Archana Vijay

MA English Cafeteria
Roll No: H00MAENG20200362
Dr. B. Uma Maheswari
Beginner’s Guide to Cultural Studies
20 January 2021

THINKING ABOUT CULTURE AND SOCIETY IN THE TIME OF COVID -19

March- the month of the university and board exams had students busy prepping, studying,
and the last-minute cramming of whatever they could as usual. The majority of them
(including me) unaware and ignorant as the coronavirus wreaked havoc across countries.
Many schools and colleges had closed down and postponed their exams by the 20th of
March. Except for my university, we still had our exams scheduled on that day and the
coming week. The latter had taken to the news and let its students know that the exams will
happen according to the antecedent schedule. The university is one of the biggest in the state.
And almost all the well-known colleges are under/ affiliated with it. Resulting in the student
community that I am a part of underestimating Covid 19. 

 Thus when the government ordered phase 1 of nationwide lockdown on the 23rd of March,
we were all shocked (and equally frustrated with our final year exams postponed
indefinitely). Ours already mapped out futures had suddenly gone blurry. My friend planning
to go abroad was panicking. Almost all of us were sad about not having proper graduation.
Everything was so unexpected. The first phase of lockdown passed very quickly, the people
trying to come to terms with chaos and confusion induced by the virus outbreak.

By the second phase of the lockdown, people had made peace with what was happening.
'Work from home' became a thing. The Kerala Government was pretty confident about
tackling this virus outbreak, as we all had learned from the prior Nipa virus outbreak of 2018
(though not as widespread, but still very deadly) that how much a little precaution can go.
Everyone around me fell into a gradual routine of carrying sanitizers, masks, and gloves
everywhere. Strict lockdown rules issued. Hefty fines, forced-quarantine, and jail time to
keep slackers in line. As days dragged on, the ever-busy city of Kochi came to a standstill
with the rest of the country. And the world.

Yet amidst the raging pandemic, families finally had the time to connect. Coming from a
nuclear family myself (with both of my parents working and brother in boarding), we seldom
had the time to sit down together enjoying a proper meal. The lockdown had us under one
roof and a lot of time in our pockets. The first two months were a dream come true. Being
pampered by both mom and dad and connecting with my brother, with who I hadn't spent
time the last two years. We connected through workouts, eating healthy, or watching TV. In a
very general sense, it was a time of appreciating and realizing the family one has ( in
communities worldwide).

As a wallflower, for me, the lockdown was not much from my summer vacations. I have
always preferred to read, write or watch web series to going out and socializing. And that is
why memes and tweets on introverts during the pandemic resonated with me.

Seeing my extrovert cousins and friends starting to climbs walls in the desperation of wanting
to go out, I felt proud of having it all together. Just like SpongeBob says in the meme, it was
as if I've trained for this my entire life.
So the first few months of the lockdown for me was all about taking a pause. For the first in a
long while breathing at my own pace. It was fun following all the social media and lifestyle
trends. We made Dalgona coffee, tried micro-greens, took a break from social media, and
planted more trees. And then the schools reopened online. The university exams resumed.
And that bubble of comfort I was in with my family and friends suddenly burst. Everything
after that was a blur. Exams got over results were out. We graduated. The postponed exams
for final year students like me was a safety net. An assurance that there is still time to worry
about not knowing the future, we weren't graduates yet. 

The uncertainty and that feeling of being lost were unsettling. Everyone I knew started
making back-up after back-up plans. Introverts and extroverts alike. We did sitting at home,
not knowing anything, and was through with it. My best friend, who managed to immigrate to
the UK for her Masters, recalled how emotionally draining the whole process was. She had
gotten the offer letter back in February and had to reach there before October end. Everything
dawdled from the start. From final exams, results, her visa application, approval of student
loan, and such. After the long and delay to-do list, she finally did make it to the UK. An
experience she nor I am likely to forget in this lifetime. Another friend of mine decided to
take a gap year and try applying for her master's program this year. She tells me she knows
how much chaos one can handle, and what the rest of our friends (including me) went
through was not something she could. 

I, on the other hand, wrote all the post-graduate entrance I could. And awaiting its results is
something I wish I never have to go through again. Everyone in this world, at one point or the
other, must have felt the same (in varying degrees) this year. Everyone must have had that
seemingly impossible urge to move forward. The next two memes shared by a friend are my
all-time favourites. These correctly depicted what I was going through before my online
classes started at EFLU.
I mean, even if one prefers staying in, it would be nicer to have an option to go out. Spending
time in lockdown was crazy enough; imagine being in room quarantine; been there, done that,
and never want to do it again. I have never valued socializing nor thought about how it affects
my confidence. After being in quarantine for fourteen days, deciding to disconnect from
social media and not staying in touch with my friends took a toll on my ability to interact
with others. It came to a point where I couldn't switch on my camera during video calls or go
out running errands without obsessing or overthinking it. Things that once came naturally to
me was now proving to be very difficult and uncomfortable.

I had earlier signed up for an online project at one of my friend request. It was a radio play,
an initiative taken by one of her new classmates. A couple of students from all over India
connected through Instagram and WhatsApp. We had many meetings online and auditions.
The final product was a radio play with an original screenplay, dialogue, and music. I was
part of the writing team, an impossible feat it seemed in the beginning. But I made myself do
it. It was one of the most stressful and enriching experiences I have ever had. Meeting a
group of like-minded strangers to work towards the same goal did wonder for my lost self-
confidence. Almost all of them were my age (and some younger), and they had all been
through the same. We were willing to hear each other out and help. It was healing and self-
realization inducing. For the first time, we all understood the importance of communicating,
staying in touch, and creating bonds.
One thing we have all realized while being mad 2020; is that no matter who you are, where
you are, and how you are under the mercy of this universe (or whatever the reason behind this
pandemic is scientific or spiritual), we are all just the same. For the first time in decades, we
were all out of the rat race. It feels as if nature was pushing for all the things us human have
done to her. She was finally breathing clearer after the lockdown. This pandemic has
managed to affect every nook and corner of our culture, society, and community. For many
like me, I would love to believe that 2020 was a year of self-realization, and hopefully, 2021
will be the one for healing.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Memes: www.instagram.com
2. Tweets: www.twitter.com
3. Radio play: Here Comes the Sun :
https://open.spotify.com/show/15uVRbQBrbfEdX6w6mZjIA?
si=o0Bba8mQSmeF3qBOhr5l6A
4. www.theweek.in
5. www.timesofindia.in