AFVOA Newsletter 03 of 2020

Section 5 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 03 / 2020 Page 106 of 167 Have we ever stopped to find why Nature is on a warpath the World over? There are wild forest fires, huge unexpected storms of such magnitude that rip our once steady stable homesteads. Waters of the oceans churn merciless Tsunamis, where there is seismic upheaval. Animals forced to flee from their natural habitats, wander into human establishments. There are token protests by a few worried souls, feeble sloganeering against prevalent practices. Yet life continues on a relentless path. In this bleak scenario, we the reasoning type humans have yet to come to terms with one major essential! The Virus is here to stay! Being careless and letting our concerns dip will simply not help. Life has indeed come a full circle. What were once silly foibles have now become accepted norms. Granted that 50 years ago we never thought of hand sanitising! Hand washing was ‘de rigueur’ and a must before / after any task undertaken- especially after personal ablutions. It is said that, once Sir S. Radhakrishnan reiterated to the Englishman, that he preferred eating with his hands rather than use a spoon used by others -- this at a reception hosted for him at England! The need of the hour is thus 'distancing'! The world has accepted our humble 'Namaste', all hugs, handshakes/ hand wringing/ hugs/ air kisses are all passe! How naturally we and the world have accepted and adapted to the bowing of heads and this new norm. So too, it is possible to tide over this awful crisis which is indeed a rare medical nuisance responding to very few medicines in our drug arsenal! We have today the marvel of Technology to help us tide boredom; to help us overcome the desperate need to socialise. The 'Virtual Meets' are simply exciting, face to face encounters, that prompts one to be in one's Sunday best and cordially accept greetings via air! Man is gregarious by nature and its simply marvelous to be able to see, hear and converse whether by a Video call or Zoom meet! We women, bemoan the fact our wardrobes are languishing in a state of abject disuse! What better opportunity than this, to sift and cherish a few pieces and gift the rest away to charity? In fact the lockdown is a terrific time to cleanse, assess the stuff that households have collected over a period of time. The bundles of linen, the 'objet d art', other household excesses are all ready, for the message - Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Recharge, Replenish, Repurpose and Recycle! This is what is expected of Humankind as never before! We can rise up to this challenge! We can and we will