The treasure I was sitting on
A brand new car and miles to go
The year started with great gung-ho
Overland drives and overseas tour
The road beckoned with its own allure
And then came March and the deadly virus
No big deal, it can’t be happening to us
A curfew day turned into weeks of lockdown
And weeks turned into months of global meltdown
Make do with less, make do online
A new life emerged, called it quarantine
And out of the blue I got literally smitten
With vegetables, grains and more from my kitchen
Faces, scenes, birds, animals and flowers
Kitchen art engaged me longer than hours
In English and Hindi, words would flow
Likes and followers began to grow
My cycle became my bosom friend
Walks and long rides made a lovely blend
Clocked more than a thousand miles
Far exceeded by the number of my smiles
The year that was, unusual no doubt
Turned my life upside down and inside out
The treasure was right here and right now
Every moment was indeed a big wow!
After 35 years of a professional life spanning academics and industry, as a computer scientist, Uma prefers to just engage in activities that she enjoys or is good at, like mentoring students and teachers and life coaching. In the process of working with her own challenges, in the last 20 years, she has analysed life from different perspectives. Creating art from material available in her kitchen – vegetables, pulses, grains, fruits, peels, cutlery, pasta, noodles, papad… has opened up vistas of inspiration for her. The road and its sights and adventures hold great fascination for this avid driver.
Her works can be found at https://photos.app.goo.gl/2LE2auPut1v455HM6
She blogs at http://umavalluri.wordpress.com/