The idea of a free write is very simple. You think of all the things your brain is processing and you write them as and when it flows until it reaches about 500 words. The censor you usually exercise has to be sent on a brief holiday and the reader’s sensibility has to be the constant companion that goes with it too.

What you are often left with are such hardcore honesties that they make you question all your worldly wise outlooks. For example at this precise moment I am thinking, why did I close the air conditioner of the room when I am anyway going to switch it on in about five minutes. Speaking of air conditioners, Uddhav Thackeray is constantly asking us to not use one, why? What does our electricity bill have to do with him? Is he involved in some kind of a scam that pushes air conditioners out of market – only to then create some protectionism scheme against China?

China. DAMN. What a country it has been – from bats to snakes to even coronavirus, they are eating it all. And the world is eating up all their lies instead. I mean look at those out of world numbers drop they are documenting – who are you fooling Xi Ping? Because WHO has anyway signed up their loyalties with you!

WHO – also known as ‘who’? The world was grappling with a pandemic in February and these wise souls refused to stop even international travel to prevent it from spreading. When you look at these organisations, the UN, the UNICEF – they look such redundant relics of a past- holding no good in our geo-political scenarios today. If anything last three decades have seen more proxy wars, more world domination by superpowers than a pre-World War II era. Then why are we even pretending that these organisations do what they do ?

Pretending that these organisations do what they do. Back home this statement can be seamlessly handed over to our media. I mean in times of asking tough questions from the regime, they were playing Antakshari on live television – which honestly has been their greatest drive in recent times because it allowed some respite from the hate speech that they dole out on a daily basis.

India is never going to be same again. That’s an idea I have quietly accepted and moved on.

Like my friend says, maybe the masks had to drop for us to know what has to be taken head on. But that it will involve some of my closest family members was never in the memo. In the world of hatred, my one quiet corner of love and logic is my inner friends circle. Divided by countries, time zones, we find respite in knowing that we are waging a battle of our own in this war on hatred – in family Whatsapp groups, on Social Media profiles but most importantly within our own head. Reminding ourselves each day – this is the fight that matters. This is the fight we pass on to our kids and their kids. Until the world becomes whole again.

From a time when we could travel half way across the world to be together

526.

For those new to the place, a free write is something where you write whatever comes to your mind until about 500 words and then you put the pen down. It helps if you have a central theme in mind – it is in all seriousness a great tool to better your overall writing style. All of April you shall be exposed to this nuclear radiation, better strap up the googles.

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