My husband, Jagdeep & I travelled through Australia & New Zealand, in perhaps one of our best vacations, beginning on 4th Jan 2020.
While we were in Australia, we heard about the outbreak of Corona Virus amongst the Chinese community, but never got to know the severity of the deadly disease.
This followed with our trip to New Zealand, where life is at a more leisurely pace, with fewer people, so, other than seeing news flashes of what was happening in China & Australia, we did not get any first-hand experience of any social effects.
We flew back to Australia to continue our journey through the continent.
We were in Adelaide during the Chinese New Year week, and for the first time it occurred to me of how it was affecting the local community, as all celebrations were canceled and big gatherings were banned.
We then flew to Dubai for an absolutely unforgettable wedding of our dear friend from London., which spanned four days with over 300 guests from all continents.
It was definitely the most extravagant wedding with famous singers and musicians flown in from around the globe, including my favourite, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
We then went to India for a few days to complete some business & see some relatives. It’s always a pleasure to see dear ones, and we do get thoroughly pampered when we are out there.
We came back to London on 28th February 2020.
Came back with a big bang!
Corona virus had gripped the country.
The first death from coronavirus in UK was declared on 5th March.
On 16th March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a complete lockdown & advised against non-essential travel, work from home, & banned meeting anyone else.
At first, I considered this time as an extended “holiday”.
Having worked throughout my life, I welcomed the time to catch up with everything that I had always wanted to do.
I took up gardening, and transformed my original, functional garden into a burst of a multitude of colours, with potted plants of every colour & variety of flowers filling the air with exotic, intoxicating fragrance.
I even took up an online Texas Holdem Poker class & learnt how to play this very exciting game. I joined a group of my friends who played as a club, online.
I started reading a lot of books on Hinduism. My interest in our scriptures led to take up an online class for Sanskrit. This further fuelled my passion for our immense religion, following which, I started making short videos, and set up my YouTube channel, Simple Hinduism, and website, www.simplehinduism.com.
I am interested in singing, and formed several singing clubs, with different groups of friends. We used to hold weekly singing sessions on zoom.
I even set up a Devotional group with a small group of 20 friends, which since then, has blossomed to over 100 ladies, where we do a satsang every Tuesday evenings between 7-8 pm. via zoom.
From 31st May, groups of 6 were allowed to meet.
I started visiting my parents once a week.
Arranged lunches out with groups of friends, either at home or met at restaurants & played live poker games at friend’s houses.
In fact, during this time, I became much closer to friends, as regular contact through zoom, and later in small groups, gave us precious time to share our mutual hobbies & interests.
I arranged a lunch at my house with me parents and two sisters in my house on 28th September. It was a beautiful, sunny day & we sat outside in my garden, talking & reminiscing about our lives.
We promised to meet every 4-6 weeks, and our next meet was meant to be on my father’s birthday on 17th November.
However, another lockdown was announced on 31st October, where mixing with other households was banned.
Instead, on Sunday, 22nd November, we celebrated my father’s 86th birthday through zoom with all relatives and friends worldwide, where we shared incredible stories about my dad & my sister, Ritu read excerpts from a book she had written about his life history. My youngest sister, Seema, sang a song, for him, “tujhme rab dikhta hai.” She concluded, that she “would wish our parents as her parents in every lifetime.”
Boris Johnson announced a brief 5-day ease of lockdown for Christmas from 23rd -28th December.
We had decided to meet at Seema’s house for lunch on 27th December.
However, Seema was diagnosed with Covid on 10th December, and admitted into the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading.
Seema called me from the hospital on 12th December. I shall never forget her words.
She said, “Bhenji, I am going to die. I am not going to make it”.
I told her not to be silly. A lot of people were admitted into hospital, and had recovered.
Seema was moved into ICU on 13th December, initially on Oxygen mask, and then on ventilator on 21st December.
On 22nd December, I arranged marathon sessions of prayers with my friends from our devotional group, together with other friends and family. It was my birthday, but all thoughts and prayers were for Seema to get better & return home.
Seema had underlying health problems, with uncontrolled diabetes & renal failure. Her body’s immune system was very low. She kept getting recurrent infections, and was on cycles of antibiotics and steroids.
Anurakt, Seema’s husband asked us, her family, to come and see her on 23rd December.
We went in turns, to see her, with full PPE gowns, gloves and masks. That was the last time I would see her. She lay there with umpteen pipes and monitors attached to her. To bring some life into her. To revive her.
On 24th December, we had another marathon prayers via zoom with nearly 250 people participating, all wishing against hope for Seema’s full recovery.
On 4th January, there was a glimmer of hope, after another consultant had intervened and changed her medication. Her temperature and infection came down. We were ecstatic & hopeful.
On 6th January, my grand-daughter, Aaria, Pia was born.
We were over the moon.
Everything seemed to be going in the right direction.
But alas, Seema never recovered from her enforced sleep. She had the “long Covid” symptoms, which thickens the blood, which then formed multiple clots in her brain.
The hospital were kind enough to transport Seema to her own home on 29th January 2021 (a day after they would have celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary), together with paramedics and a Doctor.
The life-support machines were turned off, with her family saying the final goodbyes.
Her body was taken away by the Funeral Directors.
29th January 2021 was the saddest day in my life. And even worse for my parents.
My sister Ritu, sister-in-law, Sushma, together with Seema’s daughter, Sonika, Anu & his sister, Shweta, went to the Funeral Director’s office in Slough, Berks on Monday, 15th February @2pm to dress and garland her.The rest of the family followed and paid their last respects. We even had a private ambulance in case, the scene got too distressing for me parents.
The following day on 16th February, we met again at the funeral director’s office. A Hindu priest recited the sacred mantras to see off the deceased.
The coffin was closed.
A procession of cars took Seema’s body to the Amersham crematorium.
The family members all gave brief speeches to wish Seema a pleasant onward journey.
We are all still grieving.
The Bhagavad Gita gave me a lot of answers by being philosophical about life and death.
But non the less, we are humans, and loved ones cannot be forgotten easily.
Seema’s sons had set up an online charity donation group, where the proceeds were going to “The Heroes, the NHS staff of the Royal Berkshire Hospital”.
An incredible £13,160 was raised through donations by friends and family.
So, this was my eventful journey between February 2020 to February 2021.