The New Normal - Life after Lockdown

I like the phrase ‘The New Normal’.

It is the latest rage in jargon(ism) that has been enthusiastically  adopted by many intellectually sounding people (like me).

And I love using it frequently.

 

Like this time when I was amongst a group of people discussing some serious topic. And I made a serious face and in a grave sounding tone uttered these profound statements –

“Wearing face masks throughout our lives will now be the New Normal” &

“Working from home three times a week is already the New Normal in most companies nowadays. And others too will adopt this New Normal  rapidly !!”

And people looked at me with awe and respect!

And I was instantly catapulted into the league of serious thinkers and visionaries.

And I was amongst the Alvin Toffler & Yuval Noah Harari & Elon Musk fraternity!!

 

Using ‘The New Normal’ will make you sound wise & Prophetic. Believe me. Just try it out??

 

Now what is the New Normal??

The Old Normal with an expensive face lift??

 

Its much beyond that. It encompasses a transformation in how we think and behave & go about doing our daily work (after the long lockdown).

 

If you seriously observe yourself and compare what is happening today with that 5 months back (before the COVID 19 attack) you will quickly realize that

You now wash your hands at least 10 times a day and your face 3 times a day. And you have started subscribing to 2 bottles of sanitizer along with your regular Dettol and Listerine and Colgate consignments each month.

You are spending less time in your car and more time in your chair in front of your computer screen.

And it’s been ages since you have entered the plush conference room on your office floor and made a ppt presentation while sipping hot Coffee/Chai and munching Good Day and Bourbon Biscuits!!

And every morning you automatically collect your kids’ clothes, look under their  table and bunker beds for their discarded pajamas & hanky’s, collect your  wife’s clothes  and then  yours and check the shoes closet for old sock,  and load them all  into the washing machines, pour the liquid detergent and the fabric softener and start the machine – and all of this, without a single call or a reminder from your wife !!

 

Isn’t that a miracle??

No, my friend.  I would say it is the New Normal!!

 

And here is a wonderful articulation by Dr. Raghunandan Kumar -  HoD, Civil Engineering Dept, Christ College.

 

“We’re not going to college, though we did go a few times for administrative work. The Pandemic has saved me the travel time nearly 2 1/2 hrs. (1 hr. in the morning and 1 1/2 hrs. in the evening) of my productive time, which I am using for fitness and relaxation. 

 

We are having regular online classes from the last week of April. We have conducted online examinations for our students of final year and junior semesters too. We have been busier than pre-pandemic time as we are available 24/7. In addition to the online classes, we have online meetings, webinars either organized by us or we are attending them. Not sure what lies in store post-pandemic.”

 

The pandemic has helped us to use technology (which was available all the time but not explored to its full potential) in education well to ensure that the students do not lose on the continuity in learning, even for  those who are not so tech-savvy.”

 

And I am sure each one of us in SP will have a somewhat similar story to narrate.

 

The lockdown had changed our lives. 

Just look at the good things it has done to us..

 

Husbands have learnt to share household work with their partners. Many have learnt to sweep and mop the floor  and clean the dishes.

Many now know how to load the pressure cooker with food and place it on the gas/induction stove and stop it after 6 whistles!

Many can now wash clothes, dry them and after folding, stack them up neatly in their cupboards. And pass the final inspection by their wives.

Some have even helped their kids with their studies and have attended online classes with the children.

Difficult for me to imagine such ‘busy’ execs who never found time to attend even a single PTA meeting now sitting patiently with his 8-year-old daughter during the on line classes.

 

And hats off to all those wonderful husbands for every one of  them has risen to the daily challenges set by the lockdown.

Now they can easily & efficiently peel boiled hot potatoes.

They can chop onions with the proficiency of a weeping chef.

And they can slice and dice tomatoes, mushrooms & garlic, peel carrots & cucumber and bitter gourd. And they can patiently pick out leaves from the dhania, pudina & kadi patta bunch.  And prune and chop French beans and cabbage – all without cutting, bruising, or dismembering their fingers!!

You start with 10 perfect fingers and retain all the ten in perfect shape after each such operation!! 

A big shout out & Kudos to your new skill.

 

And the grand dads can now operate the iRobot, setting it first for dry vacuum and then for wet mopping. And the grand moms can go online and order sabji, fruits & groceries as well. And by the way both have learnt to pay thru their Google Pay and PayTM installed in their smart phones!

 

And I have learnt a few tricks myself too.  I can now cut and slice a pineapple effortlessly & shell a pomegranate, without injuring my fingers or messing up the floor!!

 

And the kids have also learnt to cooperate. They have learnt not to disturb and make noise when their dad or mom is in a con-call or a net meeting. And they can make their own breakfast and heat up their chocolate milk.

Lockdown had made families come closer.

 

My granddaughter has learnt to toss mildly sweetened Oothappams until they are golden brown. She calls them ‘pancakes’. (In tamil I would dismiss that as ashattu thitheeppu Oothapam at best !!)

Reminds me of the jampacked crowd at IHOP every Sunday mornings!!

 

And over the last few months my resident son has perfected the art of making perfectly round and perfectly cooked and perfectly blown (like a fully inflated football) phulkas!!

 

Following the long lockdown, the New Normal is bound to disrupt many lives. It has already uprooted many businesses, cut jobs, reduced salaries, closed shops and made people go bankrupt. Millions have suffered and many more will face its wrath in the coming future.

 

People, in general, will travel & commute lesser for some more time

And the Uber taxi driver will have a harder time paying his EMI.

The restaurants will operate at less than 50% capacity.

Hotel rooms will go vacant and homestays and resorts and beach houses will struggle to stay afloat.

And the airlines industry is already on a life support system and what worse can happen to it ?

 

The auto drivers will not have the luxury to fleece their fares anymore.

The fruit vendor near Safina Plaza will no longer be that arrogant. And he may even offer you a sample grape for you to taste before you buy.

 

People have got comfortable and confident of buying on the net. You even get sticker bindi and bobby pins on Amazon!

The local kirana shop is getting edged out by online grocery marts. And they offer better & consistent quality and sometimes at better prices & attractive discounts too. And prompt delivery at your doorstep.

Fruit & vegetable trucks have started visiting colonies with a wide range veggies and local and exotic fruits and some specialize in ‘Organic & naturally ripened’ variety.  So, the local fruit seller may see reduced biz soon.

 

And with more and more on-line promos and barrage of discounts and clearance sales and end of season offers, traditional mode of buying will get hugely impacted, and standalone retail outlets might soon see a big squeeze in their revenues & profits.  That is the New Normal!

 

So, who will flourish in the New Normal?

 

The pharma industry obviously. With a variety of vaccines and so-called miracle drugs, they are poised to make tons of money.

And then the health supplement making companies that make vitamins and immunity boosters. They too are and continue  to make obscene amounts of profits.

 And the online companies – they are already making pots of money – all at the expense of our local shopkeepers and fruit sellers.

 

As they say, in any situation, good or bad, the rich always get richer and the poor, even poorer. And Lockdown and COVID 19 situation is no exception.

 

And some day sooner or later this too shall pass.

Things will settle and life will come back to normal.

But not the old normal or the New Normal.

It will be The New New Normal.

 

New New Normal = Subset of (Original Old Normal + Old New Normal)  + a few paradigm shifts.

 

Will that be good?? No one can say.

But as I had said earlier,

The Achhhey Dins were always in those good old days!!

 

Its raining (actually pouring) outside.

And I remember that nostalgic song  by Jagjit Singh & Chitra Singh….

 

Ye daulat bhi le lo, ye shohrat bhi le lo

Bhale cheen lo mujhse meri jawaani

Magar mujhko lauta do bachchpan ka saawan

Wo kagaz ki kashti wo barish ka pani

Wo kagaz ki kashti wo barish ka pani

 

Take back my wealth & my glory

And take away my youth also from me

But please return back to me my childhood in the monsoon (season)

(With)  Those boats made of paper!

And those wonderful raindrops!!

 

 Krish..

Of Speeding Cyclists & Collisions!!

The lockdown has been lifted! Aha!!

And the young cyclists are back in action @ the SP tracks.

And this time I notice a sizable number of elders also joining this bandwagon (or cycle-wagon??)

Twice I got narrowly missed by a passing cyclist as I walked around the blocks. Both times the cyclists were very slow. So not much harm would have been done even if there was an impact.

And please note, I take Shelcal-500 (calcium tablets) daily and that guarantees me that no bone in my body will get broken – not even a hairline fracture, I bet!!

A few months back I predicted that in Sobha Palladian, one cyclist will bang into one pedestrian and break one bone.

And that had come true.

A couple of weeks back, a young speeding cyclist collided with a young playing girl giving her a fractured hand.

Very unfortunate.

And now I see this young one back in action on the grounds with her bulky arm in a sling but cheerful and playing!  (I think she was back in action the very next day ??)

Kudos Anandita !!

I am no Nostradamus.

But I will predict that such incidents will happen again.

However, the combination of such participants and extent of damages may differ – no denying.

There is nothing to be surprised or upset or outraged about such accidents. Nor does it make sense (in my opinion) to condemn such incidents so eloquently in our Whats App group.

We live in a community with aged folks, middle aged professionals, home makers, teenagers and kids full of energy and infants bundled up in their strollers.

And in such communities, elders need to take their walks, fitness folks must do their jogging laps each day, home makers must have their brisk walks, teenagers must get together and socialize and kids must burn off their energy with brisk activity!!!

And the space for such activities is never infinite.

And even though Sobha builders have provided us with  more than ample free spaces and open grounds, people will cross each other’s path, people will overtake one another, some will lose their balance and some will misjudge their speed and direction.

So, many times the coordinates for such activities will overlap at some destined time.

And at such times Sir Isaac Newton is most unforgiving!

(Newton’s Law = Two objects cannot occupy the same coordinates at the same time)

And so, this results in a transfer of momentum from one party to another.

And an accident happens!!

And I am perfectly cool with this situation and the risk of such things happening to me. I rationalize that there are equal chances of me getting hit by a speeding kid cyclist as by tripping over my own untied  shoe laces and falling, or tripping over a tuft of grass or skidding over a banana peel as I walk on the pavement along  CT  street.

But what I am definitely not cool is the barrage of Whats App messages that follow after every such incident.

Why do we have to have lengthy discussion on such issues.

Why do we have to start blaming and identifying who is at fault.

And why do we start suggesting Do’s and Don’t’s?

And why do we have to take sides with the children or against them.

Why do we have to start making more rules and restrict everybody’s movements even more.

No rule is fool proof and no activity is 100% safe – unless you are sitting or sleeping motionless in your room with the door safely locked!

And unless all senior citizens shift to Retirement & old-age homes where there are no kids or any potentially colliding objects.

And all joggers go to Kanteerava stadium and jog there each day

And all home makers go to Indiranagar park for their daily brisk walks.

And all kids go to footfall grounds/ skating rings /cricket pitches/ cycling tracks/ basketball courts/etc/etc to burn off their energy.

And the path around our block is reserved only for infants riding their prams and tiny toddlers with squeaky shoes!!

And I will guarantee you that none of these groups will be happy even in such ideal situations.

So, some bit of chaos is necessary and it is exciting as well .

We all must live together. 

And there will be incidents and some challenges.

Some hits and some near misses and some oops as well.

And those moments when we say, “thank God, it’s not me “

And ‘solpa adjust maadi’ as well.

And no denying,

Kids must cycle cautiously, especially while negotiating corners & bends

Senior citizens must be careful as well, when going around corners.

And a load of more moral preaching’s and motherhood statements…

But all said and done, the bottom line:-

All of us must be cautious & work harder to avoid another accident.

Until the next one happens.

How ironical!

Krish..

This day (19 July) that year (1969)

Here is a wonderful post by Natarajan Radhakrishnan, a senior citizen @ 3003.
(Please checkout he last section where he highlights the various safe options for investing !!)

19th July 2020 is the 51st Anniversary of Bank Nationalization.

Sri Krishnan, in one of his blogs, mentioned about the falling interest rates on deposits and how in the good old days (Achhe din) things were better.  He also mentioned how this fall has affected retirees and senior citizens who depend mainly on this interest income. 

This set me thinking.  

Back in the 1960's, there were in India about 94 commercial banks, mostly in different regions and catering to the needs of the local clientele.  There was hardly any control by the Reserve Bank of India.  The volume of business and profit margins were small, and big scams were unknown.  

You will be surprised to know the names of some of these banks : Hanuman Bank (Thanjavur), CalicuT Bank, Quilon Bank, Sri Ramajeyam Bank, Bengal Bank, Sri Venkateswara Grameen Bank, etc.  Many of these banks  downed their shutters and the managers went “faraar”!  

I had a savings account in one  such bank,  called The Paalai Central Bank (a Kerala-based bank).  One fine day, in August 1960, it went “diwala”.  Several months later I received a “crossed/account payee/not negotiable”  cheque for ₹ 8/- as and full final settlement of the balance I had in savings account on the day the said Paalai  Central Bank went into liquidation. That was 40% of ₹ 20/- I had in the bank!

The decade 1960 to 1970 was a tumultuous one.  Several small banks were becoming insolvent.  Some smaller banks were getting amalgamated/taken over by bigger banks.

In the General Elections held in 1967, Indira Gandhi returned to power with a very reduced majority.  There were problems created by the senior leaders like K. Kamaraj, Morarji Desai, Atulya Ghosh, Nijalingappa and others, who were quite disenchanted with her style of governance.  Therefore she had started leaning towards the Communists, who also wanted their pound of flesh for supporting the Government.  As their demands were getting more and more strident, Indira Gandhi was under tremendous pressure to do something to please their constituency, namely, the poor and under-privileged  - “Do something for the poor who are our bread and butter” during elections (Garibi Hatao).

 On 16 July 1969 Morarji Desai resigned from the Cabinet.  He was Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.  Indira Gandhi was just waiting for this to happen. In the next two days, officers of PMO, Finance and Law Ministries and the RBI were burning midnight oil to produce a document of far-reaching importance.  

On 19 July, 1969, (three days after Morarji Desai resigned) President V.V. Giri promulgated an Ordinance called Banking Companies (Acquisition of Undertaking) Ordinance, 1969, whereby 14 big banks were nationalised and came under Government Control.  More Banks were added to this list in later years.

(The other very important measure undertaken by Indira Gandhi was the Abolition of Privy Purses, which the Maharajahs, Nawabs, etc. of the erstwhile Princely States we’re getting, on their agreeing to join the Union of India.  General Insurance was nationalized in 1972 and 107 private general insurance Companies were grouped and amalgamated into four nationalized Companies.)

With the nationalization of banks, people thought that their money would be safe as these banks have the backing of the Government of India.  Nobody ever thought that there existed a possibility when a Bank may refuse to honour its commitment to repay the money.  

Recent examples are : PMC Bank, YES Bank and  Guru Raghavendra Sahakari Bank (Basavangudi).  As far back as 1961, a Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (under the aegis of the Reserve Bank of India) was created which provided that when a Bank goes bust, the maximum amount that a depositor can  get back, was ₹ 1 lakh!  

In fact a certain private bank started putting a rubber stamp warning on the passbook about this limit.(In the budget for 2020-21, this limit has been raised to ₹ 5 lakhs).

This raises the question: how safe are Bank deposits?  

Till recently, we thought that what we saved and parked in Banks are quite safe, until the politics came in the picture. Indiscriminate lending not backed by any collateral security and a few borrowers not repaying the dues (e.g. Vijay Mallaya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, et al) forced banks to show the unrealized and unreasonable amounts as “Non-performing Assets” and in a number of cases were written-off, in what was called as a “bail-out” exercise.  Such liabilities were running into several thousand crores.

In December 2017, the NDA-1 Government brought in a Bill called Financial Regulation and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017.  The Bill, among other things, provided that whenever a Bank faces loss (due to defaults by major borrowers) a “bail-in” clause was to be introduced whereby the Bank could use the deposits of its clients to meet the loss/default by some borrowers, making-up its balance sheet.  There was widespread apprehension and fear in the minds of the depositors, especially senior citizens, who were dependent solely on the periodic interest pay-outs on their deposits. 

While the Bill was under examination of a Joint Select Committee of Parliament, bowing to the criticisms of the public, Finance Minister Piyush Goel withdrew the Bill, in August 2008, providing a major relief.  But one cannot assume that the proposal is dead and gone forever.  Once the present Government is free from the problems, it may consider re-introducing the controversial Bill.

 

So, this brings us as to how safe are our FDs, etc. in the Banks.  

Technically, our deposits are guaranteed for return only up to ₹ 5 lacks.   The excess amounts are called “unsecured”.  In the last fifty years, no nationalized bank had gone bust.  Therefore it is safe to assume that we would get back our monies.  This, however, cannot be said about the private banks.  

About 10 years ago, there was a “run” on the ICICI Bank in some branches in Gujarat.  However the RBI came to the rescue and provided the necessary liquidity.  Other examples : Global Trust Bank was taken over by HDFC Bank, YES Bank was rescued by by State Bank of India. 

But the PMC Bank and a few other co-operative banks were not lucky, and the depositors are left in the lurch.

As a senior citizen, I would settle for safer avenues even if the rate of interest is a little less, but (presently) more than the bank rates.

They are :

1. Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (a GOI) Scheme - ROI - 7.4% 

2. Floating Rate Savings Bond (RBI) - 7.15% 

3. All Savings schemes of the Post Office (GOI) like PO Time Deposits, National Savings Certificates, Kisan Vikas Patra, Monthly Income Schemes, etc. ROI 6.8% 

4. Public Provident Fund for youngsters (7.4%) (interest changes every quarter) Also it is called EEE (Exempt at the time of investment, Interest earned is Exempt, and maturity amount is also Exempt from income tax).

 5. Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana, managed by the Life Insurance Corporation giving interest rate of 7.4% at present.  This rate will be reset every year in alignment with the rate offered under the Senior Citizens Savings Scheme.

  6. For the youngsters, the National Pension Scheme is an ideal investment, where you can accumulate a good sum as the corpus, get back 60% of the corpus as a taxfree lump sum, and also get a decent pension for life.

Another good investment for those who do not wish to have periodic interest pay-out is investment in Sovereign Gold Bonds of the Government of India.  Details are available in the net.

Thanks for reading.  Regards.

and Thank You Sir, for this comprehensive and very insightful post.

Krish..

Locked down: Physical, Mental & Emotional !!!

I am forcing myself to write this post.

I have harnessed all my mental energy to concentrate, think and come up with some good content that I can write.

And its taking me lot of determination and enormous will power to keep my butt  glued to the seat  and my fingers to keep typing!!

Folks, I am Exhausted, Drained out. Totally burnt out!!

Burned out by doing just about nothing !!!

4 months into lock down has left me burdened with physical & mental fatigue.  Locked up inside my home with no 'active'  activity status  has paralyzed me.

Yes,  I am totally drained out  – on all my axis of life, be they physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically  etc & etc.

And the worst of all, I do not see the end of the tunnel.

And as positive cases keep rising  in Bangalore we seem to be digging deeper into the tunnel!

When the first voluntary lock down was announced by our PM, I was enthusiastic. And I also banged my table spoon on my stainless steel thali as loud as I could.

And when the full lock down was announced two days later, I was actually excited at the thought that we are successfully going to beat the COVID-19 hands down.

And I eagerly participated and diligently stood in silence for 9 minutes (when all the nine planets were in alignment) with a huge candle in my hands and thanked all the COVID-19 Warriors.

It seems years have passed since those good times.

  

And slowly, month by month & week by week, all that enthusiasm has ebbed out.

I no longer feel motivated or happy or even convinced that what I am doing the right thing. There is an unsettling sense of fear and insecurity hanging over everywhere. And Bangalore appears to be a ghost  city.  Empty roads and silent evenings.

And I am getting tired of ‘being tired of doing nothing’.

Or doing things with least effort.

 For example, over the last few months, 80% of our entire household shopping was done exclusively by my right-hand forefinger clicking on the mouse!!  
And I sometime get nightmares that I have morphed into a gnome like creature with big  bulging eyes, an enormous forehead and a huge pointy finger. Rest of my body have atrophied due to lack of use – just like the chimp’s tail after it evolved into a human being.

Now imagine how exciting can that be.

And my life is totally devoid any excitement. No  adrenaline rush.

No joy of achievement either.

As the wise one said

The apples on the highest branch are the sweetest!!

So, the more you struggle, the happier you get when you succeed!!

Going out in my car is no longer a fun and an adventurous activity.

My drive from SP exit gates to Anand Sweets in Anjaneya complex takes just under 12 minutes now.

And I do not feel good and accomplished when I return home after buying a few samosas and Dhoklas - all within 35 minutes!!

And what a shame that is.

And I recollect those wonderful days when..

It took a minimum of  3 mins to bully myself  thru the traffic at the exit gate, and successfully negotiate  a U-Turn (amongst loud honkings)  and squeeze my car between a tempo and a Autorikshaw.

That was exciting & fun  and it required great skill!!

Then another 3 minutes wait at the signal before taking a left turn on to the HAL airport road.

And this time i would watch the tempo in front of me laden with household stuff (someone is shifting house, I conclude),

And the I check out the smart lady in a shiny red VW Polo next to my car, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel (A fast beat I am guessing) .  And wow, fancy shades, and an intricate mehndi design on her fair forearms (whats the occasion, I wonder ??).

And before I exercise my observation powers further the sign flips green & I start to zip on the HAL road before hitting the brakes near the HAL museum.

And then accelerate again only to hit a traffic jam at HAL main gate.

And that’s a good 7 minutes during which you can hear Phil Collins  singing  Su Su Suyaa (Sussudio) and How many times I am going to say I am sorry (Something happened on the way to heaven) !!

And before Britney Spear launches a peppy number the lights turn green and off you go speeding.

Not for long.   The huge Volvo airport shuttle  is just negotiating a laborious u-turn in front of Babasaheb Ambedkar statue.

And before you touch 60 Kmph., you are in front of Rajeshwari theater where you pause for a few long seconds and then quickly join the long queue in front of ICICI bank.

That wind tunnel road signal is notorious for its long waits. More than 10 minutes at times!

And to set the mood for this long wait you switch on to that nasal voiced Mukesh album.

Starting with  ‘Dost Dost naa raha ‘  to ‘Janey Kahan Gaye woh din’ you can listen patiently to both these soulful songs and go half way into 'Main toh deewana, deeewana ....) by the time you get cleared with a green signal.

And then if you are lucky, you can reach Anand’s without touching yr brakes any further.
Oops, not true. You have another hurdle at Manipal Hospital where frisky folks are challenging you to break their bones.

And after managing to double park your car in font of the huge tree, you walk into the busy shop. Takes some smart effort to get the attention of the attendant before you get your Dhoklas and Samosas packed and paid for.

Then you take a long ride up to Domlur before making a u-turn for return.

And this time we have  a traffic jam in front of HDFC where the road is narrowed for constructing an underpass and then another long queue at the signal near HAL main gate.

This one could be frustrating especially when the unending line of HAL buses come out after the morning shift closes.

And this time you do not check out other  female drivers nor listen to soulful music. You just grit your teeth and keep on swearing!!  You have been in the car for more than an hour, your butt is hot and sweaty (and itchy as well) and   you want to get home asap!!

And it takes another 20 minutes before reaching SP Gates.

And when you reach home, you turn on the fan/AC and plonk yourself into your favorite sofa, you feel real, real satisfied. A great achievement – you have managed to get the snacks well before the teatime! Congratulate yourself!!

I went to SBI HAL branch a few days back .

And I got my FDs renewed in a zip.
 There was no crowd and it was so quick that I almost felt cheated and deprived of the usual SBI bank experience& ambiance  that I was  so much used to all these years.

As one stand up comedian said, the SBI bank is like the Café Coffee Day for all senior citizens and retired government servants and pensioners. They primarily come to the bank for socializing and, by the way fill up the entries in their pass-book!! 
I sorely missed standing in those long lines patiently waiting for my turn, striking up a conversation with the ancient and wizened folks in front of and behind me. And sometimes I would let an old lady get in front of me and feel very proud of my chivalry !!!

And come to think of it , it’s been more than 5 months since I got held up in traffic because of a VIP movement!!  Why aren’t these politicians driving on the HAL airport anymore??  

We are losing that connect & emotional attachment with our Netas !!!

Its so depressing on the roads.

NO Life. NO smoke. NO blaring horns, NO Auto rattle, NO two wheeler revving engines, and what I miss most is that wonderful steady low-pitched thud of the four stroke Royal Enfield Bullet !!!

And folks, now you realize where were those Achhey Dins ??

And when will they return. 

Do we have any local Nostradamus??

Krish..