Being a kid during Lockdown: Birthdays and playtime.
As I write this India is going through one of the most stringent Lockdowns in the world and the unknown victims of these stringent measures are kids.
Like most kids, my daughter had been planning for her birthday for months. From handmade individual invites to the cake she wanted from her baker mom. As fate had it her birthday was amidst the various restrictions, she was crestfallen and so were we.
We decided to make the most of it with whatever resources we had in-house to make it a special day for her. Using my photographic equipment like light stands, black canvas background and other grips we managed to make a makeshift tent. Some fairy lights from Diwali festival were used along with a few lamps to light up the tent. On her birthday she woke up to this tent in the living room, no gifts this time and she was not expecting them anyways being aware of the lockdown situation.
Cake cutting happened over a video call with family followed by a google hangout call with her friends which cheered her up for the day.
Technology has been a big saviour for adults as well as kids during this pandemic and has helped immensely in coping with cabin fever syndrome.
It’s been a month since her birthday and we are still in lockdown. Not a day passes when she doesn’t ask me when this will end, when will it be safe to go back to school, when will it be safe to go out and play with her friends. I for once don’t have an answer.
Makes me wonder will this be the new normal? Have we brought it upon us by systematically destroying the natural habitat of other species we live with? I just hope the next generation gets a chance to undo the harm we have done over the past 100 years. Thankfully when I look at her all I see is hope, her thoughts on nature, wildlife and conservation fill me with joy and I’m sure if given a chance kids like her will make sure we have a future on this beautiful planet.
