COViD -19: My personal hits and misses...

-Dr. Tapan Saikia |

Each one of us has a story to tell….an urge that gets stronger in such situations…you long for a company, but you can’t….at least, not close enough…not within an arm’s length..

Are We Ready For Autonomous Vehicles?

February 10, 2026

Why Did America and Iran Become Enemies? A History of Conflict, Oil, and Revolution

February 10, 2026

THE INWARD MIGRATION OF THE RABHAS INTO THE BRAHMAPUTRA AND THE TEESTA VALLEYS

February 10, 2026

My Hits:

Beethi and I often discuss of living a normal retired life…time will be ours…how so ever boring it could be…but we resigned to a different kind of life, retired but not retired….thankful to younger colleagues, who still value our contribution …destiny decides…nobody is stopping us from sitting at home..but….

Lockdown has opened up the road…hospital OPD had to be shut…fewer patients in the ward and day care…we seniors as well as young ones could breathe a bit and take turns to attend duties…

This has allowed us to get up from bed a little late…say, after 6 AM…unhurried cup of tea and a few more minutes in the bathroom….unhindered travel to hospital on working days…on the empty roads…

On the non-working day, the alarm goes off at 6.30 or 6.57, after a mutual agreement…Beethi for 6.57, I for 6.30…the breakfast, never sumptuous but nutritious..tend to some work..a cup tea or coffee around 11… never thought it would materialise….home lunch, are you kidding? It’s a reality now…an afternoon nap (susegad in Goan or আবেলিৰ ঘুমটি) on a weekday…the afternoon melancholy of noise of the old fan, a dog’s barking, sound of a leaking tap in the bathroom, the hot fetid wind blowing from the distant sea…rerun of news on the TV as the main anchors are reenergising themselves for the evening’s not very useful debates…a cup of tea again…do whatever you wish to…let and watch the sun go down… notice the slow movement of the hour hand of the wall clock…how blissful a retired life is…

Oh, yes…some cooking as well..forgotten spices…miscalculated water and salt to taste…a disaster happening..surprisingly no one complains…lest the virus gets upset…cleaning the house…get the supply from the gate of the building complex..of course, the time with very young grandchildren…and, completing or taking up academic responsibilities…

Somehow, I haven’t been able to gather energy to watch movies on TV…one who didn’t miss a single movie till mid 80s…

It’s a real surprise..

The Misses:

I certainly miss my hurried time in the morning…it sets the tone for the rest of the day…I need adrenaline…it’s in short supply now.

I miss the bustling activities in the hospital…trickling of patients and families isn’t healthy for a Mumbai hospital…I know it’s a routine in periphery…the team members miss the academic discussions…they’re keen, but I am forced to push them away..as the virus demands…

I miss my evening runs in the campus…occasional venture to the lakeside promenade…miss the loitering in the malls till the feet revolt…

I miss my hugs with some patients and families…I like to hug…handshakes with others…would we never come to that again?

The End:

Do we really know what to expect…everyone is talking of winning…winning what and against whom? My take…it will be a ‘truce’, a ‘drawn match’….we will claim a victory…only Mother Nature knows how much of a freedom she allows us…and, some good personal news too…my latest PCR for the virus is negative…it has spared me so far…