An Untold Lockdown Story

Book excerpt: The Coronavirus managed to shake up the planet with its deathly strike. For humanity, it showed a reflective mirror. A time to pause and reassess. The virus forced a hard stop in the rat race. While the virus spread its footprint across the planet, over a billion people in India went under lockdown that stretched into weeks. Digital workers and students moved online. For eighty-five-year-old Tarakka, and millions of senior citizens like her, the lockdown threatened to become permanent isolation. Fiery, steely willed, and educated, Tarakka deeply resented the pain of the lockdown. Trapped indoors, all she could do was walk in the terrace garden of her Bengaluru home. She missed her tiny social circle of friends, a daily walk in the park, newspapers, and neighbours.Worse, she felt unimportant and ignored at home. As everyone in the family got busy with his mobile screen all day long, she felt her digital illiteracy would relegate her to insignificance. But she was not the kind to give up without a fight. And fight, she did. And won.