When a zen-like stillness took over

I was at home, just back from a small socially distanced shoot in Rajasthan in September 2020. There was an air of optimism and hope for economic recovery as government-mandated rules had begun to be relaxed - people had started getting back to work, some social gatherings had begun, we could go out for meals to restaurants and public places.

During this time, my parents visited us from Agra, and one evening, my father's favourite spicy meat curry was cooked. He complained that the food was tasteless even as everyone else was relishing the dish. And that’s when alarm bells rang - coffee and strong-smelling spices elicited no response from him. My father had lost his sense of smell. 

Fortunately, we have access to an empty flat next to where we live and we were able to isolate him immediately. The next two days were spent arranging tests; I booked one for my dad at a famous lab but later realized we had to go down to an old rundown waterworks office in south Delhi to give his sample for testing. The technician who took the sample told my dad right away that from his symptoms it was obvious he would test positive. He was right.

Two days later with a friend's help, the rest of us were able to get tested comfortably at home. The long wait for the Arogya Setu app to update followed and within 36 hours we got the results to show that I and my mother had tested positive, while my wife tested negative.
My wife, who is severely asthmatic, left the house immediately. We were lucky to be able to choose for her to shift to a hotel in Delhi that was offering isolating facilities. 

Since both my mother and I were Covid positive, we moved my father back in with us as well. Soon a routine fell in place as we busied ourselves taking steam, monitoring oxygen levels, keeping ourselves fed and medicated and consuming additional kadhas and supplements that we were advised to take.

My mother and I did all the household chores and that took most of our day. The rest of the time, I spent talking to my wife, friends and family who were constantly calling to check up on us. We thankfully had mild symptoms and were able to manage them while staying home.

I found the time in isolation very meditative because there is, after all,  only the present - it gives you a chance to stay still and reflect. I listened to a lot of discourses by OSHO – he really does clear your head and make you realize that there is no space for fear, panic, and worry about the future. Just stay here and now!

I was also spending time editing and cataloguing my images. Working for me during this time felt different: the way I was looking and editing my images reflected a zen style – and it was almost like I had started seeing life as poetry and not maths.

The key, I realized then,  is not to panic or be afraid and take each day as it comes.