By SUBHA DILIP
It was in early 2020 when Corona had just started to make its rounds in India.
I was in my second trimester. With the nausea and tiredness reduced, I was hoping to venture out, meet people and eat at all my favourite food outlets. Then came the news of Corona.
Though the lockdown had not been implemented then, I decided to stay safe and eat self-made home food. There is a saying ‘When you wish for something from the bottom of your heart, Nature paves the way for you to experience it’. That happened to me in some ways.
A day after my self lockdown, my doorbell rang. I went to attend it and there she was! My neighbour aunty with her home-made gift hamper. It had manga thokku, pulikaachal, a stationary kit for my daughter, and home-made fried snacks (murukku, seedai and such).
The joy I experienced knew no bounds. The best part was that the goodies just didn’t stop with that aunty. I live in a community of 64 apartments in a campus located off Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai and most residents have known each other for decades.
Though I have been living here only for the past four years, we have had good neighbours and many of them brought me, a variety of snacks every now and then. Their love and care increased the taste of the delicious food.
From rice koozh and paruppu vadai to omapodi to elai-vadaam, I had all types of snacks served with utmost care.
I remember the day when I stepped out for a short walk – one of the residents who spotted me, hurried inside her house and came running to me with what seemed like a newspaper ball. Well, it was uppu-seedai and vella-seedai
wrapped in a newspaper sheet. These were people with good hearts!
By God’s grace, a supportive family and the good people around, I delivered a baby boy (we named him Shrikrishna) in July 2020. My neighbours suggested many nice names for my child and there was no way I could pick a few and use them. So I chose to mention their deeds at pandemic time – to show my gratitude.
- Subha worked for Ernst & Young and then decided to become a home-maker. Writing, music and yoga are her current passions.
