This lockdown, Unlock happiness.

A glance at my home calendar made me realize that August has a plethora of festivals taking place but there is not much hullabaloo and how can I expect any. I remember how in pre-corona times, the months of August and September were famous for their bank holidays and how we would eagerly wait for Ganpati vacation and modaks. "Good old days"

I spent a fair amount of time over this thought and noted that festivals in lockdown made us realize how fortunate we are and were and low-key took that for granted.

I believe a society is formed, and established by mere connection and social interaction but its cohesion and oneness are fueled by celebrations and festivals. They assert inclusiveness enhances understanding within the community and strengthens the social fabric. They attempt to create a shift from the mundane happenings of everyday life and also instill a feeling of excitement and enthusiasm. 

But due to 2020, everything has developed its own new meaning and feels unconventional under the context of the "NEW NORMAL".

And if you notice you could distinguish this whole year from the previous year and feel everything is so different.

Our idea of a festival also has drastically changed. We've begun connecting and celebrating virtually, however, that hasn't shaken our belief system, and our faith in God remains firmly grounded.

In the current day scenario, we long for festival holidays as work from home is taking a toll on all of us and every day seems the same, we crave such events as it offer that one day when you would actually have a reason to dress well, to click pictures and since you've taken the trouble of capturing beautiful moments why not upload it on Instagram:p

However, at this juncture when someone might be enjoying the company of their loved ones, someone elsewhere, is mourning the loss of a family member and when we thank our stars for being provided abundantly with food supplies, someone might be rethinking of their next meal.

Hence, I'd take this moment to address a very essential topic. These 5 months that we've spent in adversity were the times when our survival was equivalent to victory and thinking of the most affected, the employment industry in our country is facing its lowest right now.

And it demands everyone's attention for the time being. The stats are alarming and can have a prolonged amount of strain on the mass population's mental health. And at such predicaments, we as a community could come to its rescue. And what better point in time to show our support than festivals.

 

(https://www.cmie.com/kommon/bin/sr.php?kall=warticle&dt=2020-08-18%2011:02:19&msec=596)

After spending hours researching, I've managed to prepare a list of ways one could play a major role in someone's well-being and growth in the most thoughtful and rational way.

1) Help local businesses.

In these 5 months of lockdown, there has been a surge in COVID cases and also in the number of startups being established. Be it start-ups in the field of Online grocery shopping, Pharmacy e-stores, or E-learning facilities you could find a bunch of online-accessible applications which to be honest are of great help. Consumption and usage of these apps could be one of the ways to promote and encourage local business and as result also boost our economy. #vocalforlocal.

(https://www.inventiva.co.in/stories/priyankaraj/indian-startups-booming-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/)

2) Aid house help. 

House help includes domestic workers performing tasks such as cleaning the house, cooking, washing and ironing clothes, taking care of children, or elderly or sick members of a family, gardening, guarding the house, driving for the family, and even taking care of household pets. Now that we have passed the phase of uploading pictures on the gram doing household chores, we've come to an understanding that these tasks could be back-breaking however that doesn't mean it's safe to call back your house help. But in moments like these, we need to reminisce about our dependence on them in the pre-corona world and aid them financially as they are most affected in this COVID era.

3) Refrain from bargaining with local vendors.

In the past, we've taken absolute pride in persuading the vendors and bargaining with them but we consciously need to understand that we were exploiting them and their profit. As the easing of this lockdown has simultaneously begun, the local vendors are in the process of getting accustomed to the new normal. They have struggled enough to provide their families with basic needs and it's due we do not create any further hindrance and give them their full pay. As much as you think it's risky to buy groceries from the street, the vendors put their lives at risk each and every day to fulfill our needs.

4) Promote and market.

I feel everyone has faced the brunt of unemployment and as a conventional effort, someone in our family settings or peer groups is aiming to try out something new and make ends meet.

They won't urge you to support them but would not resist the same and it surely won't cost you much. 

Simple acts of sharing their work or product, reposting it on your social media, or rather being their initial customers would go a long way. Giving them constructive feedback and helping them pave a strong path would enable them to strive harder and boost their morale.

5) A long-needed chat. 

 Festivals could be a great medium to express ourselves and regain old relationships. Starting a conversation could be extremely hectic but under the pretext of a festival greeting, I don't think it would be much of an effort. A bunch of people might be recovering from the loss of a loved one due to the disease and a chatty conversation could help them relieve the tension on their shoulders. We always desire to be understood seldom to understand others.  Hence, in this socially distanced world, let's not emotionally distance ourselves and others."

All I'm saying is that we need to thank our fortunes in this PANDEMIC-STRICKEN WORLD and be of help to the less fortunate.

We've masked our faces often this year for obvious reasons but have not forsaken any opportunity to unmask the wrongdoings or happenings in the world, to voice our opinion when required, to do that one little thing we've aspired to do all our lives but never discovered the right moment and most importantly to educate ourselves with concepts unfamiliar and as per me, this could be the best thing that could happen to any human race.

As rightly said by Audrey Hepburn, "The best thing to hold onto in life is each other" 

Perhaps, this lockdown, let's unlock happiness & let's make 2020 a bit bearable by being considerate towards others and celebrating festivals in the right spirit.

Also, I would love to hear your thoughts about the same in the comments below :)

Until then!

Love, 

Gloria Mathias.

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