Schools back then

 Early morning musings .... Do you remember playing on a jungle gym? High up, criss crossing , hanging . No one bothered about how safe it was or even thought about what would happen if you fell. Many did fall, dusted themselves off and got on again . No one sued the school if you fell off and broke an arm . There were no staff on lunch duty. No monitoring at all. Then there were the swings and slides. Often rusty. Some jagged edges too. No health and safety audits ! You got cut, washed it and if in school you went to the clinic. The wound was attended to. No entries in any register and no call to parents to inform them. You went home and were probably not even asked as to how you injured yourself . You got into an argument in school. One thing led to another. Someone egged both boys on and soon it was a scuffle. There were scratches, bruises and black eyes there too. No questions asked and no explanation given. You slipped on a wet floor during the rain or fell into a puddle . Never saw anyone mopping the floor or draining the water. No 'BEWARE of wet floor' signs were ever visible. I remember sitting at desks which were decades old and which had seen better days . Also of having the top bang down on my fingers and howling in pain. What about when you were about to sit down and someone pulled the chair away and you fell with a thud. I ate samosas from the school canteen and yes the flies had sat on them too . Municipality checks ? There were none. No one complained of smelly toilets, overflowing drains and leaking taps at school. And if by chance there was a sudden closure of school for any reason , you just found your way home the best way possible. I don't remember of anyone ever being kidnapped and held for ransom. Books and stationery often went missing . Once a text book was covered in ink . There was no complaining ever. We got on with life at school. And God forbid you went home and even attempted to complain about a strict teacher or getting less marks as the teacher ' did not like you '. More often than not , you were scolded, punished and told to behave and get your brains in order lest you became a loafer. How times have changed .

Schools back then

 Early morning musings .... Do you remember playing on a jungle gym? High up, criss crossing , hanging . No one bothered about how safe it was or even thought about what would happen if you fell. Many did fall, dusted themselves off and got on again . No one sued the school if you fell off and broke an arm . There were no staff on lunch duty. No monitoring at all. Then there were the swings and slides. Often rusty. Some jagged edges too. No health and safety audits ! You got cut, washed it and if in school you went to the clinic. The wound was attended to. No entries in any register and no call to parents to inform them. You went home and were probably not even asked as to how you injured yourself . You got into an argument in school. One thing led to another. Someone egged both boys on and soon it was a scuffle. There were scratches, bruises and black eyes there too. No questions asked and no explanation given. You slipped on a wet floor during the rain or fell into a puddle . Never saw anyone mopping the floor or draining the water. No 'BEWARE of wet floor' signs were ever visible. I remember sitting at desks which were decades old and which had seen better days . Also of having the top bang down on my fingers and howling in pain. What about when you were about to sit down and someone pulled the chair away and you fell with a thud. I ate samosas from the school canteen and yes the flies had sat on them too . Municipality checks ? There were none. No one complained of smelly toilets, overflowing drains and leaking taps at school. And if by chance there was a sudden closure of school for any reason , you just found your way home the best way possible. I don't remember of anyone ever being kidnapped and held for ransom. Books and stationery often went missing . Once a text book was covered in ink . There was no complaining ever. We got on with life at school. And God forbid you went home and even attempted to complain about a strict teacher or getting less marks as the teacher ' did not like you '. More often than not , you were scolded, punished and told to behave and get your brains in order lest you became a loafer. How times have changed .

Unforgettable

 

I’ve seen you at your best.

 And often at your worst.

Have seen you at your happiest.

And then when you’ve been down.

But the day I saw you hurt

Almost run into the ground

Was the day I still remember

When the morning was fogbound

 

Your life was at a standstill.

 Tears flowed from your almond eyes.

You talked of happier times

While remembering all his lies.

You mulled over the future.

You said all would be fine.

But deep down in that broken heart

I saw  some desperate signs

 

And the snowflakes

Fell softly to the ground.

And the earth became all white.

And we talked and laughed

And reminisced

Through the long dark dreary night

 

But morning came

As sure it would

And the sun rose in the sky

Then out of the blue

Two shots rang out

They left me wondering why.

 

The bullets hit where they were aimed

They pierced your beating heart.

Then with your last breath

you whispered his name

And I woke up with a start.

 

I woke and looked around the room

You were nowhere to be seen.

I’ve had that dream

A million times

And now it’s so surreal.

 

But life goes on

And stories abound

Of how you were shot and killed

The seasons change

And years go by

But he was never grilled

 

Now every year, on that sad day

To the cottage I retreat

And reminisce on happier times

While hanging the mourning wreath

I sing the songs

You loved to hear

I cook your favourite meal

The incense burns

Smoke fills the room

And

Your silhouette before the altar kneels

Unforgettable

 

I’ve seen you at your best.

 And often at your worst.

Have seen you at your happiest.

And then when you’ve been down.

But the day I saw you hurt

Almost run into the ground

Was the day I still remember

When the morning was fogbound

 

Your life was at a standstill.

 Tears flowed from your almond eyes.

You talked of happier times

While remembering all his lies.

You mulled over the future.

You said all would be fine.

But deep down in that broken heart

I saw  some desperate signs

 

And the snowflakes

Fell softly to the ground.

And the earth became all white.

And we talked and laughed

And reminisced

Through the long dark dreary night

 

But morning came

As sure it would

And the sun rose in the sky

Then out of the blue

Two shots rang out

They left me wondering why.

 

The bullets hit where they were aimed

They pierced your beating heart.

Then with your last breath

you whispered his name

And I woke up with a start.

 

I woke and looked around the room

You were nowhere to be seen.

I’ve had that dream

A million times

And now it’s so surreal.

 

But life goes on

And stories abound

Of how you were shot and killed

The seasons change

And years go by

But he was never grilled

 

Now every year, on that sad day

To the cottage I retreat

And reminisce on happier times

While hanging the mourning wreath

I sing the songs

You loved to hear

I cook your favourite meal

The incense burns

Smoke fills the room

And

Your silhouette before the altar kneels

The anti vaxxers are out there

 We always talk about time flying and months going by in the blink of an eye. 

 However , I do believe we take time for granted and don't often make the best use of it . It's only when you have Covid in the family will you realize how long 10 days actually is. 

 The 10 days' isolation period drags, is tiring , depressing and extremely stressful . 

 So my advice -: PLEASE LOOK AT THE SUFFERING ALL AROUND YOU and TAKE THE VACCINATION. EVEN THEN, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL - VERY VERY CAREFUL . 

 Then at least , if you get Covid ,hopefully it won't spiral out of control and you won't be on a hospital bed with tubes sticking out from you. This is not a fad or a joke - Covid is serious business and the quicker people realise that- the better . 

The anti vaxxers are out there , doing a disservice to themselves, their families and society at large. I sincerely hope a time comes when vaccinations are made compulsory in all offices, factories, movie halls , on public transport and airplanes around the world. Tightening the noose is the only way . 

We can only be safe when the vast majority are vaccinated . There is no other way and it's not rocket science - it's common sense. Till that happens , we will remain susceptible to catching the virus . Hope and pray that better sense prevails. Please don't be offended if you are part of the anti vaccine brigade, as that's your choice but an extremely dangerous one .

The anti vaxxers are out there

 We always talk about time flying and months going by in the blink of an eye. 

 However , I do believe we take time for granted and don't often make the best use of it . It's only when you have Covid in the family will you realize how long 10 days actually is. 

 The 10 days' isolation period drags, is tiring , depressing and extremely stressful . 

 So my advice -: PLEASE LOOK AT THE SUFFERING ALL AROUND YOU and TAKE THE VACCINATION. EVEN THEN, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL - VERY VERY CAREFUL . 

 Then at least , if you get Covid ,hopefully it won't spiral out of control and you won't be on a hospital bed with tubes sticking out from you. This is not a fad or a joke - Covid is serious business and the quicker people realise that- the better . 

The anti vaxxers are out there , doing a disservice to themselves, their families and society at large. I sincerely hope a time comes when vaccinations are made compulsory in all offices, factories, movie halls , on public transport and airplanes around the world. Tightening the noose is the only way . 

We can only be safe when the vast majority are vaccinated . There is no other way and it's not rocket science - it's common sense. Till that happens , we will remain susceptible to catching the virus . Hope and pray that better sense prevails. Please don't be offended if you are part of the anti vaccine brigade, as that's your choice but an extremely dangerous one .

The naysayers say ' it's just the flu'

 

When I first heard about it – I was confused.

Just like everyone else

The questions were the obvious.

Was this for real? A virus? Dangerous?

Life threatening? Merciless?

No respect for gender, colour or economic status?

And the naysayers asked, ‘what virus’?

 

Then it was classified as a pandemic

And things started looking gloomy.

And appreciably, more serious than before  

Schools, businesses, colleges, shops, and malls

Mosques, churches, temples and gurudwaras

Downed shutters

This was going to be a long haul

 Entire countries went into lockdown too.

Masks, gloves and sanitisers ruled.

Economies shrunk, many starved.

And the media went berserk.

And the naysayers said, ‘how stupid can they be’!

 

As mankind huddled in fear

the disciples of Nostradamus

Scoffed as they always do,

Citing scripture

While predicting the end of the world.

 

Everyone had a question on their lips.

What next? Why our generation? How do we get over this?

How long will it last?

What of the job market?

Will we survive the onslaught of this tiny mite

Which had brought us to our knees?

And the naysayers said

 ‘Wear masks? No not me’!

 

Hospitals were overflowing.

And the dead were being hurriedly.

Disposed of, buried or cremated.

 

While some Governments, the world over. went into panic mode.

Others were systematic & action oriented.

Those slow to react bore the brunt of the onslaught

And Covid feasted on their entrails.

They showed high up on the infected tally.

 

The world over - tens of thousands got infected.

Plus, some more  

And people started dying like flies.

With no one there to bid them goodbye.

Then the naysayers

in their infinite wisdom

Said ‘You all are mad – you are overreacting.

This is so absurd.

This is just the common flu.

It is much ado about nothing’

 

Fast forward – the silver lining began to appear.

Vaccines were developed at speeds unbelievable.

Salvation was round the corner

And the neigh Sayers surfaced again.

They said it was impossible.

For a vaccine to be developed so soon

This was a conspiracy to control the world.

And eliminate half of the population.

 

Then people began getting vaccinated

And a semblance of sanity has returned.

 

The process continues today.

It is measured, it is staggering - but our tormented world

Is moving forward- slowly but surely.

One painfully moderate step at a time

Yes  

Some semblances of normalcy has definitely returned

As we go about our daily business.

 

This pandemic has entered our bodies.

And toyed with our minds.

And yes, it’s scary, it’s depressing, it’s real

The intelligent are still nervous.

Masks and social distancing are going to be

Very much a part of our lives

At least for some time

There are mutants galore.

And the danger is not yet over.

Those vaccinated, are still being infected.

Albeit mildly.

But the terrifying thought still haunts us.

Will Covid rear its ugly head in another form yet again

Tearing families asunder?

It’s happening – it’s still out there- it’s no secret.

And the naysayers

Oh, those ignorant naysayers.

Still say,

‘’ You are crazy – it’s just the flu’

 

MG