Latest Social issues

LOCK DOWN; 73 ACTIVITIES FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN *

(The article is based on personal experiences, observations and review of literature in urban areas)

What is the situation?

Natural calamities or man-made restrictions can put mankind in such a situation anytime in life when one is not able to live life as one has been living. One is forced to live in the four walls of home, not able to go out for livelihood, visit places, and meet people. Although this situation has arisen due to coronavirus pandemic presently, one may also be forced to remain indoors due to personal health issues, some family compulsions, and retirementor for care of someone in the family.

Forced confinement may lead to many challenges and difficulties, but if handled properly can provide many opportunities to grow.

What are the challenges?

Remaining indoors for a very long period without proper and adequate activities may lead to;

Restrictions; in physical movement, as most of the urban houses are small spaced.
Panic and confusion; negative and depressive thoughts, as if life has come to a standstill.
Anxiety, Anxiousness; Uncertainty for how long one has to stay indoors without work.
Boredom; some people who have a habit of always remaining in activity mode ; going to office , traveling for official and personal work ,always working, moving out, visiting to markets and malls ,going out for dinners and parties and entertainment places, clubs , jims , sports club , functions and other social gatherings get bored .
Alcoholism; addiction and drug abuse may develop in some people due to boredom, anxiety, frustrations or depressions.
Obesity; It has been observed that in many cases there is a correlation between overeating and boredom, anxiety and anxiousness. Many people both elders and children start overeating. On the other hand there are people who reduce or completely stop eating.
Increased workload; It has been observed that during lockdown work load of women and in some cases men also increases as all family members are at home twenty four hours.
Financial difficulties; Loss of income due to low business or due to loss of jobs/ or salary cut on one hand and a habit of living a lavish life style on the other hand may lead one to in a situation of deep crises.
Disturbed children and family members; children get anxious, emotionally disturbed, they worry about their studies as there is physical restriction and stressed environment at home .
Behavioural changes; in some cases it has been observed that people sitting at home for long period without any work develop quarrelsome and aggressive behaviour as there are pent-up frustrations and no outlet to vent emotions .
Domestic violence and abuse; in many homes women and children are treated very badly during long period of lock down. Reasons could be as one or more mentioned above.

What should be the objective?

OBJECTIVE AND CHALLENGES; if nothing can be done and situation is not in our hands, this time can be used for renewal; what can one do with what she /he has. One can slow down enough, enjoy or at least feel the situation and figure out what is important to her/ him .learn what one wanted to learn and all these may help for future plans .So this can be a time to build from where one was .If one is sensible one would be able to move forward and prepare for the times ahead otherwise one would get into depression. One must try that she / he should not get into negativity and must accept the reality and move forward.

Objectives should be;

To keep oneself physically fit and active.
To keep oneself mentally healthy.
To keep oneself emotionally sound and stable.
To work towards cost cutting activities for savings particularly by those families where regular income is interrupted and affected.If possible do some income generating activities of which marketing can be done through online,relatives, friends and office colleague.
To keep oneself socially active through electronic media.
To keep oneself entertained and in good mood and humour.
To keep oneself spiritually sound.
To remain updated with new things, latest news and happenings with immediate surroundings, city, country and the world.

Activites And Benefits;

Below are some activities that can be tried during lock down period. A Good and balanced combination of different activities may be selected according to convenience , suitability , immediate necessity , family composition , own interest , future requirements and availability of resources

BENEFITS OF THESE ACTIVITIES MAY BE;

One will remain fruitfully busy during lockdown.
Enhancement of Knowledge and skills.
Mental health of the person remains good as person is not sitting idle. Developing positive attitude.
Physically active as some activities utilise a lot of energy.
Keeping lively atmosphere at home as one is busy and happy doing things.
Good for growth of children as they also learn different activities
Income generation.
One may become innovative, searching fornew and simpler time and energy saving ways of doing household and other activities.

Best Way To Utilize This Lockdown Time is; Covert Adversity Into Opportunity

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES;

So what is the way out ,what are the solutions; one must do things which are in his /her hands. Purpose should be to handle the situation in a positive way or at least minimise above listed issues. So what is the way out, what are the solutions; one must do things which are in his /her hands. Purpose should be to handle the situation in a positive way or at least minimise above listed issues. Working and busy people who used to go out usually wished they had enough time to relax and sleep , spend time with oneself and dear ones , give enough attention for personal care and health , spend quality time with close family members , develop some hobby , learn something new , read and so on and so forth. So if nature has given opportunity they must utilize it properly. New hobbies and interests can be developed. Bring out hidden talent , reason could be any …so what all can be done sitting at home to keep oneself healthy in all aspects ; mentally , physically and emotionally . Even smallest activity helps. It can be a starting point for many and they can convert thisadversity into and an opportunity. One may choose from following activities. It is necessary a daily routine /schedule must be made.

Singing in own voice and recording, singing loudly, learning vocal music; Indian, folk, western or any other, creating new tunes.
Dancing; if already learned, start practising again or learning a new dance form; Indian , folk ,filmy , western or any other type.
Instrumental music .mouth organ, drums, piano, string instrument, flute, harmonium, tabla, Casio.
Drawing and Painting; Painting(oil,crayon, fabric, or any other mode), drawing,caricature , glass painting , sketching .
Fabric painting on clothes, dying garments, tie and dye.
Paper folding; decorative items, money gift envelopes, gift bags, hand bags.
Planning nutritious food, trying different types of cuisine, presentation of dishes etc. Cook something new, improve recipes you already know, try any menu which you liked in any hotel, restaurants or eating place .Recipes can be seen on net.
Prepare jams,jellies,marmalades,squashes,juices, pickles, sauces cakes and pastries etc. for sale.
Washing/laundry, drying and ironing.
Simplifying things; Organising equipments, boxes, items in bathroom, wardrobe, bookshelf for easy access and use.
Living for yourself…Understanding oneself/introspection and taking self-care, what food gives comfort to body as one has time to observe his / her system , improve alertness and activeness , ..Concentrating on one self .Mind full eating, sufficient exercise, doing activities in a relaxed way , no hurry burry. Feel things, enjoy doing things.
Enough sleep and rest; one who has been working for a long time must be missing sleep and rest .So take enough sleep and rest along with doing other activities.
Understanding each other in the family and this needs patience. Make efforts to understand them, appreciating their good qualities, What role they have played in growth of your life, gratitude is important ( if need be read books on human relations )
Self-sufficiency; Upgrade yourself, improve yourself, learn new skills tomake yourself self-sufficient.
New languages; short courses on Indian and international languages can be joined on internet / online.
New technology; Computer courses can be joined to upgrade/ learn new skills. Make own animation.
First Aid ; with aging population more and more people need medical care .It will be in the interest of society at large ,if many people particularly young ones come forward to learn basic first aid tips .
Making of indigenous musical instruments like rattles, drums,string instruments, Jaltarang and other instruments can be tried .
Academic courses; short , medium or long duration courses of one’s interest or as per the future need can be joined online.
Games and activities;cards,chess, traditional games like Loodo and snakes and ladders , carom , hopscotch( staapoo) , treasure hunt can be played . look for new games and activities from net or can be learned from friends and relatives ;
Puppetry ;Rod puppets, string puppets , glove puppets can be made and can be played along with stories developed.
Paper craft; make paper craft items, decorative pieces.
Making colourful post cards with own paintings and photographs.
Embroidery/Crochet / knitting can be tried out.
Framing of pictures, carpentry. Making simple furniture like stool, small table from the material available at home.
Clay modelling; making show pieces and colouring them.
Stitching; stitching with hand and/ or with sewing machine … simple household useful items like dusters , masks , cloth bags , gloves , apron , sheets can be stitched .More items like skirts , trousers, pyjamas, gowns or any other dress… these can be stitched learning from net ,using old clothes or from new cloth if available . Stuffed toys, small sheets, bibs can also be made for small children’s gifts.
Acting / dramatization / Role play can also be tried.
YOGA is the best way for all round health that can be done in a small place. Practising yoga also gives mental peace. Pranayama helps in strengthening the respiratory system.
Working on exercise cycle, jogging / running machine, skipping,stretching.
Workout ;one can also try a fitness challenge with friends, family ( keeping her / his health conditions in mind )
Write life experiences, present experiences, a novel, poems, stories, children’s book, ,general observations about people and surroundings , songs and rhymes for children.
Read latest publications and discuss with other like groups.
Virtual tour to religious and historical places,monuments,gardens, space trip , city tour .
Arrange a house party with family members, celebrating birthdays and other auspicious functions and Karaoke singing evening with friends and family members while taking due care of basic hygiene.
Solve a mystery; suspense stories can be shared with friends to solve mystery.
House cleaning; proper cleaning of the house can be done. Just take out all the items of one part of house and sort as per need. Things that are not needed may be collected and donated to needy people or to some voluntary organisations .Similarly next time another part of the house can be taken.
Voluntary work ;young physically fit can go out to join some voluntary work following all precautions .Otherwise can just coordinate from home with the help of phone .
Start a blog on net .Useful verified authentic information or self-experiences can be shared.
Discover your roots, can make a family tree; let relatives members write about their parents, uncles and aunts and can have discussions about their life, their struggles and achievements, their qualities.
Improve verbal communication skills; Talk on phone, practice reading as a news reader, or an announcer.
Upgrade old clothes;making accessories like belts, caps, scarfs,stoles, purses. Aprons and pillow covers from old used clothes can also be tried.
Books are best friends, read as much as you can, read about your city, country, world , leaders ,monuments and historical places.
Bird watching ; life cycle of birds , how they make nests , things used in making nests, their architecture ,their eating habits, techniques used to feed , life skills being transferred to their young ones … how they keep their self-fit and healthy.
Nature Observing; sunrise,sunset, changes in the size of moon on different days of month,rainbow,clouds, stars etc.
Understanding your life journey; achievements, setbacks, learning points, and planning for remaining life, what all positive things can be done.
Sending/ sharing quizzes, puzzles to people to solve them.
Rearranging and decorating house; furniture, show pieces, equipments .
Cartoon Sketching;.
Viewing, listening and reading local, state and world news, analysing important useful information and sharing with people.
Beauticians Work; face make up,haircutting, hair styling,hair colouring, pedicure, manicure and other tasks can be learned through net and tried with family members.
Furniture weaving.
Upholstery stitching.
Patchwork, applique work can also be tried.
Fashion, clothing and textile appraisal; information about fabric, maintenance of different types of clothes, country wise state wise and region wise costumes that are worn.
Cleaning; learning ways of systematic and easier ways of cleaning, dusting with minimum labour. Materials used to clean different surfaces.
Washing; systematic washing, washing separately different types of clothes, keeping clothes properly for longer life , searching information about fabric of clothes you wear, where are they made , raw material used.
Learn use of different equipment’s and their use,maintenance;knowing and understanding about fridge , washing machines , car, television, camera , mobiles etc .
Literary activities; Reading papers, magazines, newsletters, for current affairs, political information. Reading road maps,city , state , country and world maps.
Declutter mobiles and laptops ; photographs , emails and other data that is not required can be deleted
Studying; information on currency coins and notes .
Acting as a coordinator; with people sitting at different places across the globe.
Photography and video making of nature, animals and birds who come near house.
Albums; making albums of old and new photographs in an artistic way .
Host games with relatives and friends on line.
Watch movies/ cartoons, try to see humorous videos.
Simplify your life; see what you really need, how much you actually need. Usually in urban areas people collect much more than they actually need. Make an estimate of how much one can live comfortably with .Keep that much and donate rest of it.
Start a book / magazines club; Share online.
Quit any of the bad habits; be it alcohol drinking, smoking, overeating, too much coffee, sweets, tea, cold drinks, junk food.
Plants care; care of indoor outdoor plants if one has or if space permits grow new ones.
Relive childhood, adolescence adulthood memories with siblings, cousins, relatives, school friends, college friends.
Wish list. Writing a wish list of the things and activities to be done after the lock down .visits to be made to people, places,monuments, historical places or any other .
Games; Table Tanis, badminton ,whichever can be played within home and with limited space

Necessity is the mother of inventionso utilise this time and start working

*Nirmal Tikku,Ex Deputy Director, NIPCCD ,New Delhi ( June ‘2020)