depth, you can see some hidden compassion; the head held high reflects she is the pride of the family. This is a lady who is proud of her family and will go to any extent to protect them. She is the one who has kept the flock together during the lockdown.

From Zoom to Zombies: Men are desperate to be back at the office

The desire for liberation as an index would be the highest for men. They are looking forward to working in the office at their workstation or glass cabins. The virtual meetings on Zoom have not only made them but the entire team into Zombies. The ideas shared by the team every day are no more exciting and the power-points presentations lack both the power and the punch. The work from home is now getting on everybody’s nerve and people are reaching their break-point.

Whitewashing the numbers

Men are great at playing with numbers in the office. Whether it’s sales projections or the balance sheet, men excel in whitewashing the red figures by a layer of black. They have been doing it for ages as it pleases their bosses and shareholders respectively. But washing the plates at home has not been an easy task. Rinsing the dishes with a layer of soap and making them shine doesn’t please the boss at home.

The evening time is dreadful for the men at home. The moment the sun sets down the mind just gets diverted to the depleting stock of Scotch. The half-empty bottles start staring from the window panes of the bar.  The Scotch which has aged in oak barrels and bottled is poured back from the bottles into human barrels. The purpose this time being not to age but to set the mind free out of the cage.

Enjoying drinks with friends

Drinking alone in front of a television during the lockdown is just not fun especially under the watchful eyes of your spouse. It was fun drinking with your buddies at the bar. While the unlimited supply of beer and whisky helped you quench your thirst, the table in the far corner helped quench the thirst of your eyes. The drinking buddies are your true friends. They would not allow you to leave even after 4 drinks and if they did, the permission was granted only after you had one for the road.

The Solitude drinker

The situation at home during the lockdown is completely different. Even before you have gulped down the first drink, your wife will read a news item on how a president of a leading automotive company of India passed away at the age of 46 just because of stress. The hidden agenda is to pass on the message of the harmful effects of drinking. By the time you have poured the 2^nd one, your wife would inflate the figure by 1 asking you to conclude the session. You have to hurry with the 3^rd drink as the final call for dinner is announced.

Driving to the office was such a drag before the pandemic. But now your soul wants to get back in the driver’s seat. It is ages since you have used Hindi expletives. Being at home has made you soberer. The car is the best place to revise your Hindi vocabulary. Any “Ullu ka pattha” (A Hindi expletive) who would overtake from the left used to get a mouthful of it. Then there was that son of a witch who would honk at you continuously without any rhyme or reason.

So just get ready. The days of lockdown will soon get over. The desire for liberation for men and women will soon be fulfilled. And this time the world will witness a strong man and an even stronger woman emerging from the crisis

Read more such fun stories on my blog by clicking on the link below:

The Pandemic which created more experts than the virus itself

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