One of the exercises in my history textbook requires us to write a diary entry from the point of view of someone in a historical context. As I began to complete this task, I realised that we are surely living in historic times. I wondered when future students attempt the same exercise and write through the perspective of a person in this pandemic enforced lockdown, what will they imagine?
They would have to deal with the fact that the “lockdown” as it is infamously called, was the first such mandatory restriction forced up the citizens by its government in a democratic country. A first since the second world war. Three generations would not have witnessed such emptiness to have overtaken the streets in once bustling metropolis across the world. Cars, buses, subways, street vendors, everything stopped; life as we knew it had come to a standstill.
During the stressful time leading up to my Class 10th Board exams, students fervently discussed and make plans for all the revelry soon after the exams were to end. Meeting friends and going out was at the top of our endless to-do list. The irony of our fortunes could not be more paradoxical. The lockdown led to suspension of our Board exams indefinitely and we were home bound permanently! The uncertainty of what lay ahead cannot be articulated easily. As weeks turned to months, we turned from social isolation to social media. A new normal had dawned. Video-conferencing apps like ‘House Party’ have been life-saving. From chatting, to prank-calling, to playing online games like Skribblio, Ludo, or Psych together, House Party is the place to be. There is also something quite comforting about just having your friends on video-call while you do your own thing. My four-year old cousin, with no siblings was very lonely at home, she would often video chat with me my sister for at least an hour daily. We would stay online with her while she painted or simply gave her company as she played.
The end of our exams also coincided with a massive boost in the popularity of TikTok, a place for dances and memes alike. Many students, and parents admittedly, are spending an unhealthy amount of time on this App. Even if you do not have the App itself, TikTok content will find you through WhatsApp or Instagram, or any social media platform. Like the coronavirus itself, it is hard to evade TikTok.
Fashion sense and hairstyles have been redefined in this era. The coronavirus has also acted as an unforeseen trigger for people to give themselves bangs. In my opinion, it is not a mere matter of not having access to a salon; but it is in fact an attempt for them to be able to demonstrate control over something relatively drastic, as there is a lack of such control over events in what has become our everyday life.
Since the new school session needs to start, classes have been moved to the online mode. It is common amongst teenagers to put their school affiliation alongside their batch in their Instagram bio. Many bios now read zoom’22 instead of snsg’22 as a nod to the acceptance of the online classes as a “new normal”. My friends and I have also been keeping busy with online courses on Coursera, and debate classes held by ISDS (Indian Schools Debating Society). I have teamed up with a friend to start online debate classes for the school debsoc, and 32 other students have signed up so far. Additonally, I’m working on a project about connecting small produce and dairy producers in the city to buyers. Some students and faculty from the University of Queensland are mentoring my group on the same.
The pandemic and the lockdown has also brought out our love for art and baking. I wonder what it is about a pandemic that makes everyone around the world want to paint and bake banana bread. This is truly a global phenomenon. I have spent an unreasonable amount of time in the kitchen and at times my parents have been worried that I may end up running through the entirety of the month’s groceries. On-line TV shows have emerged as another popular pastime. Binge watching an entire season without losing any sleep is not considered abnormal anymore. Thankfully, all is not unhealthy. I have tried yoga, and surprisingly enjoyed it. What is nnot surprising is that this gave my parents another “I told you so” moment.
The lockdown has also projected unrealistic expectations on everybody to be uber productive. Shakespeare wrote King Lear whilst in quarantine during the plague. However, this expectation to be superhumanly productive is completely unfair. We are going through a pandemic, not a productivity contest. In our fast-paced lives, we have hardly had time for self-actualization, and things which may not be seen as productive may be helping us stay mentally healthy during these times.
On that note, we should view the pandemic through a “glass is half full” perspective. With all the things we took for granted stripped away from us, we need to appreciate the simple, everyday experiences more in the future. New forms of collective expression have emerged as a coping mechanism to maintain high spirits during these trying times. The balcony concerts and movie nights in Italy, the chanting in Wuhan, and more recently, the events in India have certainly helped keep public morale high.
This pandemic has highlighted the extreme disparities in our society. The disparities always existed and have been long ignored. Hoever they cannot be ignored any longer in the wake of this outbreak. There are so many amongst us who cannot even afford to take time off work and save themselves through quarantining. Heart wrenching visuals of daily wage labourers trying to return home should be a wake-up call for everyone to recognise thie collateral damage the less fortunate sections of society have suffered in light of the lockdown. Frontline warriors, medical professionals, volunteers, and support functionaries have struggled to find enough PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to keep themselves safe while helping others.
These daily wagers and essential service practitioners who continue to work despite risks to their own health are not just heroes, but also slaves of exploitation. Protecting themselves would mean losing their livelihood at a point in time when economic survival takes priority over health. There is death on both ends for them – through the coronavirus, or through starvation. I have come to realise that we cannot emerge from this pandemic unchanged. We must never forget the lessons we have learnt. As a community we have come to appreciate the joys of standing in a crowded street, watching a movie in a cinema hall full of strangers, relishing street cuisine. The pandemic has laid bare who can afford to take time off work, and who cannot. It has also taught us exactly how crucial yet least remunerated the key workers who keep our world running are.
The lockdown measures which were necessary to combat the spread of the virus also showed clearly that mass scale individual change is not enough to fight climate change. Clearly, the future of the climate change movement should now focus on lobbying to curb emissions caused by solely profit hungry corporations. It is time to call out unreasonable employers who refused to let the differently abled or single parents work from home with an excuse that “very few jobs can be done from home”. Misinformation is another issue plaguing us right now. It important and incumbent upon us as responsible citizens to be able to distinguish between sources which can be trusted, and those which cannot. But in every catastrophe, there may be a hidden opportunity. From the ashes of the Black Death, Europe rose to witness the one of the greatest artistic and intellectual movements of all time. Can we hope for a repeat Renaissance?
By,
Piya Sharma
The Shiv Nadar School, Gurugram
Class XI
