The age of uncertainty

We just have to get used to Covid–and its endless variants—upending our plans again and again

If things had gone according to plan, I would have been fili this column from Sri Lanka, sunning myself at a beach resort, while sipping on a Pina Colada. But, as it turns out, I am writing this at my home in Delhi, sheltering from the cold and the pollution in my living room, with two air purifiers going full blast around me. And the only beverage I have in hand is a humble cup of black coffee.

And it is all down to—yes, you guessed it!—covid. Just as we were firming up our plans to travel, news hit that a new variant, Omicron, was devastating South Africa and had made its presence known in parts of Europe as well. New travel regulations and restrictions soon came into place in India, and even though Sri Lanka wasn’t on any red list, it made sense to postpone non-essential travel. So, we sadly reconciled ourselves to spending time in Delhi, even though the air was poison, especially for an asthmatic like me.

But then, that’s the thing about living in the time of Covid. You never know what tomorrow will bring (though it is beginning to look like it will, with a certain inevitability, bring a new variant) so the only thing you can be certain of is today. You can moan and groan about it—and God knows that I do!—but at the end of the day, you just have to get on with life as it now exists.

So, how does one cope? Well, to employ that well-worn cliché, you cope by living in the moment and for the moment. You carpe the diem, seizing each day by the collar and shaking every last drop of fun and joy out of it. And then, you hope to hell that you can do that all over again, the next day.

What you don’t do is make long-term plans. Or frankly, even short-term plans. I have two trips scheduled in January. One to the Kolkata Literary Meet to launch my new book, Madam Prime Minister (a sequel to my first political thriller, Race Course Road) and the other is to the Jaipur Literary Festival to do much the same sort of thing. And every day, I nervously check to see if Omicron has sent the Covid cases in these cities soaring—because if that happens, I am pretty sure that these events will become virtual-only.

But honestly, what is the point of obsessing over the future when we could just be optimising the present? So, that’s what I have resolved to do.

Over the last fortnight or so, I had stopped going for my daily walks to Sunder Nursery, because the pollution levels were so high. But ever since news of Omicron came, and the case count in Delhi began showing an upward trend, I resumed my afternoon perambulations, albeit with an N-95 mask. Who knows if the city will shut down again? So, I might as well make the most of our freedom while it lasts.

That is not the only re-calibration I have done in recent times. Having read how quickly the new variant spreads in large gatherings, especially those held indoors, I have declined several invitations to wedding/birthday/anniversary parties on the grounds that it is much better to be safe than Covid-positive. Most of my friends are understanding, while some treat me like a misguided Nervous Nelly. But even at the risk of coming across as a party pooper, I have decided to defiantly stay home.

After all, that’s all you can do in this Age of Uncertainty—just keep yourself safe to see another day. How you do that is a function of how much risk you want to assume. Are you okay with a dinner party with four other guests? Or are you happy mingling with hundreds at a wedding? Are you okay with long-haul international travel at a time when regulations change all the time? Or would you rather just drive to a neighbouring city for a mini-break?

These are questions that all of us will have to answer for ourselves. Though there is very little doubt which side of the divide I will come down on.

YOU COPE BY LIVING IN THE MOMENT AND FOR THE MOMENT. YOU CARPE THE DIEM, SEIZING EACH DAY BY THE COLLAR AND SHAKING EVERY LAST DROP OF FUN AND JOY OUT OF IT. AND THEN, YOU HOPE TO HELL THAT YOU CAN DO THAT ALL OVER AGAIN, THE NEXT DAY

Spectator fans, listen up! Seema Goswami’s new book Madam Prime Minister is now on stands.

The views expressed by the columnist are personal

LIFE IN THE TIME O The thing about living in the time of Covid is that you never know what tomorrow will bring, except perhaps a new variant