City Series – Shreyashi Mandal in Calcutta, We the Isolationists (234th Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 23, 2020April 29, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Shreyashi Mandal] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see cheerful faces, greeting one another, and I see an outsider; packing his suitcase, pacing the room. At first, he thought, he would, but stay for a little while, but now, when his chest was heaving, and that he had recited all the love songs sitting by the window, he felt kind of hellish to abandon this place. But when he was gone, an hour later, the quiet, desolate streets, were once again brimming with kind, loving faces, and children sneaking out of their homes, in search of the pickle-seller. “We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world to
City Series – Sethu Menon in Kochi, Kerala, We the Isolationists (233rd Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 23, 20201 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Sethu Menon] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see the old walls of my home; they talk, I listen. It took a pandemic to get me back home for a good while, to my mother. I see her, busy with all the ways in which she makes life more beautiful. Every morning, I open my eyes to see the flower for the day, picked from her walk, and placed with love on my desk. After all this is over, when I go back to Bombay, the flower of the day will be missed, as will be the florist. “We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world to share a brief
City Series – Devika Rajeev in Chennai, We the Isolationists (232nd Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 23, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Devika Rajeev] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see myself confused between nosediving into the fortunate possibilities of nurturing myself and permitting myself to be consumed by the daunting black hole. The latter seems more alluring. The last thing my mind or this world wanted was another set of massive chaos. But here we are, witnessing everything, flagging "It is what it is" and "This too shall pass" as our prime mantra for survival. I have always wondered why we come across things we desire in the most inconvenient ways, almost making it unsolicited. For instance, the current circumstances can be considered to be the much wanted break for the
City Series – Rishel Choudhury in Delhi, We the Isolationists (231st Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 23, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Rishel Choudhury] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see The highway to the desert From our city Marches on The long queue of silhouettes Moving slowly But steadily Over them to the horizon The setting sun Man, woman or child Old or young They form a rythme Like that of wilderness In a deserted palace. Lying naked On the barren land of humanity A dust storm came hurriedly from the desert To burry our city Deep at night My body will become a mirror of glowing stars - Permanent keepsake of temporary humanity. “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.
City Series – Shifa Ijaz in Faisalabad, Pakistan, We the Isolationists (230th Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 23, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Shifa Ijaz] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see myself being anxious all the time. I close my eyes and I see the trauma coming back to me which I thought I have healed from long ago. I see bitter memories and sad shared smiles which I thought I have forgotten. I see myself losing again in front of all that I thought I have left behind in my journey. I see my triggers all over the place in hopelessness. I close my eyes and I see myself in constant fear. Fear of uncertainty. Fear of losing. Fear of this time. “We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of
City Series – Shraddha Agarwal in Bombay, We the Isolationists (229th Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 23, 2020April 23, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Shraddha Agarwal] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see the 11-year-old Sevaram from Indore who wore a TikTok shirt and sold me ‘ek pe ek chai free, sirf aapke liye didi’. I see families of nomads, including the 40-year-old Bhuribai with her kids offering me ‘pashu ka dude (goat milk)’, and stories from their village in Rajasthan. I see the seven-year-old Aarti from a hamlet near Mumbai playing ‘bhandi kundi (kitchen set toys)’ and feeding green leaves to her teddy bear. I see more people in a loop who in past few months have inspired me to write their stories. “We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world
City Series – Gaura Singh in Ahmedabad, We the Isolationists (228th Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 23, 2020April 27, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Gaura Singh] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see them in embrace as they sleep, sipping on tea smiling at each other in the morning. They blush and ask me to take the camera out, to click pictures of them together and I catch myself turning pink and smiling when he suddenly kisses her cheek. Their romance blossoms as I age. And in my strong beliefs of what love should be, I catch myself thinking maybe soulmates can come arranged too. “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
City Series – Delaney Waldron in Orange County, California, We the Isolationists (227th Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 23, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Delaney Waldron] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see my hands dry from too many washes clacking on a blue fluorescent keyboard the electric tower i type to blows heat and never stops in this dry sauna i spend most of my day i leave to eat and piss and say hi to the cats when it rains i open the window meditate to the sound and the wet air today there was no rain i skipped rope tried to keep up on my cardio thought how lucky i must be to lift my shirt to tan in the sun to have a yard then i went back inside “We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world to share
City Hangout – Lockdown Lanes, Khan Market Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - April 23, 2020April 23, 20200 Corona on the front lane. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] No clacker-clacker of high heels on the front lane pavement. No one saying, “My daughter, who is doing her MBA in New York...” No famous face is to be seen—no LitFest author, no foreign ambassador, not even a has-been politician. It’s all empty. What’s the point, then, of coming to Khan Market? One of Delhi’s most upscale shopping destinations, it has been for years a place to see and be seen. But these days, it is as quiet and not-so-happening as the adjacent Jewish graveyard. “Never thought I’ll see such a thing,” exclaims Abhinav Bamhi, one of the very rare Delhiwallas who happens to live in Khan Market. On his way to