Describe the scene from your window during the lockdown caused by covid 19 pandemic state what you saw and heard and what were your feelings about the pandemic in 350 words
Answers
Answer:
As I look outside my window, I see a giant Corona monster in the grim sky, staring at us all, waiting to prey on us. The streets are all empty, painted by a deafening silence amidst the uncertainty. The rules of human interactions have been altered, thanks to this virus beast, and words like social distancing, self-quarantine, sanitise have become the new norm. It’s best to stay indoors.There is an old Murunga tree in the garden that I can see from my window. Not just now, during the lockdown, but even on other days. It gives me immense pleasure to see fresh green leaves in its branches, that on some days bloom with bunches of small white flowers. It attracts a lot of activity, from bees of different kinds, butterflies, caterpillars, small birds and even chipmunks.
But now when I see this tree, I am distracted by the images I see in the news and how privileged and safe I am. And how vulnerable we all are.This view is something that I look forward to during this lockdown episode of ours. It gives me a little hope that there is some light at the end of the tunnel. When we were young, we had an evening routine of feeding the birds. This is something that I have grown up watching. My grandmother used to feed them and the birds would visit us every evening. This sweet gesture started to fade in the past few years and recently — during this time of lockdown — they have started to come back to visit us again.
There are different kinds of birds that visit us everyday — in different sizes and colours. They spend some time hopping around in our backyard, eat what we give them and go back happily once they are done. I watch them from my window with a cup of coffee in hand and a peaceful mind.
Answer:
Inequality is shaping how people are experiencing COVID-19 in cities to a startling degree. The vulnerability of the urban poor is striking everywhere, but the divide is more visible in some places than others.
This is where I live on Veera Desai Road in Andheri, within the K-West ward of Mumbai. Our neighborhood has the third highest cases of COVID-19 in the city. But I feel perfectly safe in my home. It feels more like a fortress.
Vendors with vegetables, fruits, bread and eggs all come into our building. There’s very little I or any of the 700-800 residents in the building need to step out for. We can order food from restaurants, groceries from online delivery stores. We have everything we need and most things we desire.
We work from home, my daughter attends school online. We can entertain ourselves with movies, TV shows and cooking.
We have a private open area for the complex that provides ample space for short walks and bicycle rides for my daughter every evening.
The only real hardship we face is that domestic workers cannot come to the house and we have to cook and clean on our own.
Looking south from my apartment, I see more high-rise buildings. People in these apartments have more or less the same experience as mine.Looking north shows a very different picture. My window overlooks Basti, an informal settlement. This is a quiet afternoon; women and children sit outside their homes, tired after the morning’s housework. There is hardly any social distancing.
Homes are less than 100 square feet. Typically, three to four adults share space with another three to four children. There’s only enough space for everyone to sleep once household items are stacked up along the walls.
As colleagues have noted, what does social distancing really mean in this context? How will they manage it?It’s evening. Kids have escaped their tiny homes and are out playing in the open spaces.
Some in the surrounding high-rises call the police, complaining about lockdown orders being defied. But what choice do they have? If they stay inside, they will watch TV or play on a smart phone shared with siblings and parents. There is violence in many of these homes. Getting outside to play is a critical mental and physical respite for these kids.Hundreds of idle autorickshaws hint at the number of daily wage workers without work. None have moved since India’s lockdown began on March 25.
Many drivers are migrants and rent these vehicles on a daily basis. Some have managed to go back to their villages; others are hanging around.
They could be shifted into action for delivery services. They will have to be given social distancing training, but at least some workers could get back to earning money. Some cab aggregator companies are beginning to do exactly this.Most residents don’t have direct access to water. You can see some homes storing water in little containers outside the house. Three buckets might last for the day. Regular hand washing will be a challenge for these households.
The summer is on us. Temperatures will increase as we go into the month of May. These homes get very hot. If this continues, staying indoors will be a health risk in and of itself and increased use will further stress water access.This is the future site of the Mumbai Metro Line 6. They have just begun digging. From what I can gather, they are getting soil samples. This expansion is part of 330 kilometers of new metro planned in the city. Some portion of financing for the project has been secured, but the city is still negotiating financing for other parts, like new vehicles. I pray the economy is not hit so badly that some of this crucial public transit infrastructure will be delayed.
Indeed, the value of all public goods seems clearer than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are all in this together, and what happens to one of us, affects us all. The housing divide is stark in cities like Mumbai. But look closer and you see that it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Water, sanitation, employment, transport, public space – for cities to work, we must do more to bring greater access to all kinds of services for all kinds of residents. Without more equitable access, there is no resilience.
My window provides a view into challenges that cities not only in India but across the global south face in the context of COVID-19. We must find ways to extend social and health protections to informal workers; expand access to quality affordable housing and public spaces; ensure delivery of basic services to all; and protect large infrastructure projects that help bridge the urban services divide, like Mumbai’s metro, from financial ruin.
My hope is that the crisis helps cities finally see and understand the hardships faced by the informal economy workers. And this knowledge – and the fear of future shocks – allows us to design stimulus packages that will help ensure cities are more inclusive and more resilient the next time.