EXPERIMENTERÉ

Saturday, July 11, 2020

Day 7 - Quarantined in Delhi

Day 7

Oh finally I get to get out (little free) today. Shall be visiting my old hood, Greater Kailash/ Alaknanda area. It's much greener there and familiar too.

Albeit, to be cautious, as the world has changed from the last time I visited Delhi.

It's the seventh day, and hopefully have not contracted Covid19, corona virus. Would be clear by the 14 th day. Hence. Not taking any chances.

Am hungrier and eating the missed food. Simple stuff in this hotel Hari Priorko by the boys. The standard vegetarian meal mostly comprising of dal (lentil), rice, roti, subzi, and the breakfast would be porridge, macaroni, poori, alu ki sabzi like that.

In my head, it was immunity all the while...

Also believe that immunity is going to be a big keyword in years to come..

Shall now wait for the government officials to come, do a fever test, they shall give me a certificate of the 7 day quarantine.

Day 6

Today I left the Fiji shores. Been almost a week. Spent time in connecting and learning about the new life that awaits outside.

Frankly, I am not worried about employment, atleast at this point in time.

Just collecting my thoughts and the next plan of action, but, at my own pace.

This hotel at Paharganj was able to keep me safe (atleast for now). Planning to go to a greener, open space, to #breathe

Day 5

A normal sordid day, waiting for the seventh day to arrive. Never felt chained and locked inside a room. Tried to catch the sun in the evening.

Thats for first time, saw the sky of Delhi.

Thursday, July 9, 2020

Day Four - why it took 11 hours to reach airport exit door

Day 4 - Quarantined

Did I tell you why it took approximately 11 hours for me to reach the airport gate?

Note - the officials did the best they could do in these (ab)normal circumstance.

Forms and forms - write down forms especially if you are coming from top Covid19 infected nations such as USA, Brazil, China, Russia, China and Iran.

Batches - there will be batches (of 30) as per alphabetics.

Home states - Segregation of passengers as per home states I:E Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, UP, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu etc.

Self Quarantine or Paid Quarantine - Now either you have booked the hotel or you have not. In either of the case the Delhi Police and Govt officials now take over and punch in details of each passport holder. By the way your passports are taken by the officials.

Wait Karo - you are now waiting at the large hall (scene looked more like a govt hospital, all queing up to enter respective wards). #wait

Conductor Saheb - Now I am eagerly waiting (after an 18 plus hour flight) and the first one to reach Nadi airport, for these gang to 'call out my name' rhyming ..lalala.. Basically, your exit fate now lie upon the DTC conductor cum driver who will be your Arjun and saarthi to your hotel.

11th Hour - whoa my name was called by bhaisaab and a batch of 13 per bus was packed and 13 passports neatly under the sharp Delhi Police Constable s custody. Aila, am out in the sun. Felt the sunshine and air after nearly 30 hours.

Spray before you enter- The roads were nearly empty so unlike Dilli. And the trip was made fast. Before you enter- the hotel, a fine anti something spray will welcome you to ward off the evil Covid19 virus.

Enter Paharganj - Some folks warned me of selecting a hotel where least testing is happening. I thought, how does it matter, since my area of movement and operation would be restricted to the toilet anyway.

Bus ऑल दिल्ली की feel लेने के लिए इधर आया हूं

Lol

My place for few days - I'll be holing up here at Hari Piorko (strange name) didn't make any sense (till now) for the next few days, before heading, somewhere I belong. Linkin Park type sound ringing in my head.

See ya

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Day three Quarantined

Day three

It was raining in Delhi and typically Delhiites get very happy whenever it rains.

Myself in this room since Saturday from the time landed at IG airport.

Amidst concerns, one mind was tempting to go out and see the sky, smell the rains, oh no the other mind says, oh it's virus in the air...

The Quarantined meal (vegetarian), which arrives three times a day is my only social activity, every time the door is knocked by Abhishek.

Yes, chai. Am savoring the tea given by the boys and even tip them occasionally.

Well, the first phase of quarantining should end this week. Have some unfinished business in the capital of India Delhi before I head towards the former capital , Calcutta.

Monday, July 6, 2020

Like

Like

If you had to choose,

Which side you’d take?

Like or Love

Think hard = about the difference what’s better?

Like or Love?

Like is like a comfortable journey,

Whereas love is a crowd...

Like is a liberalist (liberalism)

Whereas love is an extremist.

Ek like ki keemat tum Kya Jano...

(Do you know the value of a 'like'?)

HATE IS REALLY A STRONG EMOTION. ISN’T it?

Why hate is always the opposite of love?

Either you love or you hate...

Yes, you have an option

Swipe right for like,

In the end,

It’s okay to be merely 'liked',

Than not to be loved at all.

Day two - self quarantine

My last picApic incin Fiji outside the Nadi airport

Day 2

Early this morning learnt from friends that Fiji has one covid case (border). Apparently the same flight of Garuda Indonesia which took off from Delhi. One man even died on flight resulting to a 24 hour delay. Such is life. God bless Fiji.

Social distancing, was just a concept. Utter chaos inside and outside the plane. Folks shouting for seats, one guy held up the plane for forty minutes at Port Moresby (PNG).

Just refused to sit in economy class and parrotted 200 times that how he paid $2700 for business class (yeah no mask)...

Now tucked in a Paharganj hotel and under house arrest , literally. It's a little unprecedented, however such are times.

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Day One - Quarantined in New Delhi

Hello all.

It's Day - 1, New Delhi July 5

Self isolation in making...

Covid19 meals, social distancing, 8 step hand wash, sanitizing, health is wealth and immunity being the strongest keyword, which was taken for granted.

बीमारी के साथ जीना है announced a tea seller in Delhi...

Last 90 days, there is no news, except corona...

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Inter Nation Travel In Times Of Corona

Ok. By the start of the year 2020, had no idea that travelling back will be such an event. Of sorts... They say it's the #newnormal...

Will try to document my trip back to Kolkata next week. Also keep you all posted on my experience of coming from a virus free nation Fiji tucked in the South Pacific to an invisible virus of modern times, the novel Covid19 threatening the world order in unprecedented ways.. The mainland India.

a screenshot of a locust attack heralding in the Northern India dated 27th June 2020, (landing near Gurgaon) on the 2nd July (Dhruv Rathi)