Once upon a confinement…  (Paperback, Abhishek Ram)

‘Across races and religions, I have infected,Art of equality; better than humans, I’d perfect,I’m no human offender, for a country to deport,I’m a globetrotter, with no visas or a passport!’ Thus, it spoke, beaming with the confidence of a world conqueror. The virus stands in no queue at any consulate for a travel visa, and doesn’t wait at any immigration counter to be let inside the country. It seeks no permission to infect and has no discriminating outlook. As a morbid agent of equality, it infects all who are exposed to it, across nationalities, races, religions, caste and creed. The quatrain above, is spoken by the virus. It is just one among the many voices from the Covid-19 pandemic written as short narrative poetry. The poems narrate scenes of the lockdown in India, and also the many tales of the affected.