
We often take for granted the small things in life like living under the same roof with our family or learning how to cook with our mother, or even playing card games with our grandparents. Living at home is certainly a privilege during these uncertain times and makes one wonder what it’d be like to be living far away, perhaps, in another country altogether. However, it is mostly only in difficult times when we realise the value of little acts of kindness and courage. We look towards stories that instill our faith in our fellow humans. A thoughtful gesture from a kind neighbour or a grandson’s story of running across Manhattan to hunt for a special ingredient as an affirmation to his grandmother, these stories are sure to make us all smile.
In an interview with Homegrown, two Indians stranded in the US tell us their heartwarming tales from the lockdown.
Siddhi, 24, is studying for her Master’s degree at CMU in Pittsburgh. In the city, what had started with three old people testing positive with COVID-19, has now turned into 1,500 cases with over 120 deaths. Panic set in with people frantically hoarding basic items like toilet paper and pasta. Despite all the chaos around her, she is grateful to her sustainable lifestyle choices and the kindness of her neighbours.
“We didn’t know our neighbours when we first moved in here. We usually see a lady, Barbara in her 60s in the hallway and exchange greetings. Since the lockdown, everyone has been safely quarantined at home, especially senior citizens. But one fine day, Barbara knocked on our door and left a bowl of daal (lentil soup) from her favourite soup kitchen. The little note attached to it was the highlight of our quarantine.”
The note reads,
“Hello, Arthi and Siddhi,
Hope I spelt your names correctly. Please find a little nourishment in the plastic container. Northern Indian Lentil Soup—one of my favourites from Zoup. Food for the soul.
Keep safe, Barbara”
Barbara was a stranger to the girls and even then her sweet gesture made them feel closer to home.
Vivek, 24, is a real estate investment banker in New York City, which has taken Wuhan’s place as the biggest hotspot for COVID-19. On Monday, the city recorded around 1,98,114 cases with over 20,000 COVID-19 related deaths. The social distancing rules are not as authoritative as they are in India or other European countries and on a regular Saturday evening, one would see hundreds of people at the Central Park, going about their routines as usual.
Right around that time his grandmother called and instructed him to buy some Haldi (turmeric powder) because she believed it would keep her grandson safe during the virus outbreak.
His struggle to locate an Indian store readily selling the magic spice is equal parts scary and adorable. Living in the world’s Coronavirus capital is not a small feat by any means. Add to that a little packet of Haldi, his grandmother’s unwavering love and he just might feel less distant from home.
With all the Indian stores closed and online deliveries massively delayed, Vivek knew that procuring one of the most common Indian spices would not be an easy feat to achieve. However, he was determined to make sure his grandmother felt at peace knowing that her grandson was going to be alright. In this bid, he even made a run to Manhattan to procure a single packet of Haldi. Unfortunately, to no avail.
“I was at the JFK airport dropping my roommates, who were off to India as the Coronavirus broke out in New York. As I was bidding them goodbye, I got an urgent phone call from my doting grandmother. She briefly spoke and gave me marching orders to run to the nearest Indian store and fetch ample amounts of Haldi. The world was still adjusting to the news but New York was on its track to become the new global epicentre for the Coronavirus. At a time when ‘Whatsapp forwards’ prevail as gospel truth —where citations are not a thing and these supposed forwards perfectly serve as Petri dishes of coronavirus misinformation— my adorable grandmother chose to rely on her years of knowledge of the benefits of Haldi in fighting diseases, some of which is now even backed by Western researchers.
As I was preparing to leave, I could just smell the unfettered JFK, one of the world’s busiest airports. Whenever I had previously experienced this smell, it was coupled with the idea that I was coming home. But that wasn’t the case this time. I was not going to be home. I was swept away with nostalgia as I haven’t been home for more than a year and seeing everyone around me depart, I couldn’t control my reactions. Hence, I took on me to get my grandmother a picture of Haldi in my kitchen rack, perhaps, my little way of showing my affection for her.
It was week 3 of the biggest lockdown the New York City had ever seen and Indian grocery stores citing lack of supplies and manpower were mostly all closed. With each passing day, I was getting a dose from my grandmother about the healing power of ‘Haldi’, and to that end, things were not looking bright. This was until my neighbour gave me the number of an Indian grocery store owner in Manhattan- Mrs Gupta.
It did take relentless messaging and haggling on the phone with her, but she agreed to go above and beyond the call of duty. She would open the store herself, fill my cart with ‘Haldi’ and have me pick it up. I’m quite sure that between how much I paid for the Uber ride to the store and the cost of a packet of this magical Indian spice, the latter was way more expensive. Mrs Gupta, in her late 40s, was standing outside with the cart right below the scaffolds’ ending to enable me to do a curbside pickup avoiding human contact.
Finally, I knew I had made it and I couldn’t wait to send my grandmother a picture of the dear goods that had to be consumed with hot water every morning for the remainder of the Coronavirus season. Immediately after I got the victory phone call, we both cheered in triumph. That’s when I understood the power of these little things. I knew my grandmother was overjoyed and this knowledge gave me a good night’s sleep. She was right, ‘Haldi’ does have magical abilities.”
We love reading stories that highlight the basic pillars of humanity like kindness and love. The times we live in are unprecedented and disconcerting. We wish our readers a safe quarantine and hope that stories like these will affirm their faith in humanity.
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