The pandemic has hit every stratum of society though with varying intensities. While a lot has been said and read about this, it’s interesting to sometimes move out of our immediate circle of family, friends, acquaintances and colleagues, and strike a conversation with a stranger.
While the pandemic did bring the world to its knees, it’s interesting to see how some of our fellow human beings (nomads) have gone about with their lives as usual amidst the pandemic.
This brings a flurry of questions to my mind.
Is it the lifestyle of these fellow human beings that lowers the chances of infection ? Do they already have a strong immune system (thanks to their lifestyle) ? How informed are they about the pandemic ? Or is it that the pandemic simply doesn’t matter to them ?
Here’s a snippet from a chat I had with a shepherd family a few months ago.
“I’m cleaning this feed, Bajra, for my chickens. I live here with my husband, sister, daughter, so-in-law and 2 grandchildren. These goats, sheep, chickens, horses and dogs are my extended family.
Our ancestors, too, were shepherds. We are natives of Jejuri (a city in Pune, India) and plan to stay here till Dassera. Post that we will head towards Konkan (a costal region in Maharashtra, India).
We cook dinner before it gets too dark, though we have dinner between 8 p.m and 9 p.m.. Today, we’ve cooked rice, wheat rotis and meat. We sleep in this tent, while our animals sleep in the open. Snakes and scorpions are a real threat to us at night. Rainy nights are the toughest as some of the goats and sheep rush under our tent for shelter.
We were planning to admit our kids to school this year, but this Corona has foiled the plan. When is the lockdown ending ? (Yes, though they have been indifferent to the crisis and have sailed smoothly, the educational set back is a big concern.)
We earn well, but our work demands lots of hard work. There’s fear of stray dogs and men stealing our goats and sheep at night. But our pet dogs are our true saviours!
Will you have some chai ? We have multiple rounds of chai through the day.
By the way, when is Bakri- Eid ?”
P.S.: This family which lives in a tent, the only one present on several acres of pasture (social distancing followed inadvertently), was equally curious to know about my hometown and work. They asked me several questions which I happily answered. During the 30–45 minutes that I spent chatting with them, three customers visited the family to buy chicken, goat and compost made from goat droppings.
