CoviDiary

As May draws to a close, it brings an important realisation. I have been writing this diary everyday for the last 69 days! I can use this discipline for my writing projects that I have been procrastinating for ages. Let me begin tomorrow in right earnest. And write everyday at the same hour, for a fixed length of time, say 30 minutes. And I am not sure if I should continue this journal, now that lockdown is being relaxed in phases beginning tomorrow. May has been a transformative month and I should consolidate this gain.  Maharashtra is calling the relaxation - Mission Begin Again . I should also make a new beginning.  Last night NASA astronauts lifted off into space after nine long years. That it happened in the midst of a pandemic is a powerful statement. It marks a new chapter in space exploration. 

Saturday, 9th May, 3 weeks ago would be a significant day of this lockdown experience. And when I look back at the entry for that day, there is almost nothing there to suggest this. Obviously because I wouldn't have known it then. It was the day when I opened the window in my room completely and let it stay open until near dusk. A lot changed because of that. I reconnected with nature. My fear vanished and was replaced with hope. It was the week I had signed up for the mindfulness course. Opening up that window was opening up my mind to new suggestions, new experiences.  Had a long chat with Ketan. He called me to ask for some advice regarding his son's college project. I learned that everyone is happy working from home. They have regular meetings, even LE meeting, using TEAMS.They even had quality audits.  Why shouldn't it continue like this forever? The office has a large contractual staff for housekeeping and pantry. Only they will lose their jobs and livelihood. B...

Lockdown 4 ends on Sunday. Will we have version 5? No clarity yet. Maharashtra wants local trains to be resumed for ferrying healthcare workers. But beyond that?  I had a moment of epiphany today. 

Terrible things are happening across the world. But my mind is happily occupying itself with tiny pleasures. The bubbles when I cooked the porridge. The increased bird activity compared to yesterday, probably because of a lower temperature. The crow scaring away Mr Robin from his favourite perch. The white underwing of the Mynah. A family using the roof of their car to dry papad and fryums.  The Lancet study on Hydroxychloroquine has stirred the hornet's nest.  We were unable to confirm a benefit of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, when used alone or with a macrolide, on in-hospital outcomes for COVID-19. Each of these drug regimens was associated with decreased in-hospital survival and an increased frequency of ventricular arrhythmias when used for treatment of COVID-19. WHO has suspended Hydroxychloroquine treatment in Solidarity Trials . But ICMR says the benefits outweigh risks. France has barred the drug, but Oxford University wants to continue the trial....

KEM Hospital  To exist is to experience the burden of the world. Mindfulness can assist us better engage with media reporting of tragic events by helping us to engage with the content in a more mindful way by empathising but not over-identifying with the experience of others, or getting caught in our own reactions to it.  We should notice any feelings and be aware of them in an open but compassionate way, but not identify with or be consumed by them.  We can remain present and grounded in ourselves and also focus on compassion - that is, wishing that the person in the tragic situation be happy and free from suffering and possibly doing something to help them. This extra step of acting or at least wishing to reduce suffering is important as it marks the transition from empathy to compassion and is associated with better mental health outcomes. Doing so actually reduces activation in areas of the brain associated with stress (e.g. the amygdala) and activates dif...

I am running a poll on twitter today (why didn't I think of it before!). The poll asks if people will opt for free voluntary testing for coronavirus. Among 44 respondents, only 64% said YES. So much for repeatedly saying - we want more testing! And among those who said NO, more than half attributed the reason to their good health. So I am okay, test others! What happened to all the widespread knowledge of asymptomatic infection?  In yesterday's AA meeting, I had raised concerns on mental health of students. S sent me this e-book on mental health. I believe the college has not made it available to the students. I am hesitating to send it to my students. It is a sensitve issue and should not backfire.  The lockdown is enabling me to enrich myself with new experiences and skills. Last night I watched Globe theatre's Macbeth . Today I cooked Cluster Beans (Gowar) for the first time ever. Sudoku skills are getting better each day.   COVID19 in Mongolia ...

My first Zoom meeting. I realised the terrible lighting in my room. Nobody probably noticed my beard because of the intense backlighting.  America is redesigning its public restrooms. On the day when some flights resumed, people have started to ask this question - what did we achieve by lockdown?