Day Six


A very disquieting day.

Many years ago I had watched, Winter Light, the 2nd film in Bergman’s Faith Trilogy. The film is a searing questioning of God’s existence. It has a character killing himself because he was disturbed that China is building an atom bomb. I never understood it then. But today it became clear when I revisited the film. My blood boils when I hear about China sitting pretty and getting back to normal after exporting their nasty virus all over the world. 

Very conscious about sneezing. Almost afraid that neighbours would have heard it. While clearing my throat with my mouth slightly open, I saw a projectile hitting the wash basin 6 foot away. So 6-foot physical distancing makes sense. The other day I read a tweet that Social Distancing should be rephrased as Physical Distancing to avoid social stigma, which is emerging as a serious concern. I was thinking of an electrostatically charged “bubble” in which we can go out safely into public spaces. And I saw this! Is it a publicity stunt?


Indian Railway is working on converting coaches into isolation wards. Probably the best news of the day.

Another comforting news is Metropolis offering home testing on a GP’s prescription.

Doordarshan started telecasting Ramayana, twice a day. Also Byomkesh Bakshi, one of the better serials from the past.


When I went out to buy milk in the morning, I saw squares marked in chalk for physical distancing. Have been seeing pictures of circles the last few days. It set me thinking – why circles? Successful battle formations have been square. Most cities have a central square. Homes where we take shelter are square. Squares are also easier to draw than circles. Do circles makes us feel secure? 


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