When life gives you lemons, make lemonade

She had just woken up from her afternoon nap. She struggled to get out of her bed, freshened up in the bathroom, and went straight to her verandah.

‘It’s a boon to have a house on the ground floor. During this lockdown, I at least have an open space to soak in some sun and fresh air. It is such a relief to see some greenery around' Khyati pondered while admiring the beauty of nature in the park which was just in front of her house. 

Just when she was engrossed in the beauty and the peace, she heard some voices. Lag ja gale ki fir ye haseen raat ho na ho, played. But it wasn’t the original. Someone was singing it.

She knew it was her favorite song but was trying to find out the source. She focused for a few seconds and suddenly, turned around and gazed upwards.

The adjacent building, second-floor neighbors were playing antakshri. It was a middle-aged couple and she noticed them sitting at a distance and happily singing songs to kill their time.

Mrs. Bakshi saw Khyati observing her and waved to her. She replied, ‘’Namaste aunty. Kaise ho ap? ‘’(Hello aunty, how are you?)

‘’Namaste beta. Main thk hoon. Tum kaise ho? Iss coronavirus ne toh haal bura kr rkha hai. Socha balcony mai baithe thori der and gaane hi ga le. Time paas ho ajega thori der. Fir chai bnaungi aur khaane ki tayari karungi. Tum bhi gao na. Sb saath mai gaate hain. ‘’ (Hello beta, I am fine. How are you? Coronavirus has shut everything down. We thought of spending some time in the balcony and sing some songs. We thought it would help kill our time. Then, I will make tea and prepare supper too. you also join us. Let’s sing together. )

Hanji aunty. Chalo gaate hain. (Yes, aunty. Let’s do it)

This antakshri session went for an hour and a half. While they were wrapping it up, Mrs. Bakshi asked, ‘’tomorrow at the same time?’’, her excitement was visible in her voice.

‘’For sure, aunty, it was fun. ‘’ Khyati replied enthusiastically and smiled. She admired her command over language as Mrs. Bakshi was a school teacher.

Khyati waved them goodbye and went inside. The next day, they again spent time singing. However, other neighbors joined them too. This continued for 3 days straight.

On the third day, while they were ending the session, everyone unanimously thought of making a WhatsApp group and coming up with fun ideas every day.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Bakshi created the group ‘Fun Society’. This notification popped on Khyati’s screen. She scrolled through and saw that most of the neighbors were there, she added her family too.

Mrs. Bakshi

‘’Hello, everyone, We are thinking of making a list of fun activities to do every day. Let’s start suggesting.’’

Mr. Sharma

‘’Tambola’’

Mrs. Kaur

‘’Mrs. Sharma signs well if I am not wrong. She can sing and we can join her’’

Mr. Rawat

‘’Mr. Batra plays the table. Achi jugalbandi rahegi.’’

Khyati

‘’Stand up comedy’’

Mr. Kumar

‘’But we are not professionals?’’

Mrs. Bakshi

‘’Toh kya Huya, hum jo forwarded jokes h sabke phone mai wahi sunna denge sb. Issi bahane thora hass lenge sb (So what. We all have forwarded jokes in our phones right. We shall share those. It will be a good laughter session)

Mr. Batra

Qawalli and shayari bhi krenge ek din (Sufi songs and poetry too)

Mrs. Kaur

‘’This was a nice idea. We can also do simple cooking. Sharing with each other our special recipes’’

Mrs. Rawat

‘’Why not make our husbands learn cooking?’’

Mrs. Gupta

‘’Like making a dough or some round chapattis? This can be done while sitting in the balcony. We just need a table and the material. ‘’

Mrs. Anthony

‘’Will help us in the dinner to ladies. We won't have to prepare the rotis! Hahahaha’’

Mrs. Joshi

‘’True. Now they will understand not everyone can make circular rotis.’’

And the group was abuzz till midnight. Tambola was selected for the next day.

It was 5 o'clock in the evening. Khyati was making the necessary preparations.

‘I never expected our society would together to do something innovative and happening. It's so weird. Our Delhi is bad-mouthed for all the wrong reasons. And this virus has bad timing. Its Kriti’s birthday and I can’t even plan a surprise. What should I do?’ Khyati was engrossed in her thoughts.

She thought to herself while setting the chairs in her verandah and was waiting for others to come at their respective balconies.

Two hours later, the game ended. Just when everyone was about to leave, Khyati shouted, ‘’Uncle, aunty. Mujhe ek help chahie ap sbki. ‘’ (I want a help from all of you)

Everyone was shocked to see her shouting and assumed it was something serious. The tension was visible on their faces.

Khyati realized she had scared them. To calm them down, she said, ‘’ nothing serious. It’s just meri best friend ka birthday hai. Kya kal main ek video record kr sakti hu ap sbki? Ap sb milke Happy birthday song gaa dena and use wish de de apni. Use acha lgega. ‘’ (My best friend’s birthday is on its way. Can I record a video of all of you tomorrow? You all can wish her happy birthday, sing the song and convey your wishes, please)

Everyone agreed to her idea. The next day, everyone dressed in their finest clothes, happiness was visible in their faces. After a long time, they had an opportunity to dress up. Everyone contributed in a distinct way to the video- Mrs. Rawat was flaunting her paloo, Mrs. Joshi gave a flying kiss, Mr. Sharma swayed and danced, Mr. Anthony wrote a poem for her, Mrs. Kaur baked a cake and wrote Happy birthday Kriti with the frosting. The video was finally recorded. It took her a few hours to add the effects and their individual clicks in the video. It was finally completed before midnight.

She called Kriti at exactly 12. 

‘’Hi, Kriti, Happy birthday. Love you baby.’’

‘’Thank You, Khyati. I love you so much.’’

‘’I am sorry. This year, it’s all ruined. I had planned a lot. But due to this virus, nothing could work out. However, I have one surprise for you. A tiny one though. ‘’

‘’Surprise is a surprise dumbo. Tell me. What is it?’’

‘’I can hear the beep. You are getting calls. Everyone wants to wish you. Receive them, take their blessings. I am sending you a surprise. Tell me later, how you found it.’’

Khyati sent the video. An hour later, Kriti saw it and replied, ‘’ oh my god. This is so lovely. The best surprise ever. Uncle, aunty, dadi, and your neighbors everyone is there in this video. I am so blessed to have you. Thanks a ton for this surprise. ‘’

Suddenly, an idea struck Khyati’s mind. She was mentally planning everything and soon dozed off.  

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Every day her neighborhood tried something new. They had so much fun together that gathering at a distance had become a ritual for them. Amidst the lockdown stress, everyone was just searching for some happiness and positivity.

One day, Indian PM, Narendra Modi asked everyone to gather the next evening in their balconies and verandahs and ring the bells or plates with a spoon. This was a tactic to fight COVID and also show the nation's support.

Everyone came and played bells showing their support. They were happy that in this crucial time, everyone was coming together.

Finally, two months later, when the lockdown got over and the situation improved, Khyati made a video montage. She had been video recording the daily fun times and had collated them in a single one. She even included the bell ringing activity. She spent the entire night editing it and the next day finally shared it over the group and also on her social media handles.

She had posted just for fun. Just to share with the world how they were battling this situation together.  However, contrary to her expectation, soon the video got viral.

The media was abuzz and people are forwarding and sharing it with their friends, family, and acquaintances. Khyati was shocked. As per her what she did was normal but it got likes and comments in high quantity. She had been getting messages from people across the globe.

To respond to them she created a solo video. She was wearing a white top and blue ripped jeans with slippers. She was looking simple yet beautiful, her blonde highlights shining through her jet black hair and complimenting her attire. Her wide smile completed the look.

‘’Hi everyone. Hope you all are safe and home. So, first of all, I would like to thank you all for showering your support, love, and blessings. Honestly, when I posted the video, I had no clue it would go viral. All I wanted to show was our contribution during this gloomy atmosphere. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade! I hope you all got some ideas and would try this too. Thanks a ton. It was possible because of you all. So I owe it to you.

So this is the verandah where I come out every day and this is where my neighbors come and we chat and have those fun times (she rotates her phone to get the view of her neighborhood in the frame). I have been getting various requests to make more videos. I was hesitant at first but seeing your love, it gave me the motivation and I will upload some new posts soon. If you have any suggestions, please comment, DM whatever you prefer.

Lastly, I would urge and request you to please Stay Home, stay safe. This is a crucial time and I am sure if we work collaboratively, we will sail through this soon. Follow the hygiene tips; take care of yourself and the people around you. This is your Khyati signing off. Bye. See you soon. ‘’

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And hence ‘a social media influencer was born’ as the audience said when they shared her solo video. She received the audience’s support and love and hopes to take this opportunity ahead.