It has now been three weeks since the Janta Curfew, in India. We have been under lock down for the entire time in our apartment, fairly unprecedented. There are strong indications that we will remain in this state of hibernation for the next three weeks as well. Here is a reflection on what has been happening.

HOME TRUTHS

Working together is the norm, more than before, with the maid being away. More and more responsibilities in the house are being shared. Here is how this has working out for us:

1] Jadoo and Poncha : On alternate days, I do a full cleaning and mopping of the house. I have two things to thank – one is the iROBOT roomba vacuum cleaner and of course the fact that we live in a 1500 sft home. It is another matter that the Roomba has lost its teeth – as in the side brushes [investigation still going on as to why this is happening]. While the gadgets and I are primarily responsible, my wife has the responsibility of inspection and fine cleaning.

2] In the kitchen : My transgressions into the kitchen has increased, which is essentially a domain closely guarded by my wife. I make the mid morning masala chai from freshly ground spices. I organise the dishes in the dishwasher to ensure that we run a cycle only when it is absolutely full. Cutting vegetables is meditative. I help with making a few dishes as well. Sambar, earlier this week was really good! Menu planning has been a joint effort of late, but the principal kartha in the kitchen remains the better half!

3] Spring cleaning : Believe it or not, a few months ago, when I quit my full time corporate job, one of the comments that I made in response to a request for spring cleaning was – “I think this can only be done if I have an uninterrupted month” – And it is happening now. We have been through my book shelf, old files, clothes, CD rack …and couple of buckets of thrash was unearthed plus some very useful clothes for the needy. There is more to be done, but now we know what is where!

4] The power of the NET is being felt in essentially two ways

– NETFLIX and PRIME are integral part of the routine – selected movies, serials and documentaries take away about three hours of shared viewing

– MOOCS – my favourite is COURSERA. I spend about a couple of hours each day on learning about my favourite new topic – digital transformation

I saw an email today from a friend that their MODEM conked off! (begging for a replacement). Not ready for the pandemonium that would result, if something like this happens to us!

5] Something new :

– We are learning to play BRIDGE. A game which fascinated me on the back seats of the official bus at NUCLEAR POWER CORPORATION a few moons ago. We used to travel about 45 minutes to work one way and a few veterans used to play this game – excited and animated in betting. Now, I am beginning to understand why. My friend Vijay Suresh would be proud!

– Fixing the BOSE Audio – have been through various rounds of trying to configure the interconnection between the BOSE audio and TV. After a number of iterations and tele help from a friend, now the TV audio is a blast! The problem was identified as rusted or fungus infected contacts in the cable – a dose of aftershave helped.

6] Meditation and prayers : My prayer time has increased. We now have a joint chanting session almost 5 days in a week. And my 30 minute meditation session continues without a break.

7] Reading and reflection : Will post something longer about my craze for books and reading. Now I read two books at a time – Ideally something serious such as history, science, philosophy or management interspersed with fiction – the former, the old style way in physical form and the latter, on a KINDLE

8] More phone time with relatives and close friends – Don’t get me wrong – the percentage of talk time with relatives and friends has increased relative to Facebook, Email and WhatsApp. The old virtues of hearing someone’s voice on the other side is back. A few Zoom and WhatsApp video calls as well.

LESSONS ON MAKING HOME LIFE INTERESTING

1] The 75/25 Rule :

In most of the Indian families, the wage earner steps out of the house and the spouse manages the home. The lines are blurring for sure. The wife is not necessary the lady of the house and the man is not necessarily the wage earner. Roles can be reversed seamlessly. So why not make life interesting!
I would suggest something like a 75/25 rule for all activities – a leader and follower for all activities. So, the husband can be an assistant cook. The wife can support in managing the home finance or vice versa. This way, both the partners experience each and every activity and then decide which one they want to take the lead and which one they want to be a servant. Try it out – you will surely discover some hidden talents!

2] Discipline is the key to managing time :

I started WFH since 2013, at least part time. So the current lock down has not caught my wife by surprise. The key to making best use of the time at home is to have a schedule. And a definitive place for serious work for both the partners. The time saved in commuting can be used for a new set of home centric activities. I know that WFH has increased office hours for a few – in these cases, the weekend schedule is a must!

3] What is it that we can do today that will be useful tomorrow?

Last week I was on a call with a bunch of strangers (organised by a dear friend who is an outstanding personal coach). One of the questions that he ended the session was very profound.

What is it that we can do today that would be useful tomorrow?

Think about the many things that we have postponed, the many skills that we wanted to learn or the retirement planning document that we wanted to write down…the list can be long. But pick a couple that are important and make sure it is done by the time the lock down ends. This time is too precious to waste in watching depressing news on TV or the internet!

A FEW PREDICTIONS

As we live through these interesting times, I am wondering what is going to be the new normal at home.  I am making a few predictions, craning my neck, not afraid to look back at this post a few years down the line.

1] Gadgets will rule : We have experienced it. Our dishwasher and Roomba are clear saviours. More and more households are going to invest in these time and labour saving equipment. And IoT enabled, smartphone instruction led appliances are going to rule. No doubt about it.

2] Drivers and Maids – I am worried about them. Many have realised that we can live without them. Is this good or bad for the economy as a whole? Will this lead to pay cuts and job losses? Social unrest? There is a clear opportunity to re skill them for the new economy engines of home delivery system [Drivers can be key members in the logistic chain and maids can be useful in sorting and cleaning – only one of the many possibilities]

3] DIY : Heard of IKEA? The pioneer in DIY for furniture. I heard from a friend that Indians still want someone to assemble the furniture at home. This is going to change. Since, we would not want strangers coming inside our home, more and more of the home repair and services would be self administered. We have to become electricians, plumbers and diagnostic technicians. Amazon or a Flipkart would deliver the spare part and tools at your door step!

4] House parties : For the last six months, we have been entertaining at home more than before. Mostly, Chai pe Charcha! Not sure how we are going to do that in the future. We cannot live without social connect with friends. So, I am hoping that we will have a fool proof, low cost test kit which we can keep at our door. Only safe guests would be allowed inside the house. Alternatively, they should carry a government card saying they are immune to the virus from a past infection!

5] Joint families will make a comeback: The need to have your close family members by your side became an acute desire during the crisis. On the international policy front, I predict many countries including India would want to become self reliant rather than depend on imports – some form of reverse globalisation. Why not make it localisation and reduce carbon foot print as well? This would create more local jobs and then three generations can stay together in the same house – like in olden times. Lock down would be more interesting then! What do you think?

Cheers and Stay Safe. We are crossing the chasm!