Report of 30 May 2021

 Good evening!

There are no lights on the Muttukadu bridge: the lockdown is here and has been extended by another week.  Scott and I have food in the fridge and freezer, and a fridge shelf full of mangoes, so clearly we are set.  Scott is talking to his mother on a free Whatsapp call and I have just finished talking to my father, who is well by the grace of God, as he would say.

We are well and hope the same with you.  I turned 58 last week and the day was merry: chat with our children, a couple of sweet food treats and a day of work.  The day after that, calls to our COVID helpline started decreasing: our state's new administration has been quick to rope in fine talent from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and put in place all manner of measures to ease the situation.  Beds and oxygen are available in Chennai and more and more available in other areas.  I am immensely hopeful that this is the case in other states.  

The volunteers on the COVID helpline have a proven track record: at times of the tsunami or the floods in 2015, these folks came to the fore and put in place systems to aid.  No different this time, and it is a privilege to work alongside and triage.  The early days were a bit difficult, and we had our share of heartbreaks with not being able to reach people in time, but the days are better now.  It is a tremendous joy to work alongside such visionary, committed, intelligent folks.  

Scott's consulting continues from home and he is happy to be doing it.  Truly, Internet has become as necessary as food and shelter.  When we were in Madurai last week, we used our phones' data and that was fine for that situation; it is nice to have Internet for our laptops, too.  

I saw a spectacular movie on Netflix today - "Inside Man," from a few years ago.  It is nice to watch a good movie.  We have a son in that industry and were firm fans before he got in the industry.  Our daughter is a farmer, and we have new respect for that industry as we bite into our cold mango.  

We hope you stay well and safe.  I remain very grateful for your presence in my life.

Unw -

R