A little over a month ago, this columnist had taken a peaceful stroll on a Sunday evening around Ballard Estate and Fort, for some much needed nourishment of the soul that almost always includes a dekko of her favourite part of the city.

It felt surreal to soak in the moments of quiet and solitude after almost a year, as I walked past some fine architectural styles, in their lived-in and abandoned avatars – from the vernacular to the Gothic. It felt like returning to the pages of  that favourite classic on your bookshelf: the Edwardian Baroque influenced buildings in the business district of Ballard Estate were silent observers to groups of noisy gully cricketers; Horniman Circle Garden and the steps leading to the Asiatic Society Library had their usual share of crowds while the Flora Fountain traffic island and Kala Ghoda were abuzz with Sunday strollers and families keen for some “hawa khana” or dining out in one of the many eateries or bars that dot this neighbourhood. The Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue looked resplendent, while in contrast, the shrouded, decrepit Esplanade Mansion seemed to have resigned itself to a longer haul as its fate hangs precariously in the balance. As I looked around, there was obviously no indicator or ominous sign that the city [at that time] was on the cusp of a second wave.