Youngsters staying away from home faced the brunt of the pandemic after the lockdown was imposed.
Hyderabad: When lockdown was announced as a decisive step in the fight against the novel coronavirus and as TV channels began flashing it, with WhatsApp messages suddenly pouring in, I knew I was up for something unusual!
The daunting task for any bachelor living alone in such circumstances was finding ways to fill his tummy as s/he is away from family. The same was my case. Every eatery in the city was closed. The buzzword, Pizzas and Pastas, seemed myths of a forgotten past and life was a real struggle.
How did a bachelor manage such distressing times? I grabbed every biscuit and chips packet that I could find from nearby stores that opened only for a few hours. I also hoarded a lot of packets of instant noodles that turned out to be my saviour. Just munch on biscuits and stir up some noodles, these were my daily diet.
On days when possible, I used to get some vegetables and try my hand at cooking. It was not an easy task as at times the curries ended up with little salt or more oil. However, all those amazing chefs on ‘YouTube’ came to my rescue. The experimentation in the kitchen started with attempts being made to try out every cuisine possible with vegetables and chicken following instructions of the chefs on mobile phone.
I also had long drawn discussions with my mother, friends and acquaintance over the phone for striking the right proportions while cooking my favorite dish.
On the whole, Covid-19 taught me the hardest lessons and made me cherish all those happy moments in my life which I otherwise failed to acknowledge. Caught in life’s cobwebs, here I am, a better man prepared to fight the new mutants of the deadly virus!