My phone buzzed with the news ‘India Indoors: Millions observe Janta Curfew‘. I looked outside, and a bunch of teenage boys played cricket, wearing masks. As the scene looked funny enough to make me giggle, I wondered how difficult it is to get us to sit at home for a day. Either you end up watching news channels that fill you with fear, or you spend half your day on social media, liking and sharing articles and memes.
With the numerous photographs and Instagram stories that I am a witness to, many of us post how grateful we are for the time we could venture out, or posting pictures of ‘work from home’. With the help of my social media, I am now very well aware of who’s doing what during this #socialquarantine period. I am a part of this hashtag too. Well, that’s better than watching news channels that leave us grappling with fear about the future. Being informed about precautions and updates is good though.
So, here I am, as a Good Samaritan, trying to help you with a list of things you can do if ‘Janta Curfew’ becomes a regular affair.
- Explore your inner Master Chef. Cook and bake for yourself, roommates or family members. This activity is not exclusive to gender.
- It’s time to regain your old lost habit of reading. Take out the books that you have stored away and dust them off. Or maybe you are already an avid reader. Form a virtual book club with your friends or colleagues.
- Ensure paid leave for your domestic help and educate them about precautions to be taken during the coronavirus scare. If the situation reaches the community transmission stage, experts suggest it’s the poor and undernourished who will suffer the most.
- Exercise inside your house. There will be temptations to become a couch potato because of your ‘work from home’ schedule. You can take a 5-minute break every hour to ensure you stay fit.
- Another way to stay fit is to wash vessels and clean the house as your domestic help is on leave. Many studies show how household work can burn calories. Again, this activity does not depend on your gender.
- Write. You can opt for articles or poems. There are platforms that encourage budding writers.
- Call up your friends or family members. Maybe, do a video call. You don’t have the excuse for frequent travel or a busy work schedule. Get back those old relationships.
- Look after your diet. Boost your immunity. You will be tempted to keep munching on junk food. But resist!
- Watch documentaries/short films on subjects that interest you. How can we forget Netflix and Amazon Prime? Some comedy videos can lighten up your day.
- As the cliche saying, last but not the least, stay home. Venture out only for urgent matters. Avoid visitors. Stock up your supplies, but refrain from hoarding or panic buying. Follow precautions by WHO and the Government of India, and not WhatsApp university.