Chanting during a forced isolation:

You cannot stop thinking. Isolation brings in strange emotions. You’re scared and you’re engulfed by the anticipation of distress. You can identify the independence of your mind because who else is with you in this anyway! You are reminded of the deadlines that seem meaningless now. Your restless fingers repeatedly scrolls through the whatsapp chats with your homies. You understand that you’re hating the distance in a situation where everyone wants to be home. Strangely enough, the distance is doing good to you. It is collecting parts. The crisis arena is allowing you to do all that you’ve missed in routine. Experiencing too many bads together is helping you sense the gorgeous shades of indifference. The graceful empty streets and the innocent birds in the horizon start playing a melancholy tune in your head. It jams well with your academic task of examining the submissions from students. You realise that when you live with the best things, it is hard to perceive what constitutes the best bunch. It is harder to perceive yourself. You were born with so many faculties to perceive. You realize that it took too many years and a pandemic to stay home indefinitely to win a pair of eyes.

Author:
Srotaswini Bhowmick, Assistant Professor, Unitedworld School of Liberal Arts and Mass Communication (USLM)

Disclaimer: The opinions / views expressed in this article are solely of the author in his / her individual capacity. They do not purport to reflect the opinions and/or views of the College and/or University or its members.