Kolkata has been a balm for my grieving heart: Celina Jaitly Haag

A year ago, Peter (husband) suggested we shift to

Austria

from Dubai so that I could recover better from my personal grief. I was facing severe

depression

due to the untimely death of my parents and one of the second set of our baby twins. Here, we’ve been under a lockdown longer than any other country, given the close proximity to Italy. Like everyone else, we too are staying home so that we can fight the virus. However, I never imagined to be this busy amidst a global lockdown.

Our three sons are my focus right now. I’m home schooling them with their German curriculum and teaching them about Indian culture. Arthur, who is two, refuses to sleep or eat without listening to the

Rabindrasangeet

Sajani Sajani. We are the only Alpine estate which resonates with Rabindrasangeet from morning to evening.Besides, I’m also busy promoting my film Seasons Greetings- A tribute to Rituparno Ghosh digitally.

We go for long isolated walks in the Alpine woods and follow a healthy vegetarian diet. Red peppers, citrus fruits, broccoli, carrots and garlic dowsed in organic haldi are on our daily menu. We pray for ourselves and the world and also offer gratitude daily.

Strangely, this lockdown has helped in treating my depression. Being one with nature, bird songs, my sons help me maintain a positive streak of emotions and I’m off medication.

Peter and I are taking great pleasure in home schooling the boys. This part of the journey in the global shutdown has been very satisfactory emotionally as the boys have extra time to focus on enriching themselves with their heritage. I’ve been reading to them tales from the Panchatantra, Jataka and the Mahabharata. They love the Hindi alphabets despite German being their main spoken language. In Sanskrit I am teaching them about the power and meanings of mantra healing and how they can implement mantras in their lives. Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is their favourite.

Being a Bengali by heart, I miss my beloved city Kolkata a lot --- its complexities of life and monotony of daily routine. The city has always been a balm for my grieving heart. I have the most wonderful memories of living with my parents and my early days as a model in Kolkata. I worry for all my friends there.

COVID-19 is impacting and reshaping daily life for everyone around the globe. Though Austria is prepared to ease down its restrictions by May, I am sure the world will never be the same again. A new type of social contract between individuals and society needs to be established. A coordinated effort as a global community is crucial. Let’s learn from what we did not do, from what we did right or not, but above all, when we look back, let’s remember to appreciate every bit of the good that we have with us.