The corona lockdown has opened up a Pandora’s Box of events in a household. Earlier in March 2020 when the lockdown process started with stringent norms, the focus was primarily on food gathering followed by staying safe. After March 25 as the days passed by, the online technology made its existence felt on an hourly, daily, weekly and monthly basis. Earlier no doubt, we were slaves to it with, of course, our own autonomy; but now, it has become the ultimate master. So, let me pen down the events of a typical day in a middleclass family during the lockdown.
One of the prominent forces was felt by our children and their teachers, who struggled daily in the online platforms to make teaching-learning an ongoing process. It may not be a challenge in the West but it surely is a challenge in the East for making your 5 year old kid(s) sit constantly to study online and when the teacher instructs (apparently it is for the parents) don’t move here and there; sit properly as you sit in your class; do get a copy and a pencil; and so on, it seems like even Bahubali would have failed to follow the instructions. Then come the never ending assignments and to make it accomplished is a task in itself for the parents.
Most of the parents would be struggling to wake their kids for the general daily classes let alone the Yoga, aerobics, dance, vocal, art and crafts and other hobby activity classes. In the art class when the teacher says to draw step by step a large round pot filled with cylindrical shaped petals, Gungun draws a rectangular pot with round shaped petals and before the teacher moves to the next step of drawing the stem and the leaves, the kid has finished the task and says “Phew! It’s over Mamma” and asks “Why the teacher is not coloring it?”
In the meantime, the “admin” by mistake turns the ‘un-mute’ icon for a few kids and the fight among the parents and the kid is clearly audible. The mother is heard authoritatively saying “Arey round shape bana pot ko” and the kid keeps screaming back “Mein nahin karunga”. It reminds me of the Sholay’s Gabbar and Thakur scene of “Yeh hath mujhe de thakur” and “Nahin”.
Next, if you come across a Bhisma Pitamah or Dronacharya or an effervescent Arjuna type of a kid who finishes all assignments and tasks efficiently on time, a glaring conscious arises in you questioning about your parenting skills. However, the kids especially the little ones love being at home with their parents around and watching unrestricted cartoons and kids channels. Nevertheless remember learning is an ongoing process and so also is parenting.
Since olden times, we have seen in the mythological serials and have heard stories from our grandmothers about how women have to do household work and child bearing and rearing irrespective of the position they hold in society. If or not it has trained the women to accept their fate, it has surely made a point for the male counterparts to expect the same from their mothers, wives and sisters. So, how can you ensure the same expectation to stop during a lockdown?
Well if both the partners are in a corporate setup, the challenge is more prominent than a single working parent or parents with Government jobs again in the non essential services or with some support mechanism of having grandparents or any relatives at home. Being in an IT sector has surely its advantages but while operating in the ‘Work from Home’ mode in a lockdown, along with the daily chores of Jhadu, Pochha, Bartan, Khana banana, kapda dhona, etc., calls for a prodigious multitasking. The situation becomes easy if both partners strategize in a way to share the trudge and live with love and respect for each other and devoid of any anxiousness.
The days keep moving with the online meetings, calls and emails. As the night approaches, you are glued to the news on the Television and see the numbers increasing in terms of cases reported and deaths apart from other information. You start searching for an alternative channel for some respite. If you find any of your all time favorite mythological serials or any hit meaningful movie, you are at bliss.
This lockdown is not completely gloomy. Life has given us a task to stay at home and fight with the outer coronavirus as well as with the inner vices. It’s time to understand the gaps and make efforts to fill up them. The lesson learnt is going to surely make you a BETTER YOU.
Have a great time!
(Dr Mishra is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Analytical and Applied Economics, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar)