4 things I learnt from my 7 years old in pandemic

Last year the world stood still when the Covid-19 outbreak happened. There was a panic when it was declared a global pandemic. All sorts of conspiracy theory were put forward and new across the globe was selling fear like hot cakes. On personal front everyone I know have either lost a loved one and or have been tested positive during this period. Being miles away from my family and have not seen them in person for more than 3 years it was an emotional time for me – may be my most vulnerable time as well.

. My team and leader have been extremely supportive, but the thoughts have gone from bad to worst all the time. Amidst the emotional burn out my son proved to be an amazing support system – Agastaya. For those of you who know me personally, would know that I feel a lot and hence get hurt a lot. During this trying period my son was my motivator as he would do or say things not to make me feel better but how he felt- that really helped me in being resilient. Be thankful Agu as I fondly call him always felt thankful that we were never in restrictions. We were still living the normal life, could meet friends and do things normally. He always was Thankful that I was working from home and he gets to spend more time with me. We bonded well as family as we would do lot creative (mainly craft activities) together or cook together. Be Solution Driven My husband and I have both our immediate family in India. We were always in split minds about one of s should go and be with our parents and siblings. Given the harsh restrictions to travel to India- it nearly broke both of us. Agu during this period ensured he would speak with his grand parents on a regular basis or just show them anything he had done during that week to lighten them up. He once told us we can’t be with them in India but we can bring a smile on their face by being happy in front of them. It gave us great joy that technology ahs brought us in proximity and being miles away from them physically. Hope is a beautiful thing as it never dies While kids his age desired to watch a movie, buy a latest toy or online games we saw asking god to end this pandemic. He felt bad for Australians stuck at various places unable to return to their families. Both my husband and I are news Naziz and poor thing had to watch the sob stories with us. He would continue to pray for only this Pandemic to end for human race to win over this virus- he hoped for a covid free world, he hoped people to be together genuinely without any restrictions. Live for today Every time a friend or a family member passed away, he saw me go miserable. I sometimes feel guilty of putting him through so much at such a tender age. Agu showed immense strength and ensured I still ate my meals and would take me for long walks. On one of such walks, he told me “Mama what if the world would end, we should really cherish every little moment as a family.” He ensured when we come home, we talk about our day- how we failed as well as how we succeeded (This was something I had introduced a couple of years ago so that there is no shame about failing and trying harder).We made some amazing memories during lockdown As mother I may be biased but am truly proud of my son, I hope he continues to be a nurturer and thoughtful person he is. This pandemic proved to me that its not always important to look for external motivators- sometimes people who motivate us may be way young as compared to yourself. There is no harm in learning positive keep working towards bettering yourself

Sultan- Lessons of Life

For those of you who know me, know that I am an ardent and loyal Salman fan. Inspite of all the social media jokes and criticism of people like me I have no qualms or inhibitions about it. A lot of you are going to hate me for writing this piece, but I have already watched “Sultan” more than 13 times and every time I watch it I connect more. So here are my two cents from the movie:

Be happy no matter where you are in Life
The movie is about a 30 year old man who is clueless about his life. But at the end of the day he is happy. All of us want this or that- with the main objective of being comfortable & happy. Sultan is happy and content with his mediocre life.

Be an Inspiration
The whole race for being a wrestler starts because of Arfa. She is a clear headed woman with sky high dreams and is busy chasing them. She is an inspiration to not only the protagonist but also to others around her.

Don't be a cliche’
Both Sultan and Arfa are not ordinary people, they are characters extraordinaire. While Arfa leaves a sparkling career to be a mother, Sultan not only proves himself as a wrestler nationally but internationally. It needs courage to make someone else’s passion your own and also to give up one’s passion.

Pain strongly binds people
All the characters are bonded by pain and hence are inseparable. Sultan & Arfa suffer because of their lost child, Sultan, Fateh & Akash by the failure in life. It’s not exaggeration if I say love conquers all, yet pain binds all.

Reality Check is essential
At all times in the movie be it Akash being asked to scrap the event, Sultan is struggling with finances to build a blood bank and get an estranged wife back, they are trying to get a threshold of their life. Both of them feel like a failure yet it’s only after facing humiliation at the hands of society, press and loved ones both of them bounce back.

You are your biggest competition
No character in the movie ever gives up and keeps fighting their mental and physical battle to overcome their odds. They still aspire and fight for their glory, their dreams inpsite of their trying situation. One needs to constantly work on improvising oneself as you are alive only till you thrive to be a better person. Till the time you don’t give up on yourself- there is a good chance you’d end up achieving your dream.

For those of you who dont know what I am talking about, here is the teaser of the movie

I give up