INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
other reply, has moved from its mere rhetorical boundaries in the last few days, and developed deeper significance
Now our query is more genuine and full of concern: How are you? How is your family? Is everyone safe?
And almost always a conversation
follows, where we share our experiences on health matters and working-from-home in these unique times of the ongoing pandemic!
I have been
living in London for the past 10 years, working as a finance professional
A typical week-day entails rising early, ambulating through cold misty mornings, even windy at times, greeted by enthusiastic joggers or a
senior citizen walking the dog, straining to keep my balance on crowded underground rides and then disembarking on to the preserved lanes of
move towards colossal office buildings that have, through the centuries, withstood the World War II blitz, the Great Fire of London and many
newspaper readers having swapped their FT for the free Evening Standard, their moods more relaxed, with everyone looking forward to an
evening with family or friends, or even at the theatre, a football match, or just the uplifting pint at the pub.
But almost abruptly, the
music of humdrum life has died down and the electric city feels as if switched off
The sudden hush and the uninhabited streets give a haunting reality check on the austere situation we are facing
We are all in lockdown and our routine has not only been broken, but shackled!
Hence, the broker-client calls that usually start by
examining management policies, debating analyst upgrades or coming to terms with perplexing central bank policies, have now been preceded by
take the form of the usual fierce deliberations on unearthing opportunities in the crisis
Yet, there is a sense of infinite time and tranquility.
Earlier, one could hear eager colleagues on call or the Bloomberg bells in the
background; but now these noises, or rather voices, have been traded for the chirping of birds, friendly dog barks and sometimes even a
results or critiquing a new restaurant or a show at West End have now been limited to conferring sombre Netflix offerings
Keeping motivated is a constant trial, now that work-life balance has curtly been supplanted by work-life integration at home
The television in my office was usually muted; however, I keep the one in my house on high volume, stuck on a business channel, to ensure
But the concept of a dayend or logging off from Bloomberg around 5.30 pm-ish is no more in effect, and the yellow idle dot rolls red on its
To top the sultry housebounded-ness, smiling almost cynically, the London weather has been dazzling.
Though not being able to venture out on
weekends, watching the sun rise from my window at home, on the now unspoiled spring horizon (not even a stray aeroplane to blemish the
canvas) and slowly sipping my morning coffee is one refreshing change.
Nevertheless, the city-boy banker in me wishes to get back to the
manic eight meetings a day, roadshows fuelled by endless macchiatos, challenging every London traffic norm and jumping on the Tube, as the
