In March 2020, when the nationwide lockdown was announced due to the first wave of Novel Coronavirus infections (also referred to as Covid or Corona), I had come home for a 3-4 day break after my mid semesters at the university. Soon we all came to know that the lockdown had been extended and our offline classes were suspended.
Soon our online classes commenced and was being taken in Zoom then shifting to Microsoft Teams. Initially it was a bit confusing for the students as well as teachers as many of them were not so tech savvy and to get adjusted to this environment was a task. For me, the advent of online learning meant that I could no longer be reading hard books at the library but instead search for soft copies over the internet. The initial days was a bit of a task as I had to get acquainted with the applications, use of MS- Office and many more things.
My daily routine started revolving around my laptop as we have lectures all day long till 5 pm which was pretty happening and enjoyable at first but after a few months passed it really started becoming lethargic. Sometimes, I used to be scared and worried looking into the news reports about the numbers of people suffering due to Covid. To sit in front of the screen started becoming a task and so I switched onto some physical activities like Zumba, aerobics to reduce the strain due to sitting in front of the laptop.
The advent of online learning also meant that laptop that was used only to draft an assignment had now become my library, classroom, hangout place and what not. During the lockdowns, my laptop and phone have been working quite to that extent that now I feel they have overworked!!!
On the brighter side, I feel I was fortunate to have facilities like electricity, a stable internet connection amongst others, that had become a luxury many people in rural areas. It also had been a challenge to students hailing from poor financial background. My teachers and friends were constantly supportive that proved to be very helpful. This new environment taught me new ideas on time management at work (college) and home. It made me more aware about mental health, a subject that I was not well versed before but started giving more importance. All I was praying and hoping for was the well being and safety of all my fellow countrymen and people across the world.
All together I would say everything was new and as time went by, I have completed 3 semesters online. Now work online is becoming the new normal, many corporates are encouraging the work from home, and I think we must adapt to this new normal unless and until situations improve and I really hope that the situation normalizes, and we get back to the old normal with all precautions.
Aishwarya Says:
I have always been against Glorifying Over Work and therefore, in the year 2021, I have decided to launch this campaign “Balancing Life”and talk about this wrong practice, that we have been following since last few years. I will be talking to and interviewing around 1 lakh people in the coming 2021 and publish their interview regarding their opinion on glamourising Over Work.
If you are interested in participating in the same, do let me know.
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