The Distance

“Stay one meter away…”

The words were spoken in Malayalam. Did he understand he was a Malayali by reading his face? He looked at him with a hint of curiosity!

He had been in this unfamiliar land for a few months now, trapped like countless others in an unexpected lockdown. At first, there was anxiety. It took weeks to accept the harsh reality. The list of people he longed to see; his family, his wife, his beloved child who is not even a year old, his homeland, his friends. The list is growing longer with each passing day. He would have to wait even longer. It felt like a heavy weight had settled in his heart.

The road is deserted. Only a few essential shops are open. He doesn’t usually come to this shop. Even if he buys rice and vegetables, what will he do with it? He has no means or equipment to cook them.

Most people maintained a distance of more than a meter. It seemed that fear spread faster than the virus itself! Many were haggling with the shopkeeper, who had set exorbitant prices. He checked the balance on his mobile phone. It wasn’t enough for the month. Still, he could manage to buy a few essentials.

He could only speak Hindi, and even that was rusty.

“Two kilos of potatoes, two kilos of rice, 300 grams of lentils…”

“Anything else?” The shopkeeper looked at him expectantly.

What else should buy? Don’t know! He scanned the items around. People were milling about behind him. The shopkeeper’s gaze remained fixed on his face. Lets buy a little salt, chili, oil, and some vegetables. That would have to suffice.

Since he was in the city, he could pay through his mobile. That is a relief. He paid and turned to leave.

A crowd had gathered in front of the shop. Some had embraced the new norms brought on by the pandemic, while others had not. He noticed a man with a beard, and some people were looking at him with a mix of fear and apprehension. Was the man uncomfortable with their stares? The mask prevented any expression from being read on his face. Pandemic had not only introduced new customs; it had also deepened divisions. Even caste and religion had been redefined by the virus. The dead were no longer treated with dignity.

Was his mind wandering? It doesn’t matter.. He has no time to dwell on such thoughts. His entire mind is focused on the child’s cries. The urgency of those thoughts quickened his pace. He turned towards his building. Behind it were rows of small, cramped rooms. From his third-floor window, he could see most of the houses.

Today, he had heard that child’s cries. The child was about four or five years old, and there was a mother desperately trying to soothe her child in a way that is not comforting. The cries of hunger and helplessness from any human being are unbearable! And he anyway cannot just stand by and watch. When his neighbor is starving, his ideals do not allow him to fill his own stomach.

He reached that house and knocked the door. The woman he had seen earlier came to check. He doesn’t know what language she speaks. It doesn’t matter. He placed his bag at the door and turned to leave.

His father’s words echoed in to his mind.

“Look at others when we are at struggle. God must have kept many things there to make us human!”

How true it was! Even though, the instruction is to maintain physical distance, It is a time to hold our minds closer together.!