The Pandemic Has Taught Me How To Be A Better Person

As a career investment banker, I advise on mergers and acquisitions which gives me a thrill, an adrenaline rush. I collect and revere my deal toys like pearls from the deep end of the ocean. I cherish my Rolodex that I have built through 30 years of hard work. I love my long workdays, pouring over balance sheets and research reports to analyse corporate health and industry trends. I take flights at short notice to whichever destination my client needs me.

As all the tools in my ammunition kit began to shut down slowly — Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy — the cook presented me with a long list of food items and other essentials she would need for the next three weeks.

I find it quite distracting when my cook calls me during working hours, as she does once or twice a week, to tell me that she has run out of essential items. At such times, I wait till evening to go back home and tell her that I would really appreciate it if she did not call me in the office, particularly when I am in the middle of important meetings. Whenever I tell her that we can discuss and plan things such as household necessities over the weekends, she responds by rolling her eyes and saying, “We work to put food on the table. We live to eat.” I walk away muttering that we eat to live, too scared to argue with someone who has become an indispensable part of our household.

Also Read: Here's Why It Is Completely Okay To Be Negative During The Lockdown

And so, life went on till the evening of March 24, 2020, when the initial 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced. As all the tools in my ammunition kit began to shut down slowly — Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy — the cook presented me with a long list of food items and other essentials she would need for the next three weeks. Like everyone else, I scrambled to arrange essential items from our local kirana stores, and I did so meticulously.

During the day, when I connect with colleagues and clients over Zoom, I mute the call if a supplier calls to tell me that he has managed to source the required lentils and pulses or washing detergent.

Now, the first thing I reach out for in the morning is not the business newspaper but the window in my daughter’s room to see if the vegetable vendor has arrived in our building with his daily supply of vegetables and fruits. Never before has an aerial view of potatoes and onions given me such happiness! During the day, when I connect with colleagues and clients over Zoom, I mute the call if a supplier calls to tell me that he has managed to source the required lentils and pulses or washing detergent. Once I get the supplies in, I sanitise the boxes and packets of food items and other essentials, and put them away with as much care as I would lock away jewellery inherited from my grandma. The other day I took my husband on a tour of our kitchen and showed him all the vegetables we had managed to get. The delighted look on my face got him worried; he thought I was acting a bit cuckoo. And when the replacement gas cylinder came in through the door one night, I got the entire family to give the delivery lad a standing ovation. When my kindly neighbour sent across a packet of cottage cheese, I almost choked with emotion.

Also Read: Dear Women, It’s Okay To Take A Sunday Off, Even Under Lockdown

While my day job has taught me to be an independent working woman, this pandemic has taught me to be a better human, appreciate the bounty of nature, respect our front line and essential workers, know that happiness lies in spending time with the family, value human connections — and, above all, concede that “We do live to eat!”

Manisha Girotra is the India CEO at Moelis. The views expressed are the author's own.