Hey Corona, could you hang on a sec?!?!

     Corona may be the first pandemic or a global crisis to be more precise to have had positive effects too. For better or for worse, it brought us back to our roots, our family, our childhood. We left the house to set forward on our career path, to make a life for ourselves just the way our parents have built. Who would have thought that a pandemic will bring upon the opportunity to stay home all over again! Even when the peer pressure of work from home is a constant, somehow we managed to make a lot of this time. I never thought this quarantine can last this long and still how far along, god knows!

     First few days went by quick, like a sleek move. Explored the kitchen and felt pride in being an Indian. There’s nothing like desi khana. I haven't been around the globe but I have been around India and so far the Maharashtrian chamchamit cuisine has topped every time. One of the many things I love about my culture. The thrill and excitement you feel when you are about to throw in a tadka. Being fond of cooking, I know I have to be at the top of my game. Tadka has to be perfectly spluttered, fried with the essence of all the ingredients. You have to keep an eye on the flame; it shouldn't be too high to burn the tadka or too low to not get that perfect golden colour. Everything you put in it has to be in accurate amount for a flawless delicious blend. No cuisine can give you this thrill. I love cooking. It builds up a great sense of confidence when the outcome is on everyone's fingertips. I miss it though. Since my bhabhi came back, haven't been able to cook much. I enjoy eating too. Being a Marwari is like an extra joy of eating great stuff. 

     My family and I, we rejoiced over our old photographs. The ones with my great-grandparents, grandparents, parents and the rest of the family. My cousins and friends. We looked like a happy cheerful flock. The innocence of our childhood days was eye-catching. Seeing myself as a 5-year-old, standing next to my brother built tears. I am the youngest of all my cousins. The most pampered one too, I guess. We have pictures where all my brothers are standing and I am in the middle of them. I looked tiny amongst them. We have infinite pictures together. But now the time has changed. Every photo has replaced me with their respective wives & children. I went through my laptop and found more of them with my brother, igniting every memory. It was a painful reminder about how everything my brother had to do needed my concern. What clothes to wear, what shoes to pair it with, colour combinations, what movies to watch, series or songs, almost everything. I felt needed, wanted. But now the wifely duties have taken over that too. I suddenly feel not needed. These are the laws of nature and they suck completely. The pictures of my nieces and nephews when they were just toddlers warmed my heart. How fast they grow up and how fast we move along with them seems unrealistic. 

     The people who have been my friends since I was a kid, with whom I went to school and lived the best days of my life. It feels ironic, to see how far each of them has changed over the years and have found their path of success. I feel glad that we are still intact even after ages have passed. The friends that I met in college about 7-8 years back, the changes that have brought us closer over the years. They are the best of the friends I have been lucky enough to find. They are the ones to pull me through when things go down. 

     The free time also flickered the basics of my nature. Old pictures made my Mom and me realise that I was born a naughty girl. The winks and the weird smiles have been my favourites to pose ever since I was a child. My mother had got all the colourful dresses there are for me and now I like nothing but black, white and blue. How extreme and important these changes are! I look exactly like my grandma. There is this photo where I am sitting in her lap and I have a navvari costume on. That is the pic my father loves. It depicts the exact reflection of her face in mine. I too love that photo. One thing remained constant that I have been provided with the best of everything by my parents. Loved unconditionally. Parents can swallow your anger and still love you like no one else will. How can they be so selfless? 

     The nostalgia sure made every one of us relinquish the gadgets we are surrounded with. Made some extraordinary changes in our daily life. We started playing Rammi, all my family together. We never did that. This is what spending time with your family feels like. Missed the ones that are not here. Longed to see them. It made me realise that a person cannot just live for him/herself for the rest of his life. He needs his family and friends to get through each day. That is the best way of living. 

     The newness of all these feelings makes me glad that the Pandemic is here. Otherwise, I would have never enjoyed the Quarantine. Corona feels like a glue that is keeping our families together inside the homes we built. Of course, I want this all over now but I am glad I got a chance to witness this. Dear Corona, you have to go back to cure mankind, but could you also stay awhile? Just a few more moments for us to enjoy!!!