Yesterday we took the metro to Jayanth’s office in C.P. Since we boarded the train at about 4.15 pm there was hardly any crowd and we managed to enjoy the ride sitting throughout. The one thing that was different though, many people had their masks on ! With some people testing positive for the corona virus in Delhi, people are taking precautions and thats a good thing. Also the “namaste” is back in fashion all thanks to Corona Ji – we didn’t shake hands with Jayanth, just did a namaste, even though the IIFL office had a hand sanitiser in every corner.
I still noticed a few things that has not changed at all –
- People sneezing and cupping their hands over their mouths, but not using a handkerchief or tissue. Several people looked up at the person who sneezed yesterday and not one person am sure said “bless you”. 🙂 If you happen to get a sneeze suddenly, sneeze into your shirt sleeve. That way your germs remain with you.
- While returning, a young man was enjoying a pack of chips. Didn’t see him use any hand sanitiser, but more worrying was the way he licked every finger of his after finishing off the last chip in the pack. The masala is tasty, I agree, but in a metro when your hands have been put on the railings and other places, licking them may not be a good idea.
- We walked around the C.P circle after our meeting with Jayanth and found everyone eating Delhi’s famous “chaat”. Now there is absolutely no problem with “chaat”, I love “chaat” too, but with this virus scare going around, its important to make sure its hygienic. Roadside food thats uncooked is best avoided. Atleast the samosas and kachoris are deep fried so there is no chance of any living thing surviving the hot oil.
Its important that we focus on hygiene and on building our body’s immunity. Wear a mask if you are out in a crowded place, but Dadi Ma’s tips on hygiene matter more – Wash your hands and feet when you enter the house after being outside, eat home cooked food, wash your hands every time you use the toilet and before eating food, take bath every single day, have turmeric with milk, don’t hug and kiss friends or strangers but say “Namaste”.
Also I am tickled pink about the world going “Brahmin” after all the bashing …. well, the Brahmins never touched the tumblers or cups in which they drank water/tea with their lips, because germs spread that way, nothing religious about that. Brahmins took bath before cooking food and one never touches the serving bowl with the hand that you eat with, someone will serve the food with clean hands … nothing religious but everything to do with hygiene. Brahmins washed their clothes and hung them high on the ceiling, untouched by anybody else… yet again, its about hygiene and no “aacharam” or “madi”. Brahmins don’t eat “jhoota” or share food that’s been bitten into by anyone else …. hahaha, no untouchability there, its again all to do with hygiene. And last but not the least, Brahmins aren’t supposed to eat non-veg, because a rotten tomato will give you the runs at best… while rotten meat will give life threatening germs that take lives across the world :(:(.
Even the non-veg eating Indians stay away from raw and exotic meat which is the best thing to do because once the meat is fully cooked, atleast infections don’t spread.
Anyway, nice to see Israel saying “namaste” … hopefully the smart jews continue to wear that pod of garlic around their necks to keep the germs away and stay safe from Corona Ji. Hope Indians stay safe from Corona Ji and the world at large puts this epidemic behind. It has taken too many lives and that’s never a good thing. Some of the unconfirmed news from China is disturbing on how they are dealing with this threat … just praying for all those affected to be healed soon.
Namaste !