Lockdown Journal - A Time to Read

While the brave new world of a digital term holds its promise, there is something about sitting in one of the oldest libraries in Europe, surrounded by new and ancient texts and the brightest minds in the world, that I miss dearly.

— Suta Kavari

Monday, 28 April 2020 marked the start of Trinity Term here at Oxford. Normally, the beginning of any term takes on a strange whimsical air, marking the beginning of another new and exciting chapter. The start of Michaelmas Term was the spring in the journey. The new start, though overwhelming, that held with it much promise. Hilary Term was business-like, less fanatical and more focussed. Bucket-lists and to-do lists were being crossed out with much urgency, commoners’ gown in tow. The idea of Trinity, the last term for many of us, was filled with romantic clichés of wandering around Oxford in the springtime. The quivering grey giving way to blossoming colour.

Although the romantic idea of Trinity still occupies a now-sacred place in the imagination, reality sketched out a new normal. The outbreak of COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdown measures to contain the spread of the virus has completely upended our way of life, and Oxford students are no different. The start of Trinity Term brought into sharp relief this new normal. The rarefied appeal of world-class in-person lectures in some of the most commanding and grand buildings have been replaced by online lectures not far from my bed.

While the brave new world of a digital term holds its promise, there is something about sitting in one of the oldest libraries in Europe, surrounded by new and ancient texts and the brightest minds in the world, that I miss dearly. If anything, being confined to my room as both a recreational, study and meditation space has allowed me to reflect fondly on the places in this strange town that I miss, especially the many reading rooms.

The Old Library, University College, Oxford

Oxford is, of course, not short on reading rooms and nooks. The first one that captures the imagination is undoubtedly the Radcliffe Camera. Observing the interior of the striking circularity of the building from the upper reading room always leaves your jaw slightly ajar. The Bodleian Old Library? I do not think I did anything other than stare at the stunning ceiling of the upper reading room. If it was not one of the Bodleian libraries, it was the many libraries dotted along the many colleges. One of my biggest regrets is that I never applied to the Codrington Library of All Souls. Though not an exact substitute, the modern minimalist interior of the Wolfson Library at St Catherine’s College did bring me comfort. But above all, it is the Blavatnik School of Government (BSG) that I miss, which was my favourite place to read.

Judging the building, the Royal Institute of British Architects described the BSG as “a modern cathedral of learning that at the same time stimulates, soothes and excites”. To me, the “Window to the World” marked the spot where I would gather my thoughts and reflect, the sun gleaming on my face as I gazed out onto Walton Street and the striking Oxford University Press. Nostalgia is a strange feeling – made all the more so if the thing you miss and long for is within reach, but you can’t touch it. If anything, the thing I missed the most about the start of Trinity was being able to sit in the stillness of that cathedral, staring out the window.

Suta at the Window to the world, Blavatnik School of Government