EmoZeal

By Dr Mahesh Abhyankar

A parable about human resilience and ultimately emerging as a winner with a Zeal.

Beautifully crafted short stories about real-life psychological issues that will inspire many to transform their situation.

'EmoZeal, Saga of Emotional Lockdown' is a book (fiction) about the experiential journeys of real people, trying to manoeuvre the

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue Rose Publishers
• Release date: Feb 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9789354271472

Book preview

PREFACE

Life is wonderful. As the dimensions of heaven and hell, both facets of human consciousness, meet here on earthly plane, an amazing phenomenon occurs. It is so beautiful, yet it shows the ugly side of the existence so often. Life is full of choices. Thousands of probabilities spun from a single moment, yet there are times it feels so deterministic. There is good and bad, there are angels and demons, there are devils and heroes, there is light and darkness – all forces of nature playing the dance on the screens of our mind. At times there is a glow of divinity, other times, a nihilistic void. Human consciousness gets a wake-up call only when adversity strikes. Yes, that is the truth.

Most of the times, we go on doing our daily activities in a frenzied frenzy without realising what exactly is happening. Most of us are constantly engaged in activities during the daytime, feel exhausted and empty at the end of a busy day, and experience trouble going to sleep peacefully. We hardly take time from our busy schedule to halt, think, retrospect, analyse our self-talk, or listen to our loved ones. We are constantly in a hurry to meet that timeline.

Even when we decide to relax, we choose another stimulus inducing activity like browsing social media or watching a movie or having drinks with friends. Millions of sensory neurons fire simultaneously throughout the day, carrying messages to various brain regions that are clamouring for attention. Every stimulus creates an impression and generates new emotions. Overflow of stimuli generates excessive emotional reactions. Peace in life starts diminishing, but we continue in the same loop of patterns.

So, the universe decided that it ought to intervene.

It sent us an invisible threat that made us lock ourselves inside our homes and take a compulsory halt. Whether the lockdowns imposed in various countries helped to curb the infection or effectively manage the pandemic situation or not, is a controversial topic. But it was successful in making humans think and rethink hard. It made us reflect whether that frantic pace was really needed or not. The travel to the client’s location, the restaurant expenses at each weekend, or unnecessary shopping in malls–was it required? Rather, it made us reconnect with our families, miss our friends, realise their value in our life, and made us realise the importance of health and self-care.

For some people, emotions rose through the roofs or took a deep nosedive. Many people experienced emotions they were not used to, and the overhaul caused distress for them. Hidden emotions surfaced and the emotional volcanoes busted for quite a few. Many of us experienced unprecedented levels of anxiety, stress, and panic during the pandemic situation–to which some succumbed and some survived. Those who thrived were the ones who had invested in their physical and emotional health and followed practices of regular exercise for body, mind, and managing emotions.

In this book, you will meet common people who have uncommon stories to tell. You will read about hope and despair, love and break-ups, serenity and anxiety, along with the rays of awareness that transform lives. You will sing with John as he plays the melodious tunes on his guitar, and you will sink with Geeta as she plays the song of melancholy. You will rise with Sandhya and her counsellor, and see a new light with Medha Aunty, who manages to break the chains of compulsive thought patterns. Due to immense pressure exerted by the pandemic and lockdown situation, you will notice the changing facade of human interactions, the reactions, and responses of these common people, who are like you and me. You will feel liberated with Archana discovering a newfound identity, sympathise with Ashmit and Cheryl who are trying to survive the wrath of destiny, and heal yourselves with Dr Vaidya. You will meet Meena in this book, for whom emotional lockdown makes her trip on the relationship wire, and you will see how Mandar, her husband, responds to the same. And throughout the stories, you will be accompanied by our friend Bishnu, who is either a witness or a catalyst of change.

Due to the Covid-19–induced pandemic and months of lockdown, suddenly, psychological health and emotional fitness stood in parity with physical health. People realised that adaptation to a New Normal Lifestyle had to be adopted as a de-facto way of living. Maintaining physical as well as emotional sanity became a necessity since the virus that caused all this upheaval has refused to leave us till we learn the new ways of life. Constantly adapting to new challenges keeps us more aware and alive, so I guess it is a blessing in disguise. The pandemic made us witness a world changing its shape and face in almost all aspects of life–let it be health facilities, business functioning, economic system, education system, entertainment etc. There was a complete paradigm shift in the patterns, to which we were conditioned to, in our lives or at workplaces.

Maybe the first time in the history of mankind, places of worship were closed, and the so-called religious gatherings had to be cancelled. With Gods locked inside the temples, mosques, and churches, we were forced to search for God within ourselves. It made us realise that we are responsible for the happenings in our lives and things happen to us because we ‘allow’ them to happen. Therefore, when things go wrong, we must take full responsibility of the situation rather than blaming others for our fate.

There are different facets to our health and total well-being. Maintaining disease-free body and physical health is of paramount importance. Simultaneously, remaining fully functional even during the stressful situation and maintaining emotional sanity is also equally important. It is high time we should realise that, in organisations, switching to collaboration-based relationships with our customers and employees will make us survive rather than using usual capitalism-based exploitative methods we were conditioned to. You join us on a journey into the virtual world of these real people with real emotions, trying to manoeuvre their way through a catastrophic yet catalytic situation of Covid-19. We all have a journey to take, but God has never promised us that it is going to be an easy one. The awareness journey of consciousness is yet to begin for many, and that was the precise reason we decided to write this book.

We need to keep walking with conviction and one day He will be standing there for us with open arms as He has done for Avinash Uncle and Asha Tai. Many of us are still struggling to grasp the changing face of our reality. Some of us have managed to survive but have lost the zeal and enthusiasm. This book is meant to be a companion for those who are still struggling to pick up things from the wreckage caused by the virus, which is only one of the stressors. In life, we encounter a variety of stressors in all shapes and sizes. This book is meant to be a friend for those walking on the path to achieving a state of awareness they desire while fighting against these stressors.

This is a journey of common men and women through the pandemic – their vulnerability to adversities of life, their emotional disturbances, and their search of coping mechanisms. It is a journey of not only a person in the story but the society towards a better tomorrow. It is a journey of millions wandering in darkness but walking towards the ray of light. It is a journey that is meant to be a journey during not only this pandemic but in any calamity where life may challenge us. The stream of life is far more powerful than any calamity, provided we believe so. The stream of life is beyond all our griefs, sorrows, laughs, and blunders. The stream of life is pure and meant to be there even when humans tried their best to contaminate it with all the industrialism and sway of selfish emotions.

Life always bristles with problems of varying magnitude. They are as incessant as waves of the sea. Every individual does try to solve them according to their judgement and ability. This process of surmounting the problems constitutes progress in life. But sooner or later, a major crisis crops up proving it insurmountable. Covid-19 is proving to be such a crisis which we have not experienced in the last few decades and hence feeling not much equipped to face it. Valour and worldly wisdom are of no avail to meet the challenges imposed on mankind by the seemingly catastrophic situation. When anxiety is crippling our defences globally, only self-knowledge inspired by spirituality and Divine Grace can equip a person to overcome the crisis of this magnitude. Believe in the life force and inner divinity that you carry within yourself. Believe in your contribution to the new world and manifest a better tomorrow.

Have clarity of thoughts and be aware of your inner turmoil. Do not try to suppress it, rather accept it and manoeuvre through it. Life is short, though it appears to be a long one. Live it with a zeal till your moments last and try to make every moment a memorable one. Make a promise to yourself to maintain the pink of your physical health, and keep that inner light burning however dark it may seem outside. Believe that the light is there with you.

Each adversity in life presents an opportunity for reflection. Every calamity dawns a new cosmos if followed by introspection. If we appreciate the relevance of our miseries, they can strengthen us for soaring heights.

STRIKING THE RIGHT

CHORD

STRIKING THE RIGHT CHORD

Music Returns in Life

On a Friday evening, Bishnu was sitting on a cosy, red coloured, velvet chair in the grand, chilled auditorium of Centre of Performing Arts (CPA), India’s premier cultural hub for performing arts. He could not believe his fortune – to be seated in a premium auditorium amidst strict social distancing norms. A world affected by noxious pandemic out there, waiting for some cheerful melodies to pacify and alleviate their souls. Bishnu pinched himself. Was this a dream? No, it was not; it was real. As the compère appeared on the stage, the recorded virtual applause made waves while the drone camera captured her close-up. The show was to be streamed online. She was beaming with radiance and talking with an energetic voice. But as Bishnu looked around, he was sitting in the patronage, so scanty. In his row, there were only three people seated and same was the case with every alternate row. Obviously, the compère was not receiving any feedback from the audience; nonetheless, she continued with zeal. He appreciated her spirit.

It was the second concert in Fusion Symphony of the Globe (FSG), which used to operate from different countries of the world and was instrumental in teaching its music academy students. For the concert, famous music pieces by international composers had been recorded by members of the FSG and the students. Overcoming the issues of time difference and internet connectivity, individual instruments had been recorded, stitched together, and streamed online in a lossless format. ‘Bravo! How amazing! Technology can achieve anything these days,’ Bishnu was charmed with the undying fervour of humans in the face of this calamity.

CPA, committed to preserving and promoting India’s rich and vibrant artistic heritage, came up with an innovative way to keep the performing arts alive. Literally ‘Live!’ Their initiative called ‘CPA@YourHomeTheatre’ was helping its patrons cope with the pandemic and enjoy the best of arts on digital channels with safety and comfort of their own homes on the CPA’s YouTube channel. The recordings and streaming were managed either from the performer’s home if they had the equipment or from the CPA stage in case of concerts.

Each artist was allowed one person to accompany them at the time of recording but not more than two per performer. John’s girlfriend Sarah was still stuck in Ireland and John did not have relatives here in India, so he asked his colleague and dear friend Bishnu to accompany him. Bishnu was initially not sure of stepping out and having this out-of-the-box experience. After some hesitation, he agreed, and now he was glad he did. The whole atmosphere was so enchanting that he was getting goose bumps. After the first three singers performed with the same zeal and enthusiasm as if they were performing live in the otherwise packed grand CPA auditorium, his friend John’s name was announced.

It was going to be an hour-long YouTube and Instagram live concert. Attending a festival or gig until at least 2021 seemed unlikely. So, pre-recorded performances of the labels and brands were in vogue. Gigs and concerts were either being cancelled or postponed, and public gatherings were banned, turning many cities into ghost towns. As the music world contended with the pandemic and its ramifications, musicians decided to take matters into their own hands and cultural societies started organising concerts for virtual audiences. The streaming platform was launched for the ‘Music Artists’ Fundraising Pick’, which enabled artists in raising money to support themselves, their bands, and their support crew – many of whom are now jobless. It was a noble way of entertainment with a social cause.

John was performing a couple of unplugged songs today. He was so immersed in his music that he looked divine and recharged. The harmonious sounds of his guitar filled the atmosphere like waves of fragrance filling an empty room with the essence of life. The second song was a fusion with an Indian artist playing Santoor, and the melodious tunes transported all present at the auditorium into a distinctive dimension out of this planet. Bishnu was amazed to see the transformation being brought about by music into his friend. The same friend who was once shivering with apprehension about the future; his fingers, once trembling in grip of fear were now effortlessly moving over the guitar strings. Was he looking at the same John of three months back or was this a John resurrected?

Music is much beyond the notes. The real music radiates from soulful expressions, soothing and healing the mind.

E Party Burst

After the performance, John and Bishnu had a chilled beer together after many months. Bishnu’s mind travelled back to the last few months and felt relieved to see his friend bouncing back to the tunes of life.

Bishnu was an extrovert and had many friends. After office hours, he would make sure he had arranged himself a booze party with one or the other group and explored a new pub in the metro city every weekend. As Covid-19 pandemic caused nationwide lockdown, entertainment establishments like bars and pubs were shutdown. Since his parties were going for a toss, Bishnu called his friends online to a live meeting where they sat in their respective homes with their self-made drinks, snacks, and condiments. They infused enthusiasm into their blood with the alcohol, chitchat, and music, enjoying the online proximity during the dull days of the lockdown.

They were having a nice time – boys’ night out with jokes about the politics, lockdown, adult life pouring in, and laughter becoming louder with each peg. Each one would say something causing a burst of laughter even on an inconspicuous comment. They were having a nice time scolding their respective bosses and venting out the passive aggression built up over the days of the lockdown. Surprisingly, John was quiet that night. He used to be the star of the group, especially when it came to telling jokes about corporate gossip or juicy affairs of sleepovers. But today, everyone was missing his spicy stories with the drinks. After poking him repeatedly, he finally spoke.

‘I woke up at 2 am last night and switched on the TV. The news reporter was shouting at the top of his voice about the disaster at a scale much bigger than the real pandemic. Sensational Corona virus reporting a bigger contagion than the virus itself – whom does it help? I am watching this Corona News Hour daily, as I am not able to sleep. Bloody hell!’ He exclaimed thumping his hand on the table so much that the drink from his glass spilt. The constant inflow of news was bothering him and impacting his day with tiredness and fatigue.

Initially, Bishnu thought that John was starting this serious conversation as a prank; he was known to be dramatic. So Bishnu also jumped the bandwagon saying, ‘Guys, why is the human brain so glued to sadness? Most of the world seems to be hooked on to the Corona virus horror news right now, and this style of reporting the news for increasing TRP is not helping the situation. TV and media reporting glaring statistics repeatedly with terrifying headlines and breaking news is increasing palpitation of the weak-hearted. No law says that every time journalists mention the word virus, they must precede it with the word deadly/horrific/catastrophic. You tell me, is there a law, huh? Isn’t this grim?’ Everyone nodded their head and said, ‘Yes, yes, yes’, aromas of sarcasm attached with it.

With their last and fifth peg on, John stormed with his lockdown life story. He sounded largely shadowy, something weighing him down, a strange tone of hopelessness in his voice unlike the happy-go-lucky guy he was known as. John said that he was enjoying his vacation, spending time lying on the bed mostly awake. He felt restless, and hence indulged in drinking, smoking, and surfing through porn sites all night, during the imposed shutdown. He did not bother to clean the room, so