A city-based college has started a social media campaign to help people fight lockdown blues, encouraging them to look at the positive side of the current situation instead of despairing.
The campaign, named “Covid Kurippukal” and organised by St. Teresa’s College, got underway on April 14 with a message from Health Minister K.K. Shylaja. The campaign encourages people across the State to share positive experiences they encountered during the lockdown.
“The lockdown need not be all about suffocation or boredom. With the right perspective, there can be a lot of positivity around, like spending quality time with family and learning new skills,” said Nirmala Padmanabhan, Assistant Professor and coordinator of extension activities in the college.
People can share their stories over WhatsApp and Instagram. The campaign started receiving stories within hours of its launch on the morning of Vishu. A team of over 200 students will manage the campaign and propagate the inspiring stories through social media.
“Members of the college union and students part of Under 25, a Bengaluru-based youth platform, will vet the stories and videos and share the best of them over social media every day. We have shared a WhatsApp number and two Instagram handles for people to send their stories,” said J. Poornendu, project coordinator, research and development department.
“The idea is to run the campaign through the length of the lockdown till May 3. In due course, celebrities and politicians will also be approached to share their stories to spread hope and positivity during these challenging times.”
“We also plan to run challenges over popular applications like TikTok. A message will also be relayed in between, asking participants to capture an image or video in tune with that message. They will also be asked to share their immediate plans for after the lockdown, like the places they would want to visit after the period of social distancing,” said Ms. Poornendu.