The ongoing lockdown has forced many of us to alter the way we go about our daily routine. Chennaites share tales of the changes they have made to adapt to the new ‘normal’ of living and working with limited interaction
Ashish Malpani (44), Product marketing
Chennai:
I used to work from home once a week even before the lockdown. What's changed is that now every day in my calendar is blocked for meetings and conferences. I try to make sure my calendar isn't too full. I try to ensure I have lunch with my family and make dinner with them. Also, I try to stay engaged by going for a walk, taking for some online exercise classes. You have to get creative with it. This is a good opportunity to spend time with family. We are around each other always. We play board games, do exercise, clean and cook together. It is helping us stay connected. I was talking to my son and he told me that he misses school. It has been an overexposure to parents and us hovering over them. He is 12 and he wants to see his friends. He does help out and enjoy spending time with us, still. The biggest challenge is trying to avoid coming into close proximity with them.
Even when we go grocery shopping, we try to stay out of people's way. Sometimes there is a shortage of goods, and we are unsure when this will end. We did a family photography session in our backyard. We've been processing our pictures from past travels. Also working on my books -- building storylines and such. However, the workload has increased, so it's difficult to manage. There is no end in sight. We don't know what normal is anymore. For me, it's about accepting and taking it one day at a time. These are things we don't have control over, and so why bother. What we can control is our daily schedule and the time with family. So I'm focusing on that, rather than the other things.