Swara Bhasker has been self-isolating in her Mumbai home for more than 10 days. Away from her family, she only has her pets for company — her three cats and newly-adopted dog
As told to Riya Sharma (BOMBAY TIMES; April 2, 2020)

I have been in self-isolation since March 20. Strangely, I ended up getting a five-month-old rescue pup literally two days before the lockdown. His name is Godot. I go for walks with him and that has become a part of my lockdown routine. I never thought that I would be picking up dog poop or that I’d ever be in close contact with dog sh**. But now, everyday when I take my dog for a walk, I have a scooper to pick up his poop like a responsible pet owner.

I have watched Amar Akbar Anthony, Notting Hill and You’ve Got Mail — all feel-good films to lift my spirits. I have been re-reading (for the nth time) Enid Blyton’s The Faraway Tree series.

My big takeaway from this lockdown is gratitude. I have learnt to be grateful every single day for everything that I have. I have learnt to count my blessings, to cherish my blessings. I have learnt to be kind and empathetic towards those who do not have it.

The most disturbing news that I read during this pandemic is how thousands of migrant labourers are walking back to their villages. What is heartbreaking is that some of those who have managed to reach their villages are not being accepted back because people are scared that they might be carrying the virus. So, apart from the health fallout due to the Coronavirus, the social fallout is also so heartbreaking. It is such a stark contrast, the rich and poor divide in India is so glaring and the poor are so horrendously vulnerable.

I have found a network of people who are working on ground to provide food to the migrant labourers and made some private donations. That is the most that I have been able to do at the moment. Our bigger responsibility is to be better and responsible citizens, stay at home and allow the government, doctors and health infrastructure to do their job and contain this pandemic.

The only advice that I want to give people is STAY HOME. I have also noticed people using this time to troll others. I just want to say that the whole world is facing perhaps the darkest moments of our time. Let’s forget our political differences and petty fights, and let’s rise above that and unite. If there is one thing that the Coronavirus has shown us, is that illness and a virus like this does not care about religion, caste, creed, political opinion, gender, rich and poor. Let’s remember our humanity and rise above petty differences. Let us unite and get over this virus and hopefully see each other on the other side of this lockdown.