Covidian musings

The selfishness of the younger generation often baffles me. Are we as parents been too indulgent and selfless - often prompted by bitter memories of what our parents couldnt or wouldnt get us - that they think they come foremost in everything? 

I am often reminded of a Tagore story I learnt in Malayalam supplementary text  in school. A househelp named Raicharan loses his master's son to the sea while on an outing. Dejected, he returns to his village and has a son himself a year later. Raicharan who was initially uninterested in the child soon sees a resemblance to his late little master, and starts treating the child as royalty. Years later he takes the son to his ex master and tells him it was their lost child. The child is indignant and dismissive of his real father and tells  his new-found parents to give the servant some alms when he is leaving. Raicharan leaves without taking anything from them and is never seen again.

I first felt this when I brought the children here on vacation. They seemed indignant I was robbing them of a good life here by taking them back to Chennai. The glitter and glamour of the Gulf was too fascinating for them, and in a year's time we joined V here bag, baggage and all.

What prompted this post was Mira's directive that I dont touch her door handle or my laptop since she would have to sanitise them paintstakingly. The fact is that V had tested positive for Covid, while my initial test has come negative. Now Ash has developed fever and is bed ridden. M seems fine, save for a runny nose occasionally. And she doesnt want to contract Covid from us suspected cases. "I have to take care of myself, right?" is her contention. She closets herself in her room, but happily eats the food I prepare. Even with Covid, a homemaker has no rest although V has been less fastidious about food and is ready to eat khichdi or idli made from store-bought batter. Kanji or rice porridge is becoming our main meal now. I am on antibiotics to prevent complications on account of comorbidities, and hence food taste insipid. The lack of smell or taste is not there though - just that food taste bitter owing to the antibiotics.

p.s. I am watching a Netflix series called Designated Survivor, which is really engrossing. It is about a least expected person becoming president when the rest of the team is killed in a Capitol bombing. I am beginning to see American presidency a bit favourably and with sympathy though I still cant digest their America-is-greatest-and-comes-first attitude. I guess the richest and most powerful has a right to such attitude; and going by the number of Indians vying to migrate to the 'free world' we cant blame them. My American readers please excuse.

We are being flooded with calls, whatsapp texts and mails from consultants wanting to help Ashwin prepare for a course of study in the UK/US and Canada. We have warded off such calls and have told them that we cant afford to do it and would prefer him to study in campuses of foreign unis here.