I Had the Free Time
Notes for COVID-19 from Binaifer Dulani, Group Head – Copy
The coronavirus pandemic has freed up my commute time. Which has led me to talk about these times with different kinds of people (over calls and chats, of course). Family, friends, relatives — all under lockdown. It has increased the time I spend on the internet too, which has taken me down some interesting rabbit holes on the subject.
So I have decided to put down the thoughts and insights I’ve collected over the last week — courtesy, the internet and human libraries around me. This article does not talk about the origin of the coronavirus, or the must-dos during this time. Neither does it talk about the reportage of cases across India, and the world. All of this is important information, and at the end of the article, you’ll find a webliography with vetted sources that you can go over and share.
Collected here are observations I found interesting, the finer aspects of mandatory family time, and the impact it has on relationships. Ideas on steps the government should take, thanks to some fabulous points raised by people around me, and the economic opportunities that have opened up, while projected losses are being estimated across industries.
At the end of this read, I hope you’re left with at least one new interesting insight.
With this I shall stop my pre-mumble, and get to it :)
Family time during Covid-19
Over the last week, families have had to stay together, all the time, under one roof. Commitments like school, work, college, and tuition often give us a breather from each other.
But now, we’re all in each other’s faces, all of the time. Which means it’s also a time when it’s difficult to maneuver and avoid difficult conversations — about political and ideological differences. Petty fights (over remotes, which sabji should make it to the dinner table, time spent over the phone, limited data) will increase by a manifold — leading to more resentment, suffocation.
It’s a time when old wounds might open up, conflicts that simmered in the background might come to the fore — and no, we can’t step out for a breath of fresh air.
How do we cope during times like these?
I’m wondering about ways in which we can help family members have healthier conversations. I wish newspapers would carry articles about ‘how to live and, more importantly let live’ during the coronavirus. I’m thinking editorials that give advice on how to deal with generation gaps, ways in which one can put one’s point across, how to handle conversations about political differences — and most importantly, lessons in letting go. Lessons in realizing that we are individuals first and not a part of each other. That no, we cannot always change the other’s set beliefs. That we can have differences and still find a way to respect each other. This could be a collaborative piece written by psychiatrists, talk therapists and woke celebrity oldies), while it carries important information about how to wash our hands.
I wonder if online therapy could be made more accessible to all during this time.
It also makes me think about what a difficult time it is for women, especially the ones who live in joint families, who now have to pander to everyone 24x7. Women already invest 577% more time than men on domestic chores. Now that the male members are home all the time, it means 10x more the work, more the demand for chai, for naashta, and a billion other requests. It’s time to start talking about uneven gender roles — maybe play ‘share the load,’ and make everyone in your family watch it.
If you’re with your family right now, and you see your mother, wife, sister, bhabhi, neighbour or whoever being overburdened — speak up for her. Yes, everyone needs to stand up for themselves but not everyone knows how to. Especially, when you’ve been conditioned all your life to put your own needs last.
The Guardian carried an article that talks about an unprecedented spike in cases of domestic violence in China and America — related to Covid-19. Several women are trapped indoors with their abusers. While we struggle to figure out basics like more isolation wards and ventilators — we should also think of and make arrangements for safe places for victims — places in their vicinity that they can go to if they feel threatened.
What worries me the most is demands for sex being forced upon women. Marital rape during times of lockdown — when men are tired of all the screen-time.
How many women know that a concept like marital rape exists? How many women can turn their husbands down — without being beaten up or be at the receiving end of passive aggression and revenge? Let’s talk to our househelp, our neighbours, women in our family — and watch out for cases of abuse. While we distance ourselves, let’s also come together to protect each other.
Of course, not everything about being with family is problematic. Many families are built on the foundation of unconditional love and mutual trust. I, for one, cannot be more grateful to be around family in these times. It’s what is keeping me sane and happy.
A new way of living
Mortality. I never thought about how I wanted to die, but coronavirus is making me think about death. Which makes me think of funerals. Which makes me think that Indian funerals in times of Covid-19 will have to be different. A funeral in India is typically when bus-loads of relatives come together, beat their chest, cry and snort loudly.
But now, with towns and cities under lockdown, many of these practices will have to be more intimate, more self-reflective in nature. While I hope we’re all hail and healthy, many of our practices will be under review.
WFH — those of us who are privileged enough have found new ways to conduct meetings. There are new protocols — we know the colours of our colleagues’ walls, and are finding ways to keep our kids’ quiet when we’re on call. Some of us feel comfortable introducing our nieces and kids to each other, which I find beautiful. We are trying to figure new boundaries — and manage our work days as we jump from one call to the next. I found this tweet from a colleague particularly hilarious.
New opportunities
A big part of a new way of living revolves around the many ‘firsts’ in peoples’ lives. First conference call, first online medical consultancy, first-ever online purchase! Chris Reitermann, Chief Executive, Asia and Greater Asia, Ogilvy, has authored a fantastic read called ‘Making brands matter during turbulent times.’ In this, Chris talks about how there is always an opportunity during a crisis. Research reveals that the outbreak has nudged 84% consumers to try something for the first time — with online medical appointments and online education topping the charts, followed by working for home software and paying for digital entertainment.
Fun Fact: Zoom Communications, which offers teleconferencing services including video meetings, has seen its stock soar 47% in a month as the coronavirus has spread and more companies direct employees to work from home. Turns out, it managed to be the video call software of choice (beating Hangouts and FB messenger) because of its closeness to social media- like features — a beauty filter that evens your skin tone when you appear online, and cool backgrounds that you can customize to hide your messy room.
This made me wonder of the many other industries that would be super-relevant now, while several others project losses, with daily wage earners and small businesses being impacted the most (notes on this below).
- Masks, sanitizers and soaps, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, online therapy and manufacturers of medical hardware FTW obviously.
- All kinds of performing artists — with more people being home, there is a need for entertainment and content more than ever. Across the world, artists are streaming live concerts from their homes to keep people entertained. There was a meme doing the rounds (that I found via pg.sarin on Instagram) that talks about how it’s important for us to remember that during times of crisis we all turned to artists for a change of mind.
- Niche online services like antimsanskar.com — where they arrange for on-demand funerals (death has been on my mind a lot)
- Delivery services — with more people being indoors, there will be a demand for doorstep deliveries — for medicines, groceries and other utilities — turning this into a premium service as delivery boys and girls on the frontlines risk their lives for our needs
- Broadband services — the only way for us to come together and feel a sense of community as we isolate ourselves
- OTT platforms, online content subscriptions and publishers obviously
- Social media
- Newspapers and news channels — we’ve never been hungrier for updates
- News verifiers — or apps/services that help us sieve news from fake news
- New opportunities are opening up: In Seattle, the team at Slightly Robot is now selling an iPhone and Android app designed for wearable devices for $50 that encourages users not to touch their face
- Artificial Intelligence Analytics to identify changes in one’s health condition
Which others can you think of?
Expectations from the government
Faye D’souza summarized this the best. And you should just read the screenshots below. But other than this, my dad made a fabulous point with which I’d like to summarize this piece.
All the MLA funds should be consolidated and turned into a larger fund that should be given to banks, so that no interest is charged on EMIs, credit and debit cards for the next three months — to help small businesses pay their staff (labour and other workforce). Would love for someone to turn this germ of an idea into something that can be substantiated with numbers.
Before I leave, I have an innocent question to ask, have you also been counting the number of times people around you sneeze and cough?
Keep a tab:
WHO: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
Ministry of Health and FamilyWelfare: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/
