Separated by Corona…. United by Love (Helped by Internet)

Corona has forced the biggest lockdown ever on the normal activities the world over. The lockdown has brought families together. It has helped people to re-discover the ‘spark’ in the relationships which had gone missing kind courtesy the busy life most of us were leading.

But then Corona has forced ‘physical separation’ between friends. Children working outstations have been separated from from the parents. The professionals are working from home away , bosses  have got distanced from their subordinates.

Internet the saviour…..

In this era of ‘COVID forced separation’ internet has stood out as the main saviour. Data in the mobile phones and the Wi-Fi connectivity has suddenly become the lifeline even for those not so tech savvy my generation. People who in pre-corona period relentlessly cursed the younger generation for being buried in their phones always are now themselves surviving on internet.

The internet is helping relationships stay alive, the friendships to thrive, the professionals to strive (to achieve what they desire), the bosses to fire (their ideas on the juniors). Thank God, Corona decided to hit when the mobile phones, internet and social media had proliferated far and wide across the world “nahin to is zamane mein ek dusre ko message bhejne ke liye itne kabutar kahan se laate? Kabutar mil bhi jaate to PETA wale nahin chadte” (Without modern technology and gadgets it would have been so difficult to send messages across to friends, relations or business associates.)

Saving relationships…..

Internet not only helps a relationship to thrive when you are separated by distance but also when you are living under the same roof. Before the lockdown was imposed, whenever an unpleasant situation occurred between a husband and wife, one had the option of just going out for a drive, a long walk or a drink with friends and get over it but now with restrictions in place the farthest you can go is the other bedroom which also in all probability is occupied by kids or parents. The internet & social media steps in as a saviour and provides the (safe) space one seeks in such critical situations; bury yourself in the laptop/ smartphone, read, write, chat; get your emotions back in control. Internet also provides you with the option of ‘conversing without being there’. What may seem impossible to convey face to face at a given point of time gets much easier to express online; the feelings of love/ an apology/ acceptance or rejection. There may be periods in life when internet may be the sole thread connecting a relationship.

Teachers and students are making the best use of online teaching. Topics after topics are being finished without having to bother if anyone was even listening and students sit in front of the laptops with the headphones from the mobile phone preventing the noise pollution generated by online classes, from reaching the ears and confusing the mind.

“Faster you get your emotions under control and patch up the better for you, Government is not in a hurry to remove night move restrictions and kids won’t tolerate you in their bedroom for long”

“Abhi to khaana, peena, jeena, marna sab ghar ke ander hi hai ….. shanti banaye rakhne mein hi samajhdari hai”

Corona – The side effects….