During the COVID-19 lockdown, most of us have been spending our quarantine days with our family in the comfort of our house. However, there are many others who have been living far away from their loved ones and making use of the little resources they have.
In a recent interview, Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur revealed being stranded at a remote place with very little internet and connectivity. Hindustan Times quoted him saying, “I am locked down in a place where there is very little internet and connectivity. However, I do get news on my phone intermittently. It’s painful.”
He added that even in such a situation, he has very little to complain about as compared to many other people of the country, reports Republic TV. “I am relatively well-fed and have a roof above my head.” He further voiced his apprehensions.
“What if I fall sick? I am a 12-hour drive from serious medical help, that’s if I can even find someone to drive me. It’s a sobering thought.
“But what do I do? Where do I go? If I had to move, there is absolutely nowhere I could go.”
Shekhar thinks that the pandemic is a wakeup call for humanity. “We have gotten used to isolating ourselves from harsh realities. We have been selfish and over-consumptive.”
“It’s time to look deeply into our lives and ask ourselves, ‘How did we buy into this false pretence of an existence? This virus is a hard slap on our civilization.”
He advises people to help others as much as they can at such difficult times, said a report by National Herald. “Don’t just be generous as an act. Accept generosity as a way of life and humility. If this virus has not taught the human race humility, nothing will. If we don’t develop humility now, then we are a false civilization.”
Many of his recent tweets suggest that he’s probably spending his quarantine days in the hills.
As the thunderstorms cleared early this morning. The moutains beckoned me. pic.twitter.com/EZdYKmfB9P
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) April 21, 2020
Its 5 am. A new dawn .. pic.twitter.com/cgS5LfIrVI
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) April 18, 2020
Film makers call this God’s Light. And scramble to capture it. As I did this morning. May God’s light shine upon us all. pic.twitter.com/JOSXxygz3L
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) April 18, 2020
He agrees that social media is a good thing. “Yes, many look at it as an expression of their own vanity. And there’s too much angst and anger expressed. But on balance it’s a great tool.”
Like many of the people stranded far away from their family, even Shekhar will have to stick to where he is until things get a little better. Until then, hope he stays in the best of health.