E-Paper
Global village idiot: Everyday things we miss about pre-pandemic life in Pune
Human societies have evolved and grown and changed and adapted in all ages and centuries; but usually, the changes and restrictions and difficulties happened to sections of society, and at different times, and in limited numbers. As of March 2020, almost all sections of all societies across the globe have experienced curbs on almost all activities that usually define a normal life
I miss being stranded at an airport. Miss it. Miss sitting there, staring at the flight information boards, as if my staring would change the weather and get my flight to take off on time. Miss walking aimlessly past the same stores, miss being bored out of my skull window shopping for the same kind of homogeneous branded luxury items. Miss sitting down at an airport bistro, ordering a shrimp chowder or a wholesome potato soup, just so that I can munch on the fresh-baked warm slabs of bread.
When I first started flying being at an airport used to be a test of patience. I was never sure what I was supposed to do, or how I was supposed to behave. But, over the last decade, I had come to a place where I very much enjoyed being at an airport, enjoyed being at home at an airport.
I miss being on a flight. A long-haul flight. Short flights are fine to get where I want quickly, but long-haul flights are the whole point of international travel for me. Miss exploring the inflight entertainment system before the flight even takes off, just to plan what I will watch on the 16-hour journey. Miss setting up the aisle seat at the right inclination and keeping everything handy (book, blanket, headphones). Miss making friends with my neighbours. Miss reading the menu so I can anticipate the meals they will serve - anticipation is an important step to the enjoyment of a meal.
Miss taking walks down the aisles and stretching in the galleys, catching up with cabin crew, learning about their backgrounds, processes, routines, aspirations, families. Walking an aircraft is a test of one’s memory, but for those in airline training, it is an opportunity to learn more about different aircraft and airline procedures.
I miss going to a restaurant. Miss greeting and being greeted by the staff- there’s so much variety across the world in that simple minute of common interaction. Miss the table settings, the quaint cutlery, napkins and serviettes, the menus.
Miss placing an order, miss the banter with the service staff - though that’s mainly in USA where it’s an art form. Europe has its own flavour of something in the vicinity of a banter, though not at all places; it’s not quite as natural in Asia, where it tends to be more based on familiarity or common culture, though the focus is to get the order done.
Pune is an exception, except that you have to go to the little eateries in old Pune to enjoy the banter, where it flows as naturally and freely as a birth-right.
I miss taking a walk down MG Road, going into Café Yezdan, and then onto the little shops selling home-made salami and sausages, circling back to East Street to grab a chocolate cake from Kayani (I like their Shrewsbury, but Ross bakes a mean chocolate sponge). I miss Jaws Cafe and the Jazz Garden and watching ‘live’ bands give meaning to life. Miss the tinkling sound of conversation between sets. Miss the feel of a city night life. Miss listening to new artistes making their debuts, and miss waiting for the seasoned maestros to hit their peak in the wee hours at Sawai Gandharva festival.
And that’s the way it’s going to be. A generation is often summarised by what they lament missing and I find that we are living in a moment that is seeing the passing of many things that many generations have liked, and are missing, and may forever miss from hereon. A way of life is passing, a sort of historical epoch, induced by the changes forced upon us by the coronavirus pandemic. And while the pandemic may wax and wane at its leisure, and governments may dance the dance to keep politics and economy suitably poised, life it is a changing for us, the common citizens of the very common world.
And it is this change that is our ultimate test yet. We are all going through the same test in our own ways, but this is a different exam, a very different exam. Human societies have evolved and grown and changed and adapted in all ages and centuries; but usually, the changes and restrictions and difficulties happened to sections of society, and at different times, and in limited numbers. As of March 2020, almost all sections of all societies across the globe have experienced curbs on almost all activities that usually define a normal life. Simultaneously. And while curbs are being lifted, it is sporadic and random and very dependent on the level of development and financial ability of each nation. Governments are going to do what governments always do: negotiate with each other to find the best possible terms for their peoples.
For the common individual, the option is a complete reinventing of daily life and priorities. And it is much tougher to reinvent without realisation that it’s not a temporary situation. Which is why I started by listing all the things I am going to miss as a way of life.
Yep. This is a very different exam I am sitting for. It’s taken me 16 months to realise that. I wonder how long it’ll take me to figure out the questions…
