How are you spending this lockdown period?
Learning French, attempting to cook, catching up on tv shows and books, and focusing on exercising daily. And fighting with my parents every time they try to sneak out of the house.
What is the one vehicle you wish you were quarantined with?
The KTM SX-E 5. I know it’s a bike for kids, but it’s small, so I can rip around in my parking lot, and have some fun on a smaller scale. Maybe learn to pull a wheelie, finally. And it’s electric, so I don’t need to get out to fill fuel. I can just plug it in my garage.
What is the first thing you intend to do once this situation passes?
Get on my bike and catch the new M2M Ferry Wharf-Alibaug ferry. Ride around, get on the sunset ferry back, and head straight to Boteco for a nice steak.
What is the most important thing you’ve realised thanks to this lockdown?
Nature couldn’t care less about your plans, and while there is some wisdom in saving up for retirement, don’t focus all your resources on a distant future while ignoring the opportunities of the present. And it’s a false belief that misery always brings out the best in humankind. I’m seeing it bring out the worst, too.
Where do you see the automotive industry going after the lockdown?
Full blown panic. But I believe it will recover, eventually. My only fear is that the first victims will be bravery and experimentation in upcoming vehicles. Manufacturers will stick to what they know works, just to recover. I hope this doesn’t push the EV revolution a decade forward.
Do you expect the government to help? If yes, how?
Haha, no. I expect them to put out a widely marketed, but poorly researched rescue plan. Promises will be made, the PR machinery will go into overdrive, and then manufacturers will fend for themselves to recover. Oh yes, and the govt will once again increase petrol/diesel prices across the country, and ask you to forgo some subsidy to ‘support your nation.’ The usual.
How has your company adapted to this situation?
I’m currently on a sabbatical.
With the lockdown, has your workload reduced, gone up or remained the same?
Well, I’m surprisingly getting less free time to relax than I used to, so even though I have no work that I’m getting paid for, I’ve managed to occupy myself more than before.
Even after the lockdown is over, would you prefer to work from home?
I think that’s a slippery slope. It requires some serious self-accountability, and even those of us who possess it, tend to falter at times. But like an autocracy, if it works, it works better than anything else. Unfortunately, when it doesn’t, it’s just as negatively extreme. But yeah, I’d prefer it, as it allows you to work at your own pace. And it cuts down the hours we spend travelling to/from work.
