What do I know

There's this bit in Indian Matchmaking, where Akshay's mom is sitting with her kitty party friends, and they're all nodding in agreement at her distress at not finding the appropriate daughter in law. They ask her what her options are. First, she says she wants only "business family" girls because those are good girls. Then she lists her options: One prospective daughter-in-law is from Udaipur, one is from Delhi, and a third is from Calcutta. One of the other ladies expresses approval. "Calcutta girls are good." They all agree. Calcutta girls are good. In many ways, the story of the Calcutta business family girls is also the story of where I come from. We're raised to be paraya dhan , good looking and obliging. We're constantly watched, judged and chaperoned, and told that if we make mistakes, or are seen to exercise agency it could damage our chances for the future.  We are raised to  make diwali gift bags and plan baby showers, and the...

Okay. Now a bubonic plague is emerging out of Russia and China. And the permafrost, ice that contains and protects us from ancient inactive viruses, is melting. China wants to establish global supremacy and India is directly in its line of fire. The economy is in freefall. What if we look back months from now and see that these were the good times? At home, safe with the people we love, eating what we want and shit posting on social media. What if now is the window we have to seriously enjoy ourselves? What would we do differently now? I'm thinking about this. I don't yet have an answer. Like Alia Bhatt says of questions she asks herself in Highway. "Sochke batati hoon."