Our corona diary.

[Text and photo by Ipshita Mitra]

I close my eyes in self isolation from corona… and I see a reality which is slipping away from my firm grip. I tiptoe down the stairs to reach a closed but not a locked room. I gently push it open and is there a carnival underway, I wonder? Four people are sitting on a stone-cold floor, in a circle; echoes of giggles fill the calm air. I see their gazes fixed on a now-extinct board game. I remember this game, I recognize these four people too – Ma, Baba, my sister and myself. Memories of load-shedding and blackout hit me. Under the flickering candlelight, I see the mischievous glint in my sister’s eyes, the perennial frown on Baba’s forehead and my Ma’s radiant face. I gape at the scene from the other side of the door, it unfolds one board game at a time.

The days of innocence past merge with the present dark times. And there remains a door to be knocked at.

The candlelight though flickering has not extinguished, just yet.

“We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world to share a brief diary starting with “I close my eyes in my self-isolation from Corona… and I see…” Not more than 100 words. With a horizontal-sized selfie, along with your city name… please mail to me at mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com.