The Year That Was...

The Year That Was
(Is and will always be!)

Out of the shadows of 2020,
the year of horrifying adversity,
2021 grew on us and now dies
as a year of diversity.

The diversity of social distancing,
Some, secluded in the fortress of fear,
Some, roaming around policing others,
Most, wed to the social, oblivious of the distancing,
And then, some, braving the blizzard
for the sake of bread and butter…

The diversity of mask wearing,
Some, as WHO recommended,
Some, allowing the nose to stand out,
Most, as a jewellery of the chin,
And then, some, replacing it with a sheepish smile
Of having forgotten it altogether…

The diversity of working jobs,
Some, in the comfort of WFH,
Some, desperately waiting for work at work,
Most, having to work outside for family,
And then, many, having lost a livelihood…

Then the diversity of children,
Some, wanting them to stay,
Some, wanting them to just go,
A few, deciding not to have them,
Most, craving to bear them in pain, into pain…

The diversity of treatments,
Some, the white-coat emissaries of WHO,
Some, muzzled from spouting alternatives,
Most, lining up to get poked before it runs out,
Some, hiding from plain sight,
afraid, reluctant, intransigent,
And then, some others, chasing certificates regardless…

The diversity of pain,
Of having lost without goodbyes,
Of bodies in the holy river,
Of being bereft beyond belief,
Of having survived, but barely so…

Such is the diversity
In the land of a billion pokes…
Some celebrating it, some decrying it,
A few preserving it, and most ignoring it…

And somewhere at Bio Basics,
The diversity
of rices, of wheats,
of millets, of pulses,
flourishes, as we celebrate our rich heritage,
and understand that consuming can conserve…

Just like the diversity
in life, in society, in Nature,
Of emotions, of tongues, of beings,
Of food, of thoughts, of opinions,
Diversity shall live, die and thrive again.

And amidst all this diversity,
This year too shall pass,
Like the ones before and after…

Ramesh Chandran

Founder, Bio Basics

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