lockdown Archives

Is Coronavirus Bringing Out the Worst in Indians?

Yes, coronavirus makes you sick with flu-like symptoms but it also sucks out all the decency out of you. A pandemic that threatens your life as much as it threatens that of others is all it takes for the facade of humanity to slip.

Deepak Gopalakrishnan July 28, 2016

First Person

Swiping Across Borders: How Strangers on a Dating App Helped Me Cope With Pandemic Blues

For someone whose social circle comprised potted plants and a Netflix account, I thought self-isolation would be easy. But as people started losing lives and jobs, and work dried up for me, I was hit by a sudden urge to do more than just survive in my corner. That’s when I started connecting with strangers across the world on a dating app.

Nidhi Agarwal July 26, 2016

Coronavirus

I Know What I’ll Do Once the Lockdown is Lifted… Go for a Walk

I knew working from home, and being by myself without any social contact, would pose no challenge for me during the lockdown. Until it slowly began to dawn on me that I was missing the therapeutic and calming effects of the simplest of human movements – walking.

Manik Sharma July 20, 2016

Coronavirus

No Shor in the City: The Unreal Silence of a Mumbai Put on Pause

I have never seen Mumbai stop. Not the 1993 blasts, not the 26/11 attack. But for the first time, due to the coronavirus lockdown, Mumbai is being forced to take a pause. There is no shor in the city. Will things ever go back to “normal” for us?

Lata Gwalani July 18, 2016

POV

What Losing a Job in the Middle of a Pandemic Feels Like

What does losing a job in the middle of a raging pandemic feel like? A little less worse than trying to find a job. It’s like going to Jaipur and asking for directions to Helsinki – theoretically it is possible, but practically? Almost impossible.

Perennial Scroller July 18, 2016

POV

Work-from-Home Burnout is Real But I’ll Take That Any Day Over Pandemic Paranoia

I am grateful for the escape provided by work. It is saving me from going bonkers, because at least the chaos of work follows a discipline. Grief, heartbreak, the pandemic – these things aren’t disciplined. I’d take work anxiety any day over the anticipation of a dry cough.

Amal Singh July 14, 2016

Coronavirus

You Don’t Need to “Make the Most” of the COVID-19 Life: In Defence of Doing Nothing

I planned to use quarantined living to go all guns blazing on “Project Me”. I zealously attended every online fitness class, gorged down pending reads, and even excitedly brewed my own Dalgona coffee… only to find myself exhausted, sad, and sapped.

Swarnim Jain July 9, 2016

POV

How My Arranged Marriage Evolved During the Lockdown

My husband and I had an arranged marriage nine years ago. I often wondered if we really knew each other. But the nationwide lockdown, in spite of all the anxieties that it brought with it, has helped us take a breather and reconnect in a way that feels absurd, yet delightful.

Anu Prabhakar July 4, 2016

Health

Those Still Thinking of Taking that Last Flight to Goa, It’s a Lockdown. Not a Holiday

On a Facebook group that I am a part of, someone was looking for a companion to cycle to Lonavala. Yet another family has taken off to Goa. Now is the time to to contain your wanderlust and stay the fuck home.

Deepak Gopalakrishnan June 7, 2016

Coronavirus

Why the Weight of 2021 Feels More than 2020

Lockdown 2.0 has opened the floodgates to remnant anxiety from last year. The past year, in spite of the challenges that we were confronted with, we revelled in the novelty of the work-from-home life and the liberty it donned on us to pursue other interests. This time around, it feels like there is no imminent end to misery.

Sahej Marwah June 7, 2016