The gentle press of an iron through waxed paper binds the beads and makes the shapes complete, whole, fused.

She was armored

With mask and disinfectants

Stitching and sowing flimsy mosquito nets

To beat the pressure, I started gardening. I did research on what to plant, at what time, and learned a lot.

I prefer not to call our conversations “sessions.” They are just casual chats with a young person who once poured her heart out to me.

With my store’s transactions going online, my “Lockdown Short” selected for online film festivals, and me creating ‘healing dance’ videos, I was content in my own locked-up world.

He has had passengers who were upset for various reasons, and he takes them through new routes for refreshments and delight to the eyes. Maybe, in some way, their hearts might absorb new air and get mended?

People around our neighborhood started becoming fussy around the doctor. We were worried not only about him, but about his grandmother. Slowly people started losing their minds.

My mother understands. She says, “We have made her capable of this, so she is doing what she always wanted, what we wanted; we have to support her.”

Somehow life seemed very fragile. Could we really ever return to the way things were, pre-COVID? Did we want to? Moving on, what intentions would I want to hold myself accountable to?

This life is mine. I realized, only if I stay well will I be able to ensure the wellness of my family, friends, and community.

Apparently her relatives and some well-meaning community members had interpreted her turmoil as “the overreaction of a newly married girl,” and sent her back to her husband.

Terms like lockdown, quarantine, and social distancing have become the common parlance.

“You can tell us any story, but we won’t let you take the girl away from here,” another villager said.

I faced lot of humiliation and bad words because she was my relative, as if it was her fault. There were even attacks on social media.

Collecting and sharing the stories was not just another task for the studio, but a way I chose to keep myself afloat and nourished.

By the time we reached my dad, his condition had deteriorated, and his blood oxygen saturation level had dropped to 70%.

It was time for all of us to reflect and work on a different strategy.

As I entered a deserted airport around dawn, an emptiness loomed.

Nothing in life, not even the fear and gloom of a pandemic, can dampen her spirits and her resolve.

The infected family members were already quarantined on the fourth floor of my house.