Spirit of life

Spirit of Life

I still have vivid memories of that day, it all started. I was at a holi party. It was an outdoor

party and was in the Garden of Grand Hyatt, Delhi, grooving to the Holi songs and all

drenched in fountain rain. After dancing and drinking beer for an hour or so, we all went into

the hotel lobby for some snacks. As we sat on the sofa, the TV in the lobby showed a news

“ One positive case of coronavirus (COVID-19) has been detected in New Delhi.

According to the information provided by the Press Information Bureau, the person from

Delhi has a travel history from Italy. Italy had reported a 50 per cent increase in coronavirus

cases Sunday, taking the total up to 1,694 cases of the virus, representing an increase of

1,128 cases on Saturday. The person from Delhi is being diagnosed at RML hospital”

I was shocked to hear the news, not because it was something which I had heard for the first

time, but because this “ Monster” has entered my city Now. After hearing the news I could

not enjoy the party and left early for my home.

My father was a businessman and was running a small manufacturing unit of toys. I had the

intuition that this “ Monster” will surely affect businessmen. So I told dad to have some

contingency fund for the unseen circumstances. Financial security was not an issue for our

family as I was working in a Top Public sector bank in the city.

After two weeks news came that shocked us wasCoronavirus: India

enters 'total lockdown' after spike in

cases

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has imposed a nationwide lockdown in an

attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The restrictions came into force at midnight local time (18:30 GMT) and will be

enforced for 21 days.

"There will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes," Mr Modi said in a televised

address.

He appealed for people not to panic - but crowds quickly mobbed stores in the capital,

Delhi, and other cities.

Correspondents say it is not clear how - or even if - people will now be allowed out to

buy food and other essentials.

Why do you lock down 1.3bn people?

● 'Hunger may kill us before coronavirus'

The new measures follow a sharp increase in cases in recent days. There have been

519 confirmed cases across India and 10 reported deaths.

India - which has a population of 1.3bn - joins a growing list of countries that have

imposed similar measures.

Nearly 400,000 people have tested positive for the virus worldwide, and around 17,000

have died.

“Don't worry daddy, my office won't be closed as it comes under “essential services” and my

salary is good enough to take care of our needs” I assured my Father.

“How long will it last? What will happen to our relatives, friends? Will everyone be killed? He

asked.

On hearing his questions, I felt this media is doing more harm than good by constantly

repeating negative news. If everyone is getting so tense, then surely it will lead to other

health problems and this 21 days lockdown will add more to it.

Eventually the lockdown started and all were locked up in their homes for 3 weeks. I

continued to go to work as “ Bankers are the Soldiers, the financial soldiers”.Everything

looked new, there was a mask which we had to don. Wash our hands every time we touch

anything. It was altogether a new way of living. A new way which we all have to adapt to.

As I reached home, I went straight to the bathroom for a bath with dettol filled hot water. The

evening tea( Immunity booster) was served, Father was anxious about his business, about

debts that needed to be paid and about his business plans which will never be executed

anytime soon. We were having dinner, when he started to tell me everything about business,

as if he was handing over the charge to me.

After nearly 2 months, when lockdown 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 were announced with a lot of relaxation,

dad started to go work( toy factory). The business was not the same, the revenue was not the same, but the expenses were. He was tense and it started taking a toll on his health.

He had developed all the symptoms of CoronaVirus(Covid 19). Soon it was observed by our

neighbours and it was reported to authorities and dad was taken to an isolation centre. I was

in office, when i got a call from my wife Anjali, i could not pick up the call as i was in VC with

the Corporate office regarding COVID emergence line of credit for stressed MSME.

She called me many times, but I could not attend it. Soon my phone beeped and it was a

whatsapp message from her:

Come ASAP! They have taken DAD to the isolation centre. And everyone else is tense.

Come soon!!

I was shocked to see the msg, fortunately, the meeting also ended. I took all the information

from Anjali and went to the centre to ensure that everything was being taken care of. After a

lot of discussion with the centre I came back home.

We video called him and saw, he was given proper care and medicine under supervision.

When i asked him,” are you alright dad? He shocked his head in disagreement. I consoled

him and he saw his grandson and daughter playing ludo in the room.

“ Daddy do you know who invented this game? I asked

“ Lord shiva and Parvati.

Do you know what this game teaches us?

Lesson 1:- ​Equal efforts can give you different results​:​ Four players playing ludo, they

are competitors and everyone wants to win. All you have to do is just roll a dice. All four do it,

but the result can be different for everyone. Similarly, in real life we can give equal efforts

following our competitors for the same cause and expecting the same results as our

competitor has already got, then we are wrong. The road towards success may remain the

same but the experience of the journey, struggles and outcome are always different. Keep

eye on moves, strategy, suggestions, and tactics of others but do not follow them blindly.

Lesson 2:- Slow down when you need to: When you roll a dice, you love it when you get six

but sometimes ones, twos and all other numbers we need to remove obstacles or keep

yourself at safe positions. Similarly, when you are after your long term goal, it’s not always

good to run like a mad horse toward it, sometimes you need to slow down and wait till

obstacles are removed. Smart people know when to run when to walk and when to take a

pause. That makes them different and successful.

Lesson 3:- Don’t lose hope: It happens very often in Ludo, initially a person who struggles a

lot wins the game. In real life, never lose your hope until the last moment. Miracles do

happen, anything is possible. You will never win the game without failing at it. If someone

wins it without any struggle then it’s just a coincidence, it’s just a stroke of luck, not a

smartness.

Lesson 4:- Never hesitate to start again: Sometimes when you play Ludo, your opponents

dominate the game and send you back to the start. Your all coins are in the cage, now you

are waiting for number six but dice are not on your side. It takes time but once you are out

you have an open road without much traffic to accomplish what you have in your

destination. You don’t have to look after your pace now, all you need is just complete focus

on your destination. World out there is not easy, it’s not easy for anyone, it’s extremely

difficult, it’s unpredictable and it keeps you pushing down all the time but you are not all

alone to face this. The world is cruel for the people who hesitate to start again, it is

impossible for the losers not for the fighters. In the end, the fighter always wins.

Lesson 5:- There is no shortcut for success : When you play Ludo, your opponents and you

have the same opportunities and the same road. There is no special provision made for you

or for others. There are no shortcuts, there are no favors, It’s your strategy, it’s your

concentration & dedication that makes you a winner. Similarly, rules apply in real life too.

There is no shortcut, hard-work along with dedication & concentration is the key.

Lesson 6:- ​People will team up against you: Once when I was playing Ludo and comfortably

winning it other three ganged up and tried their best to stop me. All three had only one

intention to stop me. So in real life, when people gang up against you, people conspire,

people try their best to pull you down. Don’t ever fall for it. They are just jealous, they gang up

because they are behind. A winner is more focused on the target than opponents.

Lesson 7:- Think and watch out twice before your every move: You have four coins on the

board. Whatever number you get on dice, you have to choose one coin to go ahead. It’s

important to make the right choice. Similarly, life is complicated when you have options

every now and then, at every step so choosing the correct one is the most difficult task, your

one step can send you back to the start or it can delay your victory. So when you take the

decision of moving ahead in life think twice, think about the impact of the move on your life

from every angle. If you ask yourself ‘how my life will be if I do this or do that’ will help you

choose the right path.

“Really, if you apply these lessons to our life, How beautiful it will turn out to be” He

exclaimed.

He was overjoyed on hearing these lessons. It was just a matter of a few days, when he was

back to home and serving people in and around his area.

Friends!! What is killing us is the fear of this “ Monster” and not the “ Monster” itself. Those

who have left us, not all were diagnosed with CORONA, but they took undue stress from the

current situation. We shall take a deep breath, share positive news on whatsapp and other

platforms rather than sharing how many cases have come up each day. This is already being

done by the media. Lets do them their duty and do what is our duty.

Live life to the fullest!!!!