A week in the life of a student in India during the second wave of the COVID-19 crisis
(Courtesy of Saachi Gupta)
Saachi Gupta writes about organising a relief virtual festival to support patients and families in India affected by COVID-19.
Sign up to attend Saachi’s Moonflower COVID-19 relief virtual festival here!
Wednesday, 12 May
Today I woke up at 11:30 a.m. I've been sleeping in almost every day since the start of my summer holidays about two weeks ago, but I've also been working relentlessly into the late hours of the night. I’m heading and organising a COVID-19 virtual fundraising event called Moonflower and that’s taking up all of my time. Last night I was up until 4 a.m. finalising the schedule!
I created Moonflower with my best friend, Neeharika Nene, on a whim about two weeks ago. I felt helpless and scared after the second wave of COVID-19 hit India. It was — and still is — a terrifying time: Social media is filled with photos of crematoriums filled with people, dead bodies lined up on pavements and people sharing hospital beds. Everyone — including me — had lost someone to the virus at that point. It was painful seeing hundreds of fundraiser links every day, usually for people in critical condition who needed healthcare. I wanted to help in any way I could. Determined, I put out a call on social media asking for student volunteers who'd like to join us in planning and organising a large-scale fundraising event. In just a few hours, we had a team of over 30 student volunteers. Since then we’ve been working on putting together a weekend of creative workshops, panel discussions and music shows on 22–23 May. All the proceeds from these events will go to mutual aid fundraisers to support COVID-19 relief efforts. We named the event Moonflower because it signifies blooming in the dark.
There are quite a few events on Moonflower that I am way too excited about! As a longtime history nerd, I am definitely looking forward to “Making History Sexy Again,” a workshop that will help the audience analyse history more critically and separate fact from fiction. Despite not having any sense of aesthetics, I am also looking forward to “Amplifying Your Cause,” a graphic designing workshop and “Building Worlds,” an art workshop. Lastly, I can't wait for “Finding a Voice,” a panel discussion that revolves around activism, speaking up and social media.
I wish I could say that everything about planning an event like this is fun and exciting — but that wouldn't be true. It's been stressful, leading to much anxiety and many tears. There's a lot to do: writing emails, calling people, fleshing out vague ideas and then writing more emails. It's easy to doubt myself and wonder if I'm cut out for this — but I often remind myself that even if someone else could do this better, I'm still giving it my best.
Besides, there are fun parts as well: Today, I had to text an actor who was my first crush ever. I was obsessed with him at the age of 6, and now I get to speak with him!
Thursday, 13 May
Today my father and maternal grandfather (Nanu) received their second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine! It's been difficult to book a vaccination appointment in India because there are too many people and not enough vaccines. The website to register keeps crashing, but my sister managed to book two appointments late last night when there were relatively fewer people trying to get appointments. It's a relief and privilege to have Papa and Nanu safer. I hope we're all able to get vaccinated soon as well — though it doesn't seem like it at the moment.
Dressed up for the first time in a year. (Courtesy of Saachi Gupta)
I also attended my first virtual concert today. It was Tessa Violet's “Bad Ideas: The Experience.” Tessa is one of my favourite musicians, and I was lucky enough to cover her show for The Luna Collective, a magazine I work with. It was nice to be able to unwind and dance for an hour — there is nothing like turning to music and art.
Friday, 14 May
Today was another busy day! I am an intern with the 1947 Partition Archive, which interviews and preserves stories from the 1947 India-Pakistan Partition. I interviewed a family member about his experience moving from Lahore to Mumbai after the Partition of India. We spoke for two hours today, but the complete interview is six hours long!
I grew up hearing stories of the Partition of India from all of my grandparents — three of whom had to move here from Pakistan following the departure of the British. It was a traumatic time for both nations: My grandmother often described the trains filled with dead bodies and blood, human bones piled up on train platforms. After losing both my paternal grandparents last year, I felt immense guilt for not having documented their stories. To cope with this, I decided to apply for this internship. It's an intense but fulfilling process and helps me feel like my family didn't suffer in vain.
My paternal grandfather’s younger brother and wife after Partition. (Courtesy of Saachi Gupta)
Another exciting thing happened today: Push up Daisies, a platform I run that archives death-related stories and art, completed its one-year anniversary! While I've taken a short break from running the platform until Moonflower is over, we released our first podcast episode where my best friend, Neeharika, and I talked about heaven, hell and reincarnation. The podcast is called “Bite the Dust,” and I'm so excited to have it out there in the world! It looks at death more lightly and was tons of fun to record.
Saturday, 15 May
Today was a blur. This happens quite often ever since the pandemic started — my family and I have barely left the house since March 2020. I haven't seen some of my friends in over a year and a half. While staying at home, as an introvert, was my version of heaven in the beginning of the pandemic, it has now finally begun to take its toll on me. Cooped up in the same environment for months on end, it's easy to feel like each day is a repeat of the last. I will admit that while I frequently talk of mental health, I have not been able to prioritise mine or even take care of myself well in this last year, despite seeing a therapist regularly. I hope that in the coming month, I can take some time off and go easy on myself.
My puppy, Berry, is a 7-month-old miracle, who has helped liven things up and make everyone in the family happier since we adopted her in December, when she was only 2 months old. We'd been thinking of bringing a dog home for years, and the lockdown finally led us to do it. Playing with Berry and taking her for walks is one of the things that has helped keep me afloat. Before we adopted a puppy, we were often warned that it was just like having a baby. We knew what we were getting into — but a lot of other people, apparently, did not do the same research. The lockdown in India saw an unprecedented rise in the adoption of puppies, but as the country slowly began to open up again owners suddenly realised they “didn't have time” for the dogs they had adopted. There was then a rise in the abandonment of pets on the street — it was an infuriating disappointment. On the very day we adopted Berry, she became a permanent part of our family and we cannot imagine life without her.
Sunday, 16 May
Today was an especially good day — I haven't had that in so long! I went to sleep at 7 a.m. in the morning (do not do what I do), but for the first time it wasn't because I was working! It was because I was reading the book “Delhi is Not Far.” At 4 a.m., a friend of mine who was still awake texted me to ask if I was OK. And that was when I realised: I wasn't just OK, I was content! For once, I didn't care about the future and what would happen. I think it has something to do with the rain — the rain always makes me feel fresh and new. The entire day, I felt like I was floating. I sent (cheesy) voice notes to my friends about how happy I am and how beautiful the world is. I sat down to write a story, which is still in the works. I realised that for over a year — ever since my grandfather passed away from COVID-19 in April 2020 — I had just been caught up in exams and work and writing. I hope that today was a new beginning. I hope that I can let go sometimes and feel today's contentment more often.
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