“Isolation. The one word that doesn’t sit well with me. To me, isolation mind maps itself to anxiety, paranoia and depression. I am someone who travels for 80 km every day. When I heard the news of the lockdown, it gave me shivers. I didn’t know how I would pull myself out of this unscathed.

I am a photographer by profession. There is a lot of trauma and experiences over the years that I have seen and been through. It all started when I was 11 months old and put on a lot of steroids because I had brain fever. I lost my eyesight in one eye due to that. So, if your lives are in 3D, then mine is in 2D. I’ve also been a victim of an identity crisis. I used to copy people’s traits unknowingly just to fit in. So when you put all of this together I felt like I don’t even know myself anymore because I always hid behind a facade.
So, during the quarantine right now, I am doing everything I possibly can to be that support system that I never had. Being quarantined and away from people can lead to a lot of mental uneasiness which we don’t even see coming. So, I make sure I am there for others by talking to them on a regular basis. I recently helped my friend in Delhi to push through a difficult patch! I think I can say that I am a giver. I love giving whatever I can to make people feel better and help them in all ways I can to keep their mental health intact. Them being at peace is the one thing that gives me the most satisfaction, the one thing that gives me a purpose.
The first thing I want to do after the lockdown is lifted is to give my bike a nice wash and take it for a ride. I want to feel the breeze and sun on my face again and this time I will absorb it like there is no tomorrow!
These are tough times. We can either help ourselves or we can help people with ourselves. Because, somewhere or the other, you see that people don’t have the strength to fight their own mind as it takes a lot of will to fight against your own brain. And, until you are aware, you cannot fight it. So, talk to the people around you. Your friends, family, anyone. Keep in touch with them, be productive and keep yourself busy. We will get through this, together.”

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