Lockdown!

I’ve stopped reading the Newspaper ever since they started spewing negativity in all that the present government did or has been doing. But, not wanting to be left behind I developed this habit of watching a 50 minute capsule between Monday and Friday by Rajat Sharma of “Aap Ki Adalat” fame. I liked his unbiased reporting style in his news capsule titled “Aaj Ki Baat”.

On 21^st March when PM Modi announced at 9 PM that the nation would go under a ‘Total Peoples Curfew’ on 22^nd March 2020 (Sunday) and made an emotional appeal to all Indians that ‘Social Distancing’ was the only way forward if we as a nation intended to defeat the growing menace of Corona virus, named ‘Covid-19’, I thought that there would be very few takers! By nature, Indians are an undisciplined lot, and breaking the law is considered an act of bravado. Hence, we were all pretty surprised when the mammoth population of 1.3 Billion stayed at home. While there were stray cases of violation of the appeal, by and large people honored the request and I think it was for two simple reasons: One, it was out of respect for the person making that appeal and Two, people were scared of the consequences if the enemy made its entry within them. With all the known medicines failing to kill Covid-19 on its tracks, people may have been unnerved by this silent and violent killer virus. After all, what would the PM of a nation gain by asking its population to voluntarily lock themselves at home? Majority of the wage-earning age group within our country are in the category ‘short term employment’, who get paid either daily or weekly. Most of them are a migrant lot, stay in temporary shelters and their daily food purchases come from their daily or weekly wages. So, a one day shutdown would mean a hefty loss for the daily bread earners.

Smartly, PM Modi had declared this self-imposed curfew on a Sunday which is a weekly off for the entire country except for our women homemakers. The economic impact from this was absolutely minimal.

But little did we know that PM Modi had a larger plan in his mind. We came to know about his plans much later, though. He had completely relied on his team of doctors and advisors from ICMR – Indian Council of Medical Research for the action plan on our nations war with Covid-19.

Believed to have started from the city of Wuhan in China in their infamous wet market, this virus spreads only from human to humans. A simple sneeze or sputum from a cough from an infected patient can be ingested by another or several humans in close proximity, within a radius of 3 feet. As the virus makes its way through the nose to the throat region, its hair like follicles smartly embeds itself and begins to draw nutrients from its host. As they rapidly grow and multiply, symptoms of a viral flue make an appearance, namely fever and dry irritating cough. Not having encountered this invading monster before, the mighty human body finds itself helpless and down on its knees. The millions of years of memory of our human cells come to a naught since it is unable to quickly create an antibody to fight this new invader which has built for itself a new weapon. So long it remains in the throat region, it is believed that steam inhalation and intake of hot fluids flushes these virus into the stomach, where the strong stomach acids do not give the virus a chance to survive. But if it were to live and multiply unchecked, it can find a passage into the lungs and this is where it literally and figuratively drowns the person to death by snatching his or her breath away.

ICMR was quick to impress upon the PM that social distancing was the right and the only way to fight this virus which by end March 2020 was on a rampage. On hindsight, the Chinese Govt. made two mistakes. They did not reveal the deadly form of this virus when it made its ugly visibility in November/December 2019. Second, they allowed people to travel all over the world from Wuhan. Statistically one person can eventually spread to 406 unsuspecting people in a finite short period of time.

Kerala state in India was the first to be affected. One university in Kerala has a tie-up with University at Wuhan and sends large to very large contingent of Indian students to Wuhan for higher studies every year. Cochin airport became the gateway to the entry of Corona virus into South India. But within a short period, most major international airports in India provided an entry to this virus, since the spread had become worldwide by then.

India can be a potential breeding ground if this pandemic flu were to make an entry. With a population 5 times that of US stacked in one-third the geographic area of US, the crowded cities and infrastructure namely trains, buses, airports, busy market places and places of worship could be a nightmare for the medical and administrative fraternity. However, the 22^nd March 2020 people’s voluntary curfew gave hopes to our scientific community and the PMO that this may finally work out, if the administration plugged all the loopholes and forcefully impose social distancing through a lockdown. Since there is no perfect way of executing a lockdown, the best approach was to introduce it and have quick thinking people in the administrative set-up to institute remedial measures as and when gaps surfaced. Closing the loopholes as and when visible was a very prudent and practical way of executing this mammoth task of a lockdown.

ICMR had also categorically told the PMO that ‘sooner the better’ and PM was quick to bring this on from 24^th March 2020 itself. Many within the country predicted doomsday for the country’s economy, but what good is economic wealth if people are dead?

“People come first” – if this can be the mantra for a successful organization, why can’t this be extended to a country? And, this is precisely what PM Modi said “Jaan hai to Jahan hai” which he later tweeked it to “Jaan hai aur Jahan bhi hai”!

Lockdown means differently to each one of us and the feelings just cannot be generalized.  It is very personal and private! Can one prepare for this isolation? I don’t think so…but, my experience with retired life effective from 1^st January 2019 came in  handy, I would think. The first five months of 2019 were totally devoted to my mother as a care giver…she was diagnosed with cancer of the colon in stage IV in December 2018. Each day was hectic with issues that we hadn’t encountered before. In hindsight, we are thankful that this pandemic problem did not occur in 2019…the constant and daily flow of nurses, doctors, relatives and friends not only kept us busy, but helped in cheering up the gloomy minds. The very thought of having to manage a terminally ill patient at home during a lockdown sends shivers up my spine! My thoughts and prayers go out to all those people who have ailing parents at home and those who need full time care and support. These are very difficult times.

Initially, the word ‘Lockdown’ would cause a panic attack – back of the mind there was always a fear that groceries and provisions would become scarce since people resort to panic purchases. Watching neighbors purchase much more than what is normally necessary triggers a desire to buy and not be left behind. While the shopkeepers kept reiterating that everything would be available as usual, social media and local news channels would intentionally create a doubt in the mind. Once a couple of days passed and supply appeared to be normal, the mind eased a bit and we started concentrating on how to use the available time. Quite a few activities crossed my mind, but one of them stood out. Having indulged in cutting and sewing, it was my desire for a long time to stitch a kurta for myself. A gents kurta is a tricky one and not as simple as a womens kurti. One needs to study the finer nuances in measurement and cutting to get it right.

Thankfully, YouTube has a whole lot of videos on how to cut and stitch a gents kurta. I spent my initial time watching the various videos and narrow it down to two of them. I used the method demonstrated in these two videos to use an old 2 meter cloth piece to measure and cut. I wasn’t careful with my first test piece and ended up short on the cloth. I didn’t have enough cloth to stitch the two side pouch pockets. In my second attempt however with another 2 meter cut length, I was able to cut the cloth according to availability and had sufficient material to stitch the two side pouch pockets. Both of them came out pretty well. The first one I kept for myself and the second one was gifted. I was able to keep myself busy for almost two full weeks learning, measuring, cutting and stitching. A time well spent. Now, I feel I can stitch for any person willing to take a chance with me!

Although we were aware that there was a possibility of the lockdown getting extended, we weren’t sure for how long and what would be the long term consequences of this. I have been wondering what would be the new normal post 30^th April 2020!

Would it mean that most IT and ITES businesses would work from home for a longer duration, maybe another 2 to 3 months? Manufacturing, Infrastructure development (including the construction industry) and Agriculture would necessarily have to restart, perhaps cautiously in the beginning and in staggered phases . Education field will probably see a major transformation from classroom lectures to online virtual classroom. We observe that many institutions have already made this change and students are beginning to like it. It takes away the painful travel time in the crowded roads – the dust and grime can be given a permanent good bye! With majority of them cellphone and social media savvy who make the best use of technology, this is a great relief.

The travel, tourism and hospitality sector may take a heavy toll – there is a likelihood of marked decrease in travel and tourism. Another aspect in our lives that will take a huge beating is the pleasure of a face-to-face meeting and chatting. Covid-19 has snatched this one thing that is dear to all human beings.

Malls and the mall culture may totally vanish from our lives. Jai ho to Kirana stores in India. They certainly have survived and through them we have survived in this lockdown period.

It remains to be seen whether the advice of our doctors worldwide on ‘Social Distancing’ will make us win this waiting game between humanity and the Covid-19. Till such time the scientific, diagnostic and research folks come out with a solution by way of pills and a vaccination in the long term, we shall remain at the mercy of this unseen and invisible enemy. It just takes a tiny virus and its single minded focus to bring the entire humanity to its knees! That’s the power of “Nature” for us Humans…

We thought that we were invincible, till this tiny creature arrived on the scene and said “Ab hum agaye hain, tumlog ab side ho jao”!!   

Yoga

Yoga!

It is exactly two months since I started practicing yogasanas as part of “Therapy Yoga” at Rashrottanna Yogic Sciences and Research Center at their Jayanagar 5^th Block unit in Bangalore. I joined this center with the hope that I would find an answer to my vexed problem of numbness in the toe region of both my feet. I was told by quite a few friends, acquaintances and doctors from alternative medicine that Yoga was ‘THE’ answer to reducing the bulge in my herniated vertebrate column in the lumber region. While I am yet to discover any improvement in the farthest point to the brain, the lumbar pain has reduced considerably, and that certainly is a relief!

This Center is located in the prominent South Bengaluru area called Jayanagar and is a sprawling 3 floors complex, built in an ‘L’ shape format with six large halls – some medium size and some large. The good thing is the non-slip linoleum flooring that helps people get a firm grip while doing the yogasanas. The other plus point is the constant temperature this floor lining maintains despite the varying seasonal temperature outside. The center also provides thick cotton fabric mats instead of the synthetic yoga mats available in the market. Some of the other ancillaries or aids provided are the rectangular and one side curved bricks, coasters, foldable steel chairs. One can also purchase a two meter flat belt and a length of knotted rope which helps in getting the yogic postures correctly for beginners like us.

Our batch consists of folks aged 50 and beyond and generally the instructor is aware that this composition of people in their post retirement period come with all kinds of aches pains and stiffness in joints. Flexibility is pretty pathetic and most yogic postures seem a sorry reflection of an elastic teenager doing the same.

As I reflect on the recent past, it must have been a pretty comical site for an observer on my first day. I was the only new person in the team of 25 with two dozen of them seasoned folks practicing Yoga for the last 5 to 7 years. And, like in any classroom, each participant finds and sticks to their favorite spot and these people don’t like it at all if someone takes away their spot, even though unknowingly. I got into that situation…I must have encroached and the person came in 5 minutes early the following day to edge me off that position. For me staying close to the front side was a necessity as I just cannot see without my spectacles.

Having got edged out, the next day I took the safer bet of hovering at the far end of the room and decided to do my yogasanas with my spectacles on. It is pretty confusing in the beginning. One doesn’t know which sensory system to follow. The default instruction to the brain is from the eyesight. We tend to ignore the verbal instructions of the Yoga instructor and initially attempt to copy whatever they are doing. Unfortunately, the brain gets confused as the instructor is a mirror image of us. She says turn right, but visually we see otherwise and confidently turn left. You realize the mistake and then look to your left and right to see what the others are doing and try and sheepishly correct yourself and create a lag. Subsequently you end up doing a catch-up with the rest! Most of the time is lost in watching what the others are doing and you end up messing with all the asanas. The breathing sequence goes for a toss absolutely. Yogasana is all about postures and synchronized breathing. If not done correctly an asana just gets relegated to a simple physical exercise, incorrectly done and benefits none.

Conscious effort is necessary to keep your eyes open, but not watch what the others are doing. Keep your ears absolutely tuned to listen to the Yoga instructor and blindly follow it. Believe me, this works…any other method will certainly fail. Yoga is not about competing with the others. It is what you can do with your body and mind. It is okay not to be as supple as the others…it is okay not being able to do it as correctly as some of the others can do…It is only about what you can do with yourself. Should you bring in a competitive spirit into your yogasana, you might end up over stretching and injuring yourself. A fellow Yoga practitioner on my first day had told me this…he had taken a break for a month as he had sprained his left arm trying to stretch beyond limits and paid the price.  He had told me, “don’t ever copy from the best in your class – you will only hurt yourself”!

Surya Namaskara or Sun Salutation is an important set of asanas that is done daily irrespective of which warm up exercises have been done or what will be done post Surya Namaskara, during the daily schedule. This is a combination of 12 asanas done in a particular sequence and repeated 13 times daily. One has to utter a mantra before commencing each sequence and they are the 12 names of the God Surya (Sun):

1. Om Mitraya Namah 
2. Om Ravaye Namah
3. Om Suryaya Namah
4. Om Bhanave Namah
5. Om Khagaya Namah 
6. Om Pusne Namah 
7. Om Hiranya Garbhaya Namah 
8. Om Marichaye Namah 
9. Om Adityaya Namah
10. Om Savitre Namah
11. Om Arkaya Namah 
12. Om Bhaskaraya Namah 
13. Om Shree Savithra Suryanaryanaya Namah   

  The key is the sequence of Inhalation, exhalation and retention as we go through the 12 asana positions. It took me a month to get the sequence correct. Also, this asana should be started with the right side leading with the first mantra and end with the right side on the 13^th time mantra.
 

Since our batch is a morning batch, the first 15 minutes are exclusively reserved for loosening exercises. Once the Surya Namaskara set is completed, we get a mini break for 5 minutes to recuperate and then we get into whole body stretching asanas. The various aids introduced is to help us get the correct form and over time, we should be able to perform all the whole body stretches without any external aid.

The last 15 minutes is reserved for Pranayama – the root! Prana means Life Force or breath sustaining the body. Ayama means “to extend or draw out”. Together they mean Breath Extension or Control.

This is commenced with chanting of “Om”. Take a deep breath and as you exhale slowly, chant “Om” and it has to come from deep within. One needs to feel and experience the vibrations from the chanting of “Om”.

The first pranayama is Nadhi Shodhan Pranayama: Alternate nostril breathing technique. Breathing from left nostril, Exhaling from right nostril, Inhaling from the right nostril and exhaling from the left. This is one cycle. This must be repeated nine times.

This pranayama has to be done softly/gently. But a few amongst our team are quite noisy. One of them sounds like a Heart-Lung machine and I have to fight the urge to let out a huge laugh!

Ujjayi Pranayama: Also called ‘Victorious breath’; Breath from both nostrils and exhale from both nostrils. It helps calm the mind and creates a feeling of warmth. One should ensure that during inhalation, you should completely fill your lungs.

Sheetali Pranayama: Also called cooling breath. Roll your tongue and push it out of your mouth. Breath through the rolled tongue and exhale through both nostrils. The basic purpose of Sheetali Pranayama is to cool down the body. This cool feeling is felt in the throat region instantly. This needs to be repeated 8 to 10 times.

Brahmari Pranayama: This is like applying brakes to the buzzing mind. Partially close your ears with thumb while keeping your index fingers of both hands on your forehead, Middle fingers below the nostril, ring fingers below the lower lips and the short fingers (pinky) below your chin. Breath in and as you exhale let a low frequency buzzing/humming sound come from deep within. The buzzing/humming sound from the throat will shut down all thoughts from your mind.

Our Yoga instructor specifically tells us to shut our ears to all external sounds and exactly at this point in time, the school next door commences their band for their prayers. Who’s talking of shutting the external noise…it comes with a big bang, loud and clear!!

Kapal Bhati Pranayama: Inhale strongly and exhale through short strong bursts from the stomach/naval region. This mimics sneezing and involves the stomach.

Bhastrika Pranayama: Also called ‘Bellows breath’, this is done through forceful exhalation through the chest and is hence different from Kapal Bhati Pranayama. Both Inhalation and exhalation are forced.

Lastly, we go into Shavasana – the corpse pose or Mrtasana. This is used as a relaxation at the end of the session. The art of relaxation is harder than one can think of. The technique is to concentrate on each part of your body starting from the toes right up to the head and then back to the toes and relax as you go from part to part. This relaxes the body and the mind. This generally needs to be done for a 5 minute period.

Post Shavasana, we return to Sukhasana pose, bow to mother earth, open our eyes and return to normal work.

What is bothering me off late is the return of pain in my left knee joint. Some Yoga postures can cause severe stress on the knee joint namely, Vajrasana. Not being aware and not being told by the instructor on the first day, I went ahead and did all the stretches in Vajrasana. This unfortunately marked the return of my ancient knee joint pain. On some days it is so painful that I take recourse to a painkiller. While I have stopped Vajrasana posture, the pain has become a permanent companion. However, I am doggedly pursuing with Yoga and hope that one year down the line, my toe region in both my feet become normal and the back pain disappears.