CHENNAI: In Janata Curfew day, I began my morning as usual with a cup of cof fee. With no helper (we asked our helpers to stay at home till March 31), the household chores are now equally divided among all our family members. Everyone did their part as agreed. The curfew expected us to not step out and step away from socialising, but in addition to this, my family agreed to step away from our mobile phones for a minimum of three hours (as a trial round).
We did everything to help each other — started reading hardbound books (it’s been a long time since work and mobile apps took over), ate a homecooked family meal without scrolling through any chat messages, took a peaceful afternoon nap without worrying about pending errands, played carrom with the family (the enthusiasm was as same as during childhood days, when scoring a point was important, even if we were losing the actual game), thanked our healthcare workers by cl ap p i n g fo r t h e i r efforts, and most importantly, stayed away from rumours.
I realised that it was not very difficult. I can practise this every month, for a few days and spend time in doing activities that recharge me, that save fuel consumption and money, engage with my daughter in some activity, revive my hobbies and interests. Amidst all the chaos that the virus has brought, I realised it’s the simple things that make us happy, safe and healthy. —Priya Ram (Write to cityexpresschn@ gmail.com and tell us how you are spending this quarantine.)