Now obviously, the moment you switch on the net on your phone, the first app which is likely to chime before you think about looking up relevant stuff is probably going to be one of the following:
1. Your mailbox
2. Whatsapp
3. Facebook/Instagram
Unless you are one of those people who have successfully managed to complete your digital detox course. Again, I confess that I am one of those people who find thought of having a digital detox as terrifying as facing the lizard on the walls of my home.
So anyway, I digress. On my phone, Whatsapp is possibly the absolutely first app which starts sending its notifications as soon as complete my early morning starting ritual. Normally, it is fun posts from friends, who were up later at night while I slept off at what I found a suitable hour for me.
But these days, the fun has all but gone from my social media, which includes Instagram posts now restricted to cooking posts, the blue sky posts, Zoom/Housparty posts, posts from celebrities asking us to all stand unified etc etc. No longer the picturesque travel posts (unless they are the TBT kinds), or party posts or just hanging out with your friends posts. The relatively more "serious" social media platform like Facebook and Whatsapp also now bring in grave tidings each morning (gone are the days when Facebook was just full of political debates and photographs, I kind of miss them now).
So today morning, when I woke up, the first notification I saw was that Franklin Templeton had wound up 6 of its funds. Now I don't deny that I am still luckier than probably at least 80% of the population, who are probably wondering how they will even get their next meal. But I admit, my first reaction was dread, and panic. Panic for my small business whose working capital was invested there. Panic for family investments which are now gone for the foreseeable future (and that is the most optimistic scenario I can still build up for that). And that is probably what all those people who have the USD 4.1 billion invested in these funds also felt at that time.
It took me some time to get things back into some perspective. I definitely thanked my stars that I did not have to think about how to organize my next meal. I thanked my upbringing which has taught me to strongly weather whatever hardships we may face, to get up if I fall and start walking and running again.
I felt in awe of all those wonderful people who are doing so much for the society right now (quite a few of these people very close friends and family. Hats off guys)- not just the healthcare and essential services professionals, but individuals and NGOs who are organizing rations for so many migrant families even in our own vicinity. I will be happy to name those organizations doing the work, if you can, please do contribute- Free Pathshala Raddi se tarakki (https://www.facebook.com/Freepathshala/), Jaagrtii (https://www.jaagriti.org.in/), Upay (https://www.facebook.com/upayngo/), and I am sure many more that I am missing out on.
The new world order demands that we think out of the box, drastically change our lifestyles, think about what is really important, and brace ourselves for life as it will be now. It demands that we help those in need in whatever capacity we can. It demands that we try to leave the past in the past, and only think for the future. Just maybe, then, we will come out of this stronger than before
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