Crazy Corona Virus Situation

This stormy pic with gathered clouds above is symbolic of the Corona virus situation looming over the world today. Photograph taken by Sadia Ejaz.

Yes, this Corona virus is getting crazy. We are paranoid about getting sick too! So, by now you know what to do. My take is that we should do everything possible, without getting paranoid.

God knows for how long it will be here.

Let’s hope we do not lose many lives, or find people suffering for too long. But this is the craziest situation that anyone has ever witnessed.

Its new and scary.

Relax, this post is all about positive vibes. So, lets find some positives in our lives right now.

Best of time for Corona:

We can hold video chats with each other.
Work from home, get paychecks online too!
Internet has made it possible to be in touch with the world.
Imagine going through it in previous times! That’s when we had hobbies to keep us busy: embroidery, knitting, carpentry, cooking, stitching, car maintenance, repair of gadgets.
Home delivery of foods and shopping online!

Feel better by writing your blessings’ list:

If your family members are fighting and bickering… it means they are fine! ? If they are being loving, that’s a bonus. 🙂
Our body is fine. Alhamdolillah.
So much time on our hands – something we craved for! ?
Try finding new ways to express the love we have for each other.
There is food on the table.
Even pets are fine.
Alhamdolillah, it isn’t a real war!
It isn’t terrorism.
For the first time, the whole world is in it together! Let us build some good memories.
Even if you get it, you and I stand a 95% chance of surviving it.
Recently, we have survived terrorism, earthquakes, floods, inflation, political upheavals, petrol price hikes even wars.
Insha Allah this too shall pass! We have to keep our nerves and moods in control.

Last event of Indu Mitha’s 90^th birthday:

Mother and daughter duo, Indu Mitha and Tehreema Mitha. Both are experts in Indian Classical dancing, specially *Bharatnatyam*, based on art of story telling. Both have taken the art to another level. They have made many modern and present day innovations in the dance.

So, on March 15^th I was overjoyed to see that the event of celebrating Indu Mitha’s ninetieth birthday wasn’t’ cancelled by PNCA. The beautiful brick hall was packed. It was delightful meeting Indu Mitha, who was her sharp intent self.

Sufficient to say about Indu Mitha, that in spite of the Corona Virus scare, no one wanted to miss this evening. We weren’t’ allowed to make videos or take pics, so I found a beautiful interview of Indu Mitha at website of Vimeo here.

Tehreema Mitha’s performance:

We got the treat of our lives with the exclusive performance by Tehreema Mitha, Indu’s youngest daughter. Basically dances by Tehreema, she was joined by beautiful Amina and a handsome young man, in a few dances too. The high-class sitar music in between dance sessions were another treat. All performances were free and excelled in caliber. It was something I’d gladly pay Rs.5000/-

Art must be sustained by viewers and must be valued. We wish to pay for everything except those things which give us spiritual and inner strength.

Passion in life matters:

What I admired most about them is the fact that they are so passionate about their art. They revolve their lives around it. Allah has blessed them with a talent, and they have carried it forward with every breath in their body; devoting their time, effort and lives for it.

Our take away from the Indu Mitha and Tehreema duo.

Your fitness is in your own hands.
At ninety, I saw Indu walk up the stairs of the stage of PNCA. It spoke of years of her personal routine of classical dance.
If you do exercise, have discipline in life, you can achieve this. (I’ve watched videos of women starting exercise regularly after sixty-five years of age. They are extremely fit in their nineties.
I was extremely inspired by seeing Tehreema. It was a display of pure love for her mother and to honor the gift that her mother had given her.
They lived and grew up in our society, and achieved all this in spite of all taboos, and cultural setbacks.

Social Distancing

Do you know that among the tortures for prisoners, one of the most horrific is solitary confinement. Well, that is not the case here, we are confined to our homes with our families. That family, in which the members are among our most loved people in our lives.

So far as social distancing is the case, why is it such a horror? Isn’t this why Holy prophet Muhammad (PBUH) went to the cave of Hira to be able to meditate and contemplate? Buddha also left his palace for the same reason. Come one, find a tree or shrub and enjoy the view! ?

A few ideas:

Take your walks in natural surroundings, in every kind of weather.

So, let’s put a few activities together:

Online activities:
1. Watching YouTube videos and lectures of interest.
1. Video chats with friends.
1. Age appropriate: Exercise.
Write that book.
Make recipes of dishes.
Make-up and beauty treatment at home.
Painting.
Do-it-yourself repair of gadgets at home.
Spring cleaning house.
Cupboards’ cleaning/sorting of kitchen, store room, pantry, clothes and books.
What about chats with patients to help cheer them up?
Reading out story books to people.

Lap up the sunny days, in a couple of weeks this sunshine will become unbearable.

Time is the most valuable asset we have, more than money. Let’s not waste it on idle talk or negative activities or thought patterns. Have faith in Allah and your own self.

Alhamdolillah! Stay blessed. ?

#coronavirus, #indumitha, #tehree #crazycoronavirus

Note: All photographs of Indu and Tehreema Mitha taken from websites showing their photographs and videos. The rest are all by author, except the one by Sadia Ejaz. I’m extremely indebted for receiving these photographs.