85 days of lockdown.
It has been 85 days since the 15th of March when I was sitting outside UID and planning an exhibition of my students while checking the news every couple of hours. Checking the news literally went from once every couple of hours to once every 30 mins to finally once never. As I not-so-fondly remember that bright sunday afternoon when I and Rahul (my colleague) were making plans about how the exhibition is going to look like, how do we get the job done and be on time when suddenly that ominous text message of the college shutdown came.
I could relate to the scene where the death eaters started disappearing when it was established that Harry did not die in the last part of Deathly Hallows. There were shouts of joy for some (who wanted to go home) while cries of despair for others (who understood that an excellent exhibition opportunity has been missed & a lot of hard work will go down as unnoticed ). For me it was a fresh bout of oncoming retarded loneliness. When you are standing in a crowded local train and your only motto is 'To do or die' you can't help but feel jealous of the guy who got the Nobel seat beside the window. I went through a similar journey in the last 65 days, from feeling jealous of my landlord because he had a car and can go out easily to feeling jealous of my parents because they got regular supplies of meat and fresh vegetables. From having to decide between 'Moong dal' or 'masoor dal' & fried or mashed potato for dinner to bouts of hatred, distress and anger with my relationship problems hitting an iceberg, the lockdown made me relook at my thoughts, actions and consequences. Most importantly it has taught me the importance of a face to face interaction. In simpler words, I am tired of the new update - life to life.com
It took me almost 3 months to pen this down and as I type I am still living this. Probably now I am so used to this that i can't think of a life beyond this. The only time I am out of these four walls is when I am playing cricket in the late afternoon? Trust me I feel the big boss contestants now... As the road outside looks like a warzone I question design that I knew of and design thinking that I thought was right.
So here are some of the things that I think...
Also I find that there has been a state of dependency in the house. I felt that living alone in a different city became much harder. Especially when you realize that daily chores when done daily can be quite boring. So yes we got together, we fought, threw things and tantrums at each other, cried, missed home, didn't feel like cooking or cleaning everyday but could not live without each other. I do not think I can live without love, pampering & care. Talking to a human being became as important as drinking water. For me this has affected my design sensibility as well. From the choice of colours to the choice of words everything has changed.
Design is becoming more wholesome & inclusive. I started depending on a combination of photographs and narratives to create an outcome. Understanding the end user is the most important think now.
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