Being holed up

It is confusing times; it is also scary times that bring to the fore the disparities of societal class and privilege. A virus has the world hostage and we are literally sitting ducks. While a lot can be said and done about the situation we are in, while we can use the time to introspect and ensure we change for the better as a race needing space on this planet, it’s also important to keep going on.

Awareness and social education are paramount in these times, ensure that you don’t spread fake news and get into the loop of complaining. Also, stay indoors and contribute to mitigating the spread by social distancing.

We need to stay afloat and help others stay afloat too and we can all do our bit, both as part of organisations and as people in communities. Working from home is an option that has suddenly opened up across businesses and for those who can do so effectively. I have worked from home for long stints in my career and I quite enjoy the ability to integrate work with every day.

I am on the advisory board of a nature eco resort in Coorg called The Ibnii and we came away for the weekend to be here. It so happened that with everything going on, we got locked in and the resort was shut down from access to the outside world and we continued staying on.

This is a 125 acres property and its now only got two families, the MD and her two sons, my mom, daughter and I and some skeletal staff. No one from the outside is allowed in and no one in the resort can go out and if they do, they cannot come back in. The property grows its own food and rice and has an animal farm with goats and cows and chicken and is completely self-sufficient. What with complete greenery, healthy air and food, we could not have asked for a better place to be isolating in. Also, the Wi-Fi connection helps me work efficiently and remotely.

I am using the time here to get a lot of writing done, a lot of tasks that were not getting enough attention and were on the back burner are getting tackled and I am able to get so much more than usual. So, I am grateful for everything to have fallen in place so comfortably. I am also aware that a lot of people out there are not as comfortable as we are, so hang in there and remember everything is transient.

Here are somethings that I learnt as part of this situation that are relevant to Forward Leap:

• Anything can happen at any point in time to anybody
• No one can or has control on the larger canvas in such situations
• What we have control on, is ourselves and what we choose to do
• Fear and panic are terrible things and can derail you and make any situation worse
• You can create impact simply by contributing to stay out of the way
• Negativity even in such situations only makes things worse
• Time is a great teacher and it is always good to introspect and use it for leverage
• People who matter will always know and recognise what is good for you
• Social media fatigue is a thing and WhatsApp forwards can be torture
• You can use this time to learn or do something new
• You can do your bit for people who need support and help through these times

With that, hoping all of you stay safe and take care and wishing you a good week ahead. Enjoy being holed up, it could have been worse…

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Shreya Krishnan

Vice President - Marketing and Communications at Aon India Insurance Brokers

Shreya is a CSR Specialist and Corporate Grooming Consultant. Her interests lie in Activism, Dance, Theatre, Poetry, Blogging, Modelling, Acting. She considers herself an Earth Warrior and is an Event Anchor and Trainer. She is a Pageant Winner and public speaker.