“You’re stuck now,” said Milena Marques-Zachariah’s husband, Zach, trying to hide his disappointment. Emirates Airlines had just cancelled all flights to and from India. A day earlier, Canada had also suspended all flights from India, starting April 21, 2021.
It felt as if fate—or some angry gods—had stepped in to make sure Milena would miss her flight back to Toronto by just one day. Her original return ticket was for April 25, but sensing trouble, she had rescheduled it for April 22. Now, missing that flight by only 24 hours seemed especially cruel.
Soon after, Emirates announced they would resume flights on May 15. What a relief! A few more weeks in India didn’t seem too bad. In fact, Milena looked forward to finally treating herself to an Ayurvedic spa—something she had been meaning to do for a while.
But just two days later, the Karnataka government declared a strict 15-day lockdown starting April 27.
Now she truly felt trapped. The spa was out of the question. Bars, shopping malls, and even visits to friends were all off-limits. Her two-month trip had unexpectedly been extended, and there was nothing she could do. Like the rest of the world, she was at the mercy of COVID-19.
Shock gave way to guilt. Should she have listened to her daughter and stayed home? Why did she leave the safety of Canada?
But this wasn’t just a vacation—it was a meaningful journey. She had come to India with a purpose: to help and to heal.
Milena Marques-Zachariah Non-Fiction, Pandemic Literature 2025. Pp. 192. CA$17 Rs 500. ISBN 978-93-95795-35-7 (Print)
