The world in last 15 months has changed, courtesy the Covid-19 pandemic. It has set new norms in living. Norms never heard of before. New practices have evolved. Isolation, restrictions, limitation in gatherings, a travel ban even within the confines of a state not to mention across the borders, locking down either by self or forced by the authorities in the interest of its citizens. Healthcare has never been seen as important as it is now, possibly taking a number one ranking in terms of future budgetary allocations. With a rise in cases and the ensuing wave the restrictions come into force and with a drop in cases and the ebb in the wave the restrictions are lifted. This ‘hide and seek’ may continue intermittently and God knows for how long.
Many parts of the world have had forms of entertainment that are different than here in Kashmir. Cinema and theaters, beaches and the pools, cafeterias and open air dining, late night parties and the get togethers are a favorite past time for most out there in rest of the world. All these forms of entertainment will be outdoors and going to each other’s homes may not be a very common norm in most of the world. With the situation that Kashmir has been in last 3 decades which has led to almost absence of entertainment here, and considering the inherent social bond of our society the only accepted way of our entertainment for most is a visit to each other’s place.
It is in our nature that we go to each other’s home be it relatives, friends, neighbors – in times of a happy or even a sad/unfortunate event. On marriages/engagements, on someone passing the exams, on someone being sick or getting well, on going or coming back from a religious pilgrimage, on the demise of someone and even at times without a reason – Kashmiris do butt into each other. All that has come to a standstill. Complete halt. Nowadays one seems to be an unwanted, unwelcome intruder into anyone’s home.
People for fear of the virus prefer staying indoors either on their own if they can afford or because of the various advisories. Elderly for their immunosenescence have been forced to stay back for months now. School children, especially in primary classes too have been indoors and within the confines of their very own nest for one year or more. Senior students of all levels and even professional courses are down to the online classes at their homes only. Being indoors for few days was a need few years back considering the fast paced world, but staying indoors for weeks, months and even years does take a toll. This reminds of the agony that a person jailed, a person kept under house arrest, would be suffering mentally and physically considering the confinement.
Necessity of being an employee, a shopkeeper, a businessman, hawker is a reason for some to move out in non-lockdown times. Those who move out because of their professional commitments are lucky to at least vent out their feelings to someone else they see, but for a sizeable number they don’t have that opportunity or are that lucky.
Visits are long over for obvious fear. The saals, the meets, the mubaraks are all gone. And the most disheartening is that even on the death of a very near relative the mourners are left to self, a totally contrarian way to the one that was prevalent here in normal times once the relatives of the deceased were fed and taken care by neighbors, relatives and friends. A Covid death is a total nightmare for anybody to guess.
So many in that part of world may not find it difficult to adjust being alone and out of social circles as they have adjusted to nuclear living even before the pandemic. But not in Kashmir. This forced and necessary hibernation at individual residences have had many an impact on the minds, psyche of everyone. That energy, that enthusiasm and that interest is all gone as more and more time is spent indoors and alone and if this continues a new series of mental disorders will crop up.
The anxiety is bursting at seams. ‘Phatnas aaee’ is everywhere. People are desperate to move out and see their kith and kin, their relatives, their friends. The need to see other in the same old Kashmiri way, to sit, sing, eat, discuss one to one is so much needed.
When will this end. And will it ever end is the question haunting most of us. Will we ever have a saal at our relative’s place, will we assemble in our maatamaal again. I, like all of you out there am dying to visit the home of my sister, cousins, in laws, uncles, friends the way it used to be. Same seems impossible considering the surge and the infectivity of this virus in its new avatar.
We can all pray that this goes, but can we have the same liberties as before. “Walaah, Phatnas Aaee Sare’…Khoda Karen Sahal”.
Dr Muzafar Maqsood Wani is Consultant Nephrologist, SKIMS, Soura