In love with Goa are Saloni and Suri who take to versifying with skill, here is one of their latest offerings….
To Whomsoever It May Now Concern
Life has no date of renewal,
Breath is life’s premium crucial.
Nothing else except survival
Can be a priority,
In this unprecedented period
Of global calamity.
Only the notified essential
Services are vital,
Let’s not burden the system
With our acts trivial.
Respect the guidelines in
Word and spirit,
Refrain from adding to the
Pressures desperate.
Yes, chemists, banks and
Grocers are open,
But not right to their staff
Over-burden.
Review internal rules & regulations,
Recalibrate strategies & aberrations.
Understand regulator’s tone and tenor,
Let spirit of custodian be the winner.
Do not risk lives by making demands
That can open up box of Pandora,
Being truly powerful means
Being really emphathetic,
Kyon ki yeh zindagi na milegi dobaara!
(A note on Saloni and Suri: In their own words, “We’re both long retired chartered accountants, budget travelers and nomads, enjoy writing, travelled over past two decades by road all across incredible India, from Leh to Kanyakumari and from Rann of Kutch to Jaigaon (Indo-Bhutan border), we have been evolving a minimalist living and travelling, constantly trying to shed extra baggage and paraphernalia!”)
This is the third week running of coronavirus lockdown or closedown of all signs of routine life on the streets in Goa (and India) there’re still no signs of it being lifted any day soon. As life gets grim for the many we thought it would a good idea to reproduce here a few words to express a myriad feelings…(by way of recap the lockdown commenced with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s one-day “janata curfew” on March 22, a Sunday, and then extended into the current 21-day lockdown under way).
Wonderful Written by Vivienne in Spain
The earth whispered but you did not hear.
The earth spoke but you did not listen.
The earth screamed but you turned her off.
And so I was born…
I was not born to punish you,
I was born to awaken you.
The earth cried out for help.
Massive flooding. But you didn’t listen.
Burning fires. But you didn’t listen.
Strong hurricanes. But you didn’t listen.
You still don’t listen to the earth when
Ocean animals are dying due to pollutants in the waters.
Glaciers melting at an alarming rate.
Severe drought.
You didn’t listen to how much
Negativity the earth is receiving.
Non-stop wars.
Non-stop greed.
You just kept going on with your life.
No matter how much hate there was.
No matter how many killings daily.
It was more important to get that
Latest iPhone than worry about what
The earth was trying to tell you.
But now I am here.
And I’ve made the world stop in its tracks.
I’ve made YOU finally listen.
I’ve made you take refuge.
I’ve made you stop thinking about
materialistic things.
Now you are like the earth…
You are only worried about YOUR survival.
How does that feel?
I give you fever as the fires burned on earth.
I give you respiratory issues as
Pollution filled the earth’s air.
I give you weakness as the earth
Weakens every day.
I took away your comforts,
Your outings.
The things you would use to forget
About the planet and its pain.
And I made the world stop,
And now….
Earth has better air quality.
Skys are clear blue
because factories are not spewing pollution
unto the earth’s air.
The water in Venice is clean and
Because the gondola boats that
Pollute the water are not being used.
You are having to take time to
Reflect on what is important in your life.
Again I am not here to punish you
I am here to Awaken you
When all this is over and I am gone
Please remember these moments.
Listen to the earth.
Listen to your soul.
Stop polluting the earth.
Stop fighting amongst each other.
Stop caring about materialistic things
And start loving your neighbors.
Start caring about the earth and all
Its creatures.
Start believing in a creator.
Because next time I may come back
Even stronger.
Signed, Coronavirus.
A post shared over WhatsApp…
STATUS OF COVID-19 IN GOA
April 9, 2020. A Directorate of Health Services press release offers the following updated status of Covid-19 in Goa: Cases under home quarantine are 45, whereas cumulative number of cases since January 29, 2020 are 1,372. Cases under quarantine on April 9 are nil, whereas cumulative number of cases since January 29 are 198. Suspect cases under hospital isolation at GMC on April 9 are 4, whereas cumulative number of cases since January 29 are 133. Number of samples sent for testing on April 9 are 13, whereas cumulative number of cases since January 29 are 344. Number of reports receive d are 9 and tested positive on April 9 is nil, whereas cumulative number of cases since January 29 are 7. Number of cured patients out of positive is 1. Further information is out of 24 samples pending for testing 9 are negative. Reports of 15 samples are awaited. At present patients in isolation ward in GMC are 12. At ESI hospital, Margao 6 positive cases. At present suspects quarantined in SDH, Ponda is 1 and quarantined in Old Goa Residency are 3, quarantined at Margao Residency are 5.