A Lockdown Workday

I stood with the refrigerator door ajar.

“A packet of biscuit”, I told myself. The room was dark and the light from the refrigerator lighted up part of it. The cold wave was hitting my face and made me feel good.

I searched briskly. “Nothing else”, I told myself.

I shut the door, came back to my bed and slumped.

It was 3 AM. I was hungry. It was Day 27 of the lockdown.

Over the last couple of days, I was facing issues with having a proper sleep. This never happened with me before.

Insomnia, I thought! I gathered that it might be the lockdown that was impacting my sleep. Mr. Google confirmed.

I had slept less than 4 hours in the last 48 hours and still managed to drag myself through out the day with little or no discomfort.

This is an account from a work day during the lock down which is very different from a normal work day.

Staying Alone

I stay in a 1 BHK apartment in one of the most humble areas of Bhubaneswar. Alone.

Staying alone comes with its own perks and limitations.

Thankfully, I have always enjoyed the peace and silence, the independence that comes with it. You don’t need to adjust, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. From cooking to cleaning, you are your own boss.

I never felt any discomfort other than having to do those dishes after having cooked a meal. Until very recently, when the lockdown ensured that I stay indoors.

Starting Early

I do not get a lot of sleep these days. I have noticed that it does not impact my energy levels.

As the clock hits 4 AM, I know I won’t get any more sleep.

I have around 4 hours before I start my day at office from home.

Once I have freshened up, I switch on my personal laptop and do stuffs that are very near to my heart.

I read. On food. I would not do this on a normal week day because I would only wake up in time

I am reading two books currently – one on spices, the other on tea. The book on tea was written in 1906 and is an acclaimed piece of work on the subject.

If I am hungry, I will munch on a couple of biscuits. Or cook myself an omelette if the stock persists. Duh! I am having breakfast these days.

On a normal day, I skip breakfast willingly. Intermittent fasting, guys! It works!

As the clock strikes 6 AM, I know that the heat will only make it difficult for me in the kitchen. So I will head to the kitchen, and prepare for lunch. And dinner.

Cleaning, chopping and stuff!

Wait! Did I tell you that I own an induction cooktop. Which means, cooking takes much longer. But spares me from the heat of the burners.

The rice cooks first. I come back to my room and switch on the TV.

I tune in to NDTV for the news. A few scrolls through the Facebook feed and some personalized news updates from Google ensures that I start office with some idea of the world.

The rice is done. The clock nears 8 AM. I switch off the TV. The personal laptop is shut down and tucked in the table-shelf.

The office laptop takes its place. It’s time for office!

Work is Worship!

Because it pays and helps me survive. It also ensures that I have “minimum respect” in the society.

I gather that it might be the same with most of you. Any orthodox individual thinks that a salaried individual earns more respect than a businessman working his ass off! No cuss word please. A** reads fine!

I am diverting!

Emails, Skype pings, calls ensure that I am more than engaged. There are no coffee breaks because I am not in office. Also I do not prefer coffee.

Only biological breaks, because I have to cook my lunch also.

Cooking Lunch is a Challenge

In office, I would regularly attend the food tasting sessions with my colleagues in the Canteen Committee. One of the best parts of the day, I get to interact with people who has extreme knowledge in food production and has worked in 5-star hotels in India.

I also get to tell the chef about the food and hear his views on the same. Trust me, I learn every day. I hope to cover more on this some day without divulging the secrets.

Lunch is easily available in office and one is spoilt for choices.

Back home during lockdown, the choices are easy. One curry and I am gleaming!

I already had the veggies chopped and arranged. I will simply heat a wok with oil, temper, cook the spices if I am doing non veg or drop in the veggies.

A night before I decide what needs to be cooked and ensure that it takes minimum time. Not a lot of chopping, minimum dishes, less stirring and minimum presence within the kitchen.

That’s the idea and I am documenting them in the Quick & Easy Recipes section of my blog.

In the meanwhile, I will come back to my chair and check if there is any important ping or email that I need to address on priority.

For example, if there is a call that I need to attend, I will put the induction on a minimum to avoid a disaster and going hungry.

Around 12 PM I will move away from my office laptop, switch on the TV, tune in to NDTV and catch news as I have a simple and peaceful lunch.

Dishes & Getting Back

Lunch might be over but I got to do the dishes. The worst part of any kitchen ritual and finish it without a grumble. Because there’s no one to listen to it, and it has to be done.

I return to my work desk, switch on the fan and/or AC depending on how hot it is. I take a deep breath and log back in.

Not that I do not get drowsy at times, I fight it off.

I continue working till 6 – 6:30 PM before I call it a day and shut down my laptop. The personal laptop exchanges place with the office laptop.

Dinner, Me Time, And Everything Else

Need to plan dinner if there is not enough stock from lunch. That would mean going back to the kitchen.

Since it’s summer, raw mango is available and I have procured a few. I make a simple ‘tok’ with it. ‘Tok’ (pronounced “Talk”) is a Bengali word for light, flowy chutney that is easy to prepare and is served chilled.

I make a bowl of it, cool and refrigerate it. I will serve myself spoon-fulls of it during the lunch for the next few days. With just a rice and curry, this mango-based chutney helps to rejuvenate the soul and end the lunch on a savory note.

If I have missed a bath in the morning, I ensure to take it now.

Since, I did not have my snacks, I ensure that the dinner is completed by 8 PM, latest by 8:30 PM. And again, the dishes!

With all the household and office chores completed for the day, I switch on to NDTV for some informative discussions that help me understand intricate issues plaguing India – these days it is the coronavirus, the lockdown and the suffering of the migrants.

I get back to my personal laptop where I read, spend time on Facebook and make food-related notes on a few documents within OneDrive.

Every one has a dream, why should I be an exception!

As the day nears an end, I shut down my laptop and move to bed, hoping to get a good sleep.

Conversations

When you are locked up alone within the four walls of your apartment, there’s basically no one to talk to.

I don’t remember when I had a non-transactional, face-to-face conversation with a person. The recent ones were in phrases rather than full sentences.

“A dozen eggs”, “wait a bit”, “the other one” – all phrases from conversation that I had with shopkeepers when I moved out to get some stock.

It’s going to be a month in another few days since the lockdown started, and the only saving grace has been my friends. People with whom I have spent a lot of time chatting away over phone calls. Cheers to you, guys!

And my family back home. If there is one thing that did not change or get impacted, it has been our daily conversation and occasional video calls.

There is Hope

This is the worst crisis I have seen impacting humanity. These are difficult times. I never imagined being locked up because of a virus for a month.

Yet, it happened!

What worries me more is the loss of life caused by the disease and the lockdown. The massive loss of employment and distress caused to the daily wage earner is unfathomable.

But there is hope. This too shall pass.

I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

I know we will win.

Have faith!

Stay strong!