July 24, 2021: The full moon looks the same

July 24, 2021: The full moon looks the same. Looking at the full moon from the prop plane at night has a charm that is quite unparalleled. I have not been on a prop commercial plane for a long time. But the flight today was on such a plane. Armed with a negative COVID-19 report, we left in pounding rain early in the morning. I was wondering on the short flight, looking at Chilka lake below, how different people have handled the pandemic. The group I was meeting with seemed to have taken it in stride. Months of video meetings culminated in this single day meeting. There was a complete weekend lockdown at my destination. They said it is best not to stay the night at a hotel. In and out. Sanitized car. Double masked. A little afraid. Showering my hands with sanitizer. Sanitized guest room. Distanced meeting. But life goes on. The meetings were productive. An amazing lunch, served on banana leaves, completely safe. No one used the bio-degradable “plate” before and no one will again. Had the opportunity to meet a “rags to riches” person. Humility at its best. As we sat down to a fifteen-course lunch on the pristine marble floor of the temple annex I realized that many have found the hybrid way to work with the pandemic. Achyut Samantha. There is a way, if we accept that this is not a temporary interruption. It is a sea-change, and we have to sail a new sea. As LA and St. Louis masks again and the bravado comes to a close, the realization must come that we have to navigate a new route. And it can be done. The deserted streets were the playground of the delivery motorcycles plying everything everywhere. Perhaps we will have to change the way we celebrate. This full moon was auspicious where I was. The events at the temple was carefully orchestrated, but there were no regrets. Those who wanted worship and fellowship were able to get it. Everyone is careful. Carefulness dies at the altar of arrogance. As we will witness soon, again. The economic imperative needs creative solutions. Not the foolhardy ostriches driven by entitled people who think they can beat this by a frontier mentality. This frontier is reminding us to be cautious. To be mindful. To not resign but find a way. And there are ways. In my industry, there are ways. A bondhu described how they were orchestrating an examination for medical students who need to deal with the “real” in the virtual. Imagine and innovate. As my driver took me back to the airport through the locked down streets I looked out the window at a city that was not just coping but also doing. Yes, things are difficult, but a tsunami of change does not come without a cost. We learn to manage change, not deny its existence. As I laid out the plans of the work with energetic young professionals, I realized that they are fully cognizant of the changes that have come and are working with the change and making the change work for them. A person who teaches radio production said that for the online classes students are not allowed to use their camera. Voice only. It is radio after all. The person said how the pandemic opened up this pedagogic possibility – which was always technologically available – but never used. That is innovation. The way Devdas manages the food supply. That is being creative. The night flight back was empty. As I swam between the slumber that comes from a long day and the peek outside at the full moon, I realized that things are about to happen. The drive back along VIP road, with the rain still falling and the lights of the numerous hotels along the way and the lights of the taillights glistening off the wet pavements, was calming. Now I remember Uriah Heep, “Moonlight night/After moonlight night/Side by side/They will see us ride.”