For two months I woke up to the light filtering through bamboo weaved walls, a variety of bird songs and mental silence. I lived at the Andaman Nicobar Environment Team (ANET) research station in Wandoor, a quiet village in South Andaman. Life at ANET was simple and healthy, with limited connectivity to the world outside Andamans. I was one with the islands. My worries, a lot lesser and smiles, a lot more.
Everyday explorations at ANET
A few days ago, I arrived in Bangalore for what I thought would be a quick four-day trip to renew my passport, attend a friend’s engagement and to download a ton of research articles with ‘high speed’ internet. Living in the islands, I was largely isolated from the information on COVID-19 rapidly sweeping across borders. Once at the Port Blair airport, I felt a little knot in my stomach telling me to not leave the islands. I shrugged it off, knowing that I’d run back to the islands very soon.
Bangalore! A wave of human energy, with no sea in sight. The city was quieter than usual but in comparison to the islands, it felt like an electric zoo. Just like that, I was engulfed by a sea of information and soon I got a glimpse of the chaos I avoided for two months. All of this sounds a bit too dramatic, but if only I could articulate better, I would tell you how special my experience was in the islands.
Over the weekend, I spent hours scrolling through my twitter feed, absorbing way more than I have in the last two months. Overwhelming!
I have barely slept in the last four nights, constantly waking up to the fear of living in a city under quarantine. I find it difficult to fall asleep without the guided meditation composed by the nightjars, frogs and insects. I am quite annoyed with myself for coming to the mainland and for having walked right into this crisis mentally. My mind screams * take me back to the islands NOW! *
I can’t return to the islands for the next few months as travel is severely restricted and all flights are cancelled. This is the need of the hour and the only practical solution to protect the vulnerable islands from a full-blown crisis. I just wish I hadn’t come down right now. I wish I’d listened to the rumbles in my stomach!
But, as this frustration slowly recedes, I see the brighter side of being in Bangalore. I know I am fortunate to be at home with my family, unlike many across the world. Millions are experiencing these sudden changes in schedule. Although these surprises might delay my PhD research, I hope to use my time creatively by writing bits of my thesis and processing thoughts through art.
For now, I will imagine myself in the islands by drawing out scenes that I have experienced there. This way, I’ll be closer to a reality I loved and long for.
The sudden transition is confusing, but will surely pass. I can’t wait for the morning chai(s) at ANET while listening to hilarious stories from the field staff, watching birds I-don’t-know-names-of and continuing my research. I miss the islands dearly. Hopefully, I will be back in soon – stronger and fully excited!
The view from the breakfast table at ANET, where much thinking and talking goes on
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