While the city of Lahore struggles with its innumerable issues, a lot of which are indeed the scourge of the pandemic, there is life that exists on its peripheries. It appears quite alien to us panic-stricken and constantly fretting and complaining urbanites. Along the Wagha Border, there are small, little villages that are populated by simple souls who seem to be completely untouched by the disaster that’s stalking the rest of the world. For these people, life is the same as always. They go about their daily routines — the men step out to work in the fields, the women take to house chores and attend their little children — some of them also make good work companions — while the elders huddle together and bond over puffs of hukka. The day comes to a close, and everyone hits the sack, hoping to rise again the next morning and embrace life’s many small mercies.