How Will India Cope With The Lockdown 2.0?
Mitron,
As I write this article thinking about the lockdown, I am perplexed and have a high pulse rate. So, trust me when I say that I completely understand the sense of panic that is engulfing you. In our first edition, we wrote about not panicking in such situations but now in the middle of it, I am finding it difficult to remain calm.
The importance of staying at home at this time cannot be emphasized enough and I do completely agree with the decision of lockdown. However, the lockdown will make leading a normal life difficult.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Yes, it is a challenging time but the strong survive all odds. So, toughen up! Take a deep breath, calm your nerves and think about what can be
done to make things easier. These measures are for our safety, so accept the present and work towards making our future safe.
Dealing with the Lockdown
"I watch the days go by one after another, I don't know how long days like this are going to last." A Chinese citizen in Wuhan wrote about her experience during the lockdown. Staying at home is necessary but given the situation we are living in, it can also be depressing.
How can we maintain our sanity amidst this ordeal?
1. Get Hooked on to the Audible - I used to prefer reading the hardcopy of books till I heard my first audiobook, and I am hooked. Audible by Amazon has made it easy for parents to keep their children occupied by canceling subscription of books and audio stories for children and students of all ages. Here are some recommended audiobooks for adults that come free with 30 days trial subscription:
● Becoming by Michelle Obama
● Ikigai, The Japanese Secret to a long and happy life
● Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
● This is going to hurt by Adam Kay
2. Sign-up for an online course - If you were waiting for a time to learn something new then the time has arrived. Yale has made it’s a very popular course, The Science of Well-Being free. Click here to enroll. Harvard has 56 interesting free courses listed on its website (I am for sure going to register for a few courses in humanities). Udemy has more than 6 thousand courses covering a variety of topics from finance to coding to music. Put these online learning platforms to use and keep yourself busy in constructive things.
3. Follow Trusted Sources - Let me emphasize the importance of getting your information from trustworthy sources. Subscribe to reliable and quality newsletters. Here's a list of good newsletters for Indian context:
1. Broadsheet Daily - A daily newsletter with India focused general news, trivia, and curated content.
2. The Nutgraf - A weekly newsletter that recaps and presents analysis and updates from business, technology, and finance world.
3. The Quint Newsletter - The Goenka award-winning media house publishes a daily newsletter with the latest news, thought-provoking editorials, and investigative reports.
Binge - I have a thing for murder mysteries and suspense movies. Mentioning a few of my personal favs below for mystery junkies like me:
● Crooked House - Based on an Agatha Christie book. A classic murder mystery with an unlikely twist ending. Available on Google Play.
● Mystic River - The USP of the movie is the drama and the treatment of the story. I watched it for Kevin Bacon and the Oscar-winning movie is worth all the acclaim. Available on Netflix.
● Dark Places - The story includes a serial killer, satanic cults, and family secrets. It is based on the book by Gillian Flynn who also authored Gone Girl. Available on Google Play and Netflix.
● In the Shadow of the Moon - I love this movie. It is a Netflix original and the story is a complex mix of sci-fi, thriller, and crime.
● Memories of Murder - Inspired from true events, the movie discusses serious issues under the pretext of a murder mystery. Wait till you find out the murderer.*
● The Illusionist - It is not a murder mystery per se but one of my favorite mystery movies. I binge-watched Nolan’s The Prestige and The Illusionist (mystery movies involving magicians) and I liked the latter more.*
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