Letter from Devangana Dash

Dear hopeful reader

I know our days are a bit gloomy and times are grey.

And world is different than it used to be. But it is the only time we hope, wait and pray.

This is me Devangana, your new friend, sprinkling some words of hope for you, in these times of grey.

I know outdoors is a fun place to be, and indoors only means you have nowhere to go.

And home can get boring on some days. Let me tell you—‘you’, my friend are so brave to accept this challenge and stay at home. Times are strange and new for all of us. I know, that not knowing too, is scary. I was scared too, when I was told to not step out of my house. At that time, a wise friend told me that probably this is the time when the Earth is in repair. It’s been my favorite story in the last 4 weeks, and I have stayed at home with these few words of hope.

You know how repair work at home is, right? Your house becomes a mess, mom doesn’t like it, dad doesn’t love it either, and you need to stop using one of the rooms may be, and stop doing some of your favorite things that you normally do in a day. The repair takes days, weeks and even months sometimes. It is unsettling, but we know of it as temporary. At the end of the repair tunnel, is a beautiful, improved version of your home! And you are back to it with a new excitement, ready to fill it up with all the things you love doing.

That’s the thing with our giant home too—the earth. It is probably in repair, and filling up its respiratory organs with more oxygen than ever, it is busy building anti bodies to become stronger, and building an all new spirit to fight the virus. It is in rest and recovery, and it needs some time to come back in full force. So, again, —‘you’, my friend are so brave to accept this challenge and stay at home, and help the planet heal, re-construct, re-innovate and recover.

I hope, in these times of grey, you listen.

Listen to the peace all around you. Listen to the voice of your loved ones speak so fondly of their memories, their dreams, or may be talk about their favorite food! You just listen, to nature—singing in all its glory nowadays. Whistling with its winds, and roaring in its clouds, moving among its rustling trees and bustling with its birdsong. Have you noticed the birds are at their loudest, they sing for hours? Singing their hearts out, like there is no tomorrow! I am sure they always used to sing this much, but their voices got lost with our cars honking or our air conditions buzzing. In the absence of any competition now, they are sure to sing with more pride! I am loving being their loyal audience every day. In the last one month, I have been greeted by so many new friends. Bulbuls, babblers and Magpie Robins everywhere! Do you see them too? I think they run a choir or something, there are so many of them always practicing and tuning their vocal chords. In the mornings I am greeted by pretty little Sunbirds, singing their mighty song out of their tiny body, and the big black Koel–popular in the neighborhood for her sweet sharp song. The Barbet and the Treepie come on occasions too and for the first time ever, I was greeted by a colorful Kingfisher in my balcony. That is how I making many new friends sitting at home, will you write to me with your list too?

I hope, in these times of grey, you see.

Observe. And give attention, to the care you receive, and the care you possess to give out. We all are nurtured by our loved ones, and we can nurture and nourish others too. I hope you give attention to those, who need it more right now. And those who are not being able to be as brave as you. I hope look out for them and send them hope too. 

I hope you see the skies, right now in the bluest of the blues! Can you make a colour palette out of the shades of the sky? Sometimes light and pale, deep blues on other times, a soft blush of onion pink and warm orange in the evenings, and almost purple on some nights. I hope you see the magic happening in the sky these greys, because there is a lot more than just greys up there.

I hope, in these times of grey, you make.

Draw and paint, and make poetry, and origami and gardens. I hope you catch the thing that makes your heart flutter, and give it all your love and imagination and create more, even if it means getting your hands or knees messy.

I hope, in these times of grey, you read.

I hope you become friends with new books, and revisit old books too! Books have been my companions through the nights. In that world inside those books, I hope you befriend new animals, birds, scientists, detectives, monsters, and princesses and even those who are saving the planet right now! I know outdoors is a fun place to be, and indoors only means you have nowhere to go. But books will take you places, now off you go!

I hope, in these times of grey, you speak.

Words of courage and kindness. To your own self, and to those, who need love and care more than you. Read-aloud those lines from your favorite books. Sing those lines from those sunny songs. Say those gentle words of love and warmth to those you love.

I hope, in these times of grey, you can do all that you want from your heart.

I hope you too, hope.

I know outdoors is a fun place to be, and indoors only means you have nowhere to go.

But you can wander too, just being at home

Because there is just so much to do!

So much to hope, create, look after, and grow!

More courage to you.

With love and light

your fellow warrior

Devangana

27^th April 2020

Devangana Dash is the author and illustrator of ‘The Jungle Radio: Birdsongs of India’. Apart from collecting books for her dream library, she designs books for a living and her designs have also been recognized by the Federation of Indian Publishers Awards for Excellence in Book Production, Publishing Next Industry Awards and Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize. 

She is also homebound these days and spends a lot of time looking at the sky and the stars, cleaning her house, singing, writing, drawing, cooking, revisiting her all-time favorite books, and video-calling her loved ones.