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.
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!!