Behavioural Swings During Pandemic Times

Behavioural swings during pandemic times

Today’s Times of India had 48 pages- almost double the number of pages for over one year .Around 20 pages had advertisements! .I sprang up and told my daughter that happy days are going to be here again. There was a flash back of all that had happened sans the bewildering statistics we have been exposed to, these days. Here are some of the behavioural swings I have noticed during the last one year.

Double income families have shifted from 2 BHK to 3 BHK as both husband and wife need separate rooms for working from home. There are many who have saved a lot by dumping their household effects in warehouses and are working from the mofussil locations /their home towns where they don’t have to pay rent .By February however our apartment complex had scores of delivery boys delivering right from refrigerators to robot sweepers and mopers. This was called revenge shopping.. Inspite of this, there was a careful review of expenses and attempt to mop up resources for the rainy day.

There were extended debates on vaccination vs ayurveda/homeopathy. The main fear was, side effects including loss of fertility. There is still vaccine hesitancy and this poses a problem. For example a couple of close relatives refuse to have the vaccination. Other relations say that they will not go and stay with them until the corona pandemic is wiped out. But the problem is that the couple are planning a visit and stay with the relatives to conclude a land deal .I had no answer as to how to deal with the situation.

There are friends who are paranoid and don’t even open the door when the doorbell rings. I have seen men sending their wives to buy vegetables,milk,curd etc. and not accompanying them when they go for vaccination.Many have stopped maids and cooks but quite a few men share the responsibility of managing the chores including washing vessels. There are of course MCPs who don’t lift a finger to offer help. Where maids are allowed,they are asked to wear masks while doing their jobs. There are interesting cases where maids insist on their employers wearing masks when they are working in their houses.It is indeed heart warming that in our condominium of 1400 flats residents got their maids,drivers,cooks etc vaccinated at their cost.

Seniors when asked to come out they refuse. With an air of pride they say that they would come out only when their children give them a green signal. This is a public display of concern and and affection.Seniors in return are prepared to subject themselves to the jurisdiction of their children. One cynical old man however says that the concern is about expenditure and lack of time and not a genuine one..

This was the most difficult time for children. To get the monkeys off their back and to take care of on line classes parents have gifted them with laptops and smartphones. I can see addiction to browsing which is going to be a life time affliction and a cause for regret in the years to come. Cooped up 24x7 at home the idiosyncrasies of individuals are out in the open and cannot be camouflaged any longer.One good example is that a chap declined to have dinner every day saying he was not hungry. Actually he used to stuff himself with snacks in his office food court .In the absence of that option while working from home,he is having his dinner at home regularly now. This came as a confession in one of his weak moments.

Let me conclude with an interesting episode .I went to the salon two days back. The hair dresser ,a North East chap asked me medium or short .I told him ‘Third wave”. Unable to understand he sought clarification .I explained that the third wave of Corona may hit the country by mid August and may last up to end October. My hair cut accordingly should not entail a visit to the salon till then .He enjoyed the explanation and Third wave haircut has been added as one of the options they offer.

PS-I was on a project for a few months and hence my absence from IL. Hope I will continue but not on a feverish scale, due to compression fracture in my vertebra which I am handling without surgery.

 

Dear Viswa,
As usual I am happy to have your comments. Vaccination, I am told by my eminent Doctor friends, does not insulate you from the infection. However the immunity induced by the vaccination reduces the intensity of the infection and mitigates the chances of fatality. Our former driver who gave one excuse after another, passed away recently leaving his thirty year old wife and two small children penniless. By cloud funding we raised around RS.Five lakhs and opened an FD.
Coming back to the subject, the pandemic has exposed the frailties of human beings on the one side besides reaffirming the basic nature of being good human beings.
Regards-SLN

 

Dear Rama,
Thanks for sharing my concern about the post corona effects on society. One thing I am very happy about is the incredible jump in hygiene consciousness of Indians. It is here to stay. On the other hand substituting companionship with social media has caused irreversible damage to our social interactions. When you get mechanical good morning messages you have to check up with the weatherman whether it is really going to be a good morning as the saying goes. The resilience of human race through devastating pandemics gives me confidence that we will get back to our old days retaining only what has made our life comfortable. Change is an inevitable part of evolution of the human race.
Regards
SLN