Arjun Baru

I am from Jammu and I work in Bangalore. And I have lived the difference between these two. Unlike the urban cities, the place over here is lively. To elaborate, the architecture of the streets and the city is different. There are woods nearby. Unlike the tier 1 cities like Bangalore, we have more space to move rather than being little congested. When I look out of the window, at least I am able to see the landscape a little. There are woods nearby add up to the scenery. Well, this doesn’t mean, this city was spared from the claws of COVID-19. Even today, the testing is happening. But the best part is, it is happening free of cost.

My father was one of the victims of this pandemic. It was after four days of my cousin’s marriage when my father started felling unwell. Yeah, there were some from families. No matter how much precaution one can take, there is more than a slight possibility one has to have a physical contact with others. On top of that he was having diabetes. It was a tense situation. On testing, he was found positive. Needless to say, he was quarantined. He was in home isolation. We were closely monitoring him. On the 9^th day, his breathe seemed heavy. Without having second thought, doctor asked us to shift him to hospital. He was put under observation for 10 days. The treatment happened free of cost. Today, he is fine.

I also remember another incident that happened during that time, I think in the month of June, 2020. Two of my friends, who live close to my home, work in Pune. In June 2020, when the government was gradually relaxing the lockdown, they decide to return home. To be safe, they had taken a car. For 2 to 3 days, they had driven continuously, hardly resting in between. Their home was almost 2300 kilometres away from Pune. Whatever happened afterwards, I really feel pity for them. On the third day, when they were just about 3 kilometres far from home, the officials stopped them in their way! They were carrying their COVID test reports and they said ‘negative’. Yet those officials didn’t accept those reports. They asked them to stay in quarantine centre for 3 days! They were tested again and released after that. Today, when we meet, we laugh out loud. Though I feel sad for what they had to undergo, I am happy that things were taken very seriously here. The norms were followed in proper way.

Currently, I am back in Bangalore. Normally, some might think that I have gone through uncomfortable situations staying outside my place. However, fortunately I haven’t go through any of those. Some have shown concern but I am also good in that perspective.

It’s needless to say that no place can replace my home or my home town. Next to my home, I like being in Bangalore a lot in terms of place, people and amenities. I am so comfortable here! I am from mechanical background yet after taking a plunge into IT industry I have grown a lot. Here I have realised that you can achieve your dreams here.

Now, I am planning for a ‘workation’. I love to go on trips. When things were normal, every year I never missed any trip, Goa being the common destination. Goa seems like a second home to me. Over three years, from 2017 to 2019, I have been to Goa for 5 times. I am so much accustomed to the place that, the map of northern Goa in now etched in my mind!

Given the current situation, a workcation will be ideal. If you can check over social media, workcation is the new trend. People are going on trips and staying at places, while working at the same time. It will be a great experience to enjoy places for couple of weeks, without worrying. The only thing I am suspecting is the connectivity issue. I am yet to finalize my destination. May be it will be some mountains or beaches?

Total Work Experience : 4.2 Years (Goldman Sachs, Paytm, Infosys)