Our corona diary.

[Text and photo by Aditi Upman]

I close my eyes in self isolation from corona… and I see myself thinking of all those little things I took for granted – those sugary cups of chai in Delhi University canteens that passed through at least four pair of hands before reaching me; the long, solitary walks in JNU with the occasional appearance of neel gais; the long hours I spent in these campus libraries, huddled together with familiar strangers. I wonder if any of them would be the same any time soon. I think about how far and distant Delhi is now. Every night, I think of the books I had to leave behind. The professor had said “See you all next week!” knowing little that it was the last lecture for the semester. My readings of Camus and Borges, no fiction at all, had prepared me for this. Trying to smile here and read as much as I can to drift away from this reality and forsake these recent memories.

“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.