THE DAY I HAD MY FIRST CURFEW

As a combat measure to the global virus, our nation announced the 21-day lockdown at first. At that time, I had mixed feelings about the whole thing, because the at-home days had started a bit earlier for my schoolmates and I. When it started, I was indeed very thrilled. As a student bored of going to and from school every day, what more could I ask! But I was also a bit disappointed at the fact that I couldn’t get out to enjoy this vacation-like mood. So I did what every teenager does. I begged my mother to get me Netflix. Thankfully, she agreed and I got to enjoy my days in the joy of having a Netflix account and doing everything that comes with it! Sadly, I am not one of those people who have the capacity to binge-watch numerous episodes in a single day and so, I eventually got bored with that as well.

One fine day, I came across this line and that hit me like a brick. 

‘If you don’t come out of this lockdown with at least one new skill, you never lacked time, you only lacked discipline.’

It was like a wakeup call for me to stop spending my days basking in the glory of not having to go to school and finally drag myself to do something better. That is when I decided to have a blog. And, dear reader, this blog you see before you is the product of the push provided by that single quote. The pen is mightier than the sword, isn’t it? But the happy part is that I have experienced and felt a lot of stuff in these past few days and now I have a platform to share it on!

As an Amdavadi, I have always heard my parents talk of the time when this flawless peace was not an everyday thing in this state. Curfews and riots were very frequent in those days. As a person born after the quagmire, I had the good fortune of never having experienced a single curfew. I won’t lie, I have always been curious about it. How does it feel to live in a place where people around you are constantly fighting for something? Or what does it feel like to be in your house all the time because you’re not allowed to go out? And even though I would never ever want that kind of situation to come up again, I did want to know what it is like. That wish of mine was fulfilled when the nationwide curfew was announced. I thought it was very convenient because I get to know what a curfew is and there is no violence as well! It was like the perfect arrangement for me!

Ahmedabad, to my mind, is the Mumbai of Gujarat. A city which has something going on in it every single minute, filled with enthusiasm and overflowing with energy. No matter when you walk out on the streets, there are always people there. And it is due to this assumption in my mind that I was taken by surprise when I looked at the pictures of my beloved city on curfew day. The streets that I had used countless times, which I knew like the back of my hand were almost unrecognizable to me! I had never thought I would see my city like this someday!

Ahmedabad on Janta Curfew

That day I went up to the terrace and thoughtlessly expected to hear the honks of cars and bikes. But to my surprise (and delight!), I was met with the sounds of chirping birds! The day I had my first curfew was also the day I felt patriotism around me. On that day at 5 o’clock, I had joined the nation in applauding the efforts of the people working for us. And even though my actions weren’t very great, I somehow played my part for my country. A tiny contribution of sorts! During those few minutes, I suddenly recalled the lines from our pledge: ‘All Indians are my brothers and sisters...’ 

However, all of this doesn’t change the fact that I dislike sitting in my house for so long. But it’s not like I get to have a say in all of this. I hope against hope that I find something interesting to do each day. All I can do is count my days and hope everything gets back to how it was previously!