VP Naidu writes post on life in lockdown and how to make best of it

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said he had not been confined to one place for a long time except during the Emergency, and described life during the ongoing coronavirus lockdown as a novel experience where he is trying to make the most of it by conditioning his mind to handle the uncertainty with equanimity.

In a Facebook post, Naidu said he is trying to use the time in a constructive manner and enhancing his perception by reading good books and sharing thoughts and ideas with near and dear ones.

"All this is made possible by making small and significant changes to my daily routine. No doubt my mobility is restricted, but my mind is brimming with new thoughts and ideas," he said.

He said he has not done anything special except for "reorienting my mind".

"I have never been used to this kind of confinement, except during the Emergency. This is a novel experience to me and I am striving to make the most of it by conditioning my mind to handle the uncertainty with equanimity," he wrote.

Every dark cloud has a silver lining and these testing times too have its advantages, he said.

"The first and foremost is the fact that I am able to spend significant time with my wife Ushamma, which was not the case since our marriage in 1970," he said.

His wife, Naidu said, in particular is savouring every moment of their togetherness. "Since our marriage, I did not spend even a week at a stretch at our home," the former union minister wrote.

After he is through with his official work, Naidu, who is also the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, uses time to speak with family members living in Nellore, Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad.

He said the lockdown has given him to speak with veteran leaders, including former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda, and LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, AK Antony, Ahmed Patel and Motilal Vora.

"Such regular interactions, which otherwise are not possible, give great happiness to us," he said.

Naidu also shared details of how he spends his day -- waking up at 5 AM and retiring by 9 PM.

"Let us walk together on this difficult path with restraint and greater determination. Let's fight this pandemic head-on. Only a controlled and compassionate mind can achieve anything," he said.

Naidu said he wrote the post on request of his friends.