By Sonali Desai
While many people are taking to TikTok
or are scrolling endlessly on Facebook and Instagram to evade boredom during
the lockdown, there's a breed of enterprising women in belgaum that is seizing the moment.
Instead of looking to pass time, they are choosing to utilise it as an
opportunity for personal and professional growth.
Life is a teacher
“My friend Uttam Gawde had told me about blogs and YouTube channel some
six-eight months ago but I hadn’t taken it seriously then. So when everyone was
locked indoors, YouTube was the best option to reach the maximum students. This
way, CBSE students staying anywhere in the country could be benefited. That’s
how I started my VrushuRaj Classes YouTube channel,” Vrushali elucidated.
With the help of her daughter and husband, she creates videos at her
home. Her nephew from Australia edits the videos. Vrushali uploads three videos
a week and has gained 125 subscribers so far.
“This work is not going to be only for the lockdown period. I will
continue to share maths and science lessons for classes 9 and 10.
Simultaneously, I plan to share motivational videos that can help boost their
morale and help in scoring good marks,” she added.
To New learnings
Jyoti Badami has authored 11 Kannada
books so far, so obviously she was not going to waste any time during
quarantine.
“In entire Karnataka, the art and
literature members have been proactive in organising/attending literature
programs. So when lockdown was announced, we all were extremely restless. And
that’s when our Kannada fans requested us to recite poems on video and post
them on Facebook. I read my own poem called Kusuma Gucchha,” she said.
Jyoti shared an interesting observation
about this experience. “People asked me whether I’ve written this poem now,
during the lockdown, because it beautifully describes today’s situation and
this made me wonder that I had unknowingly written this some 10 years ago. I
also got a chance to learn a lot while shooting my own video, where to pause,
the expressions and even the tone of voice.”
When life was simple…
Before the lockdown, Ratna Bellad, who
is a Director at Rani Chennamma Bank, was occupied with meetings, social work
and writing. For someone who doesn’t watch television, quarantine was about to
get boring and then she remembered her mother’s vermicelli recipe. In North
Karnataka, it’s famously called sauthi beeja in Kannada.
“My son and daughter-in-law are doing
their duties being doctors and hence, everyone is busy in their own work.
That’s when I got reminded of my mother and started making sauthi beeja,” said
Ratna Bellad.
She also added that this lockdown has
taught us to cook food with minimum ingredients and has in a way brought
equality. In fact, we are now remembering and learning to appreciate the values
of having a family, which we have imbibed from our ancestors.
The mask story
“I had some wrapping fabric, the one
that is generally used for sterilisation. I made masks and distributed them to
vegetable sellers who come to our area, and some masks to my neighbours and
friends. I even shared a video showing how to make this mask after my friends
requested it,” Bharati said.
A window into sanity
“A lot of us feel some form of
negativity brewing in us during lockdown. It’s natural. That’s why I penned
down some positive poems and even created some games like, Sudoku, puzzles etc
to give our mind some exercise,” Jayashri noted.
Prison-style workout
The internet is calling it a prison-style exercise, but is it as
effective? Pooja Ijare is a fitness coach in Belgaum who is setting the right
example for the rest of us who are whining about the lockdown.
“As I am into personal training, clients visit me personally for
workouts. And now it's not happening due to the lockdown. So we chose to take
the classes online, a 45 minutes session. Sometimes I also record workouts and
share it with my clients. It's saving time, none of them have to travel to come
to my studio,” said Pooja.
It wasn’t all so well organised at first, though. There were rough days
too, as she says, “Now we are completely adjusted and are enjoying the online
sessions.”
It was reported in the media that astro queries regarding coronavirus
have risen in April. People are scared and want to know what lies ahead. We
asked Shweta Patil, Tarot reader in Belgaum about this and she said, “Yes, they
do ask about the virus and when it will end. They tell me how much they are
afraid to go out.”
Shweta has been conducting her tarot sessions online during lockdown.
After the client asks the question, she spreads her cards and sends a picture
about their reading. Shweta also added that most people are happy that they are
getting some family time.