How about a 7-day lockdown every year?

In the vicinity of the peepal tree, near my house, there existed-a tea stall, a tiffin shop, Supreme tailor, Krishna cycle mart, two pan shops, and Raja Rao's grocery shop. They all made the crowd. Raja Rao's grocery shop used to be rushed all the time, his untoward behaviour towards his customers, not with standing people,had to wait, pay, listen to his words and buy.

One fine morning Raja Rao reached our home with apacket of sweet having a grin on his face and affirmed that his brother's wife brought them from her maternal home. The same evening, I witnessed the tiffin shop was closed, the next morning as I enquired, the hotel owner revealed that Raja Rao offered him a ticket for Chiranjeevi starrer movie followed by a treat in the posh restaurant. Why not, he was Raja Rao's valued customer.

I was astonished by the metamorphosis of Raja Rao until I found another shop scintillating with lights that evening. It was a new grocery shop opened that day beside the cycle mart. Thereafter Raja Rao started behaving well, offering small credit and home delivery facilities.

Raja Rao exists within each one of us. This lockdown is teaching lessons. We took our Mother Nature for granted. The divine blessings were considered as a cakewalk…And then this devastating Corona arrived, howbeit, its invisibility opened our eyes. It showed us our stand, our existence. It has shown the difference between a man of money and a moneyed man. Reverence for the philanthropists, duty bounds and of course traditions become conspicuous.

How it feels to stay at home and wait till evening, made us realise respect for the homemakers and consequently hands are reaching to assist. The telecast of Ramayana and Mahabharata is adding positivity to home quarantine. I am beholding these epics with my daughters and clarifying(have to Google few) their queries. This reminds me, how volubly my mother used to answer while I was quizzing her, probably her indomitable knowledge of Puranas was her spontaneity.

Now, family members and relatives are having long chats. Kids are scanning old photos from albums and posting in family WhatsApp groups. The epicureans in the family are developing their culinary skills and flaunting. Presently the blue planet is smiling and demanding for at least seven days lockdown every year.