5 good things that may follow once the pandemic is over

Cough once, and it's enough to earn you the side-eye from people around you. Sneeze, and you're given multiple kaadha recipes to cure the ‘infection’. And if you've moved in with your parents to work from home, your millennial gestures, part of your personality now, will be questioned by the older people you're living with. What do we owe it all to? The outbreak of a disease that has changed the world in ways we wouldn't have imagined.

But if you come to think of it, the pandemic-stricken era has also introduced us to positive ideas and actions that were rarely considered in the past. The digitisation of processes has given way to successful remote working—be it in media, film or tech industries—and the challenges with the economy and restriction of movement have boosted the consumption of local goods. The time has provided us a chance to be more self-reliant, and taught us several ways to stay connected with long-distance friends and family members. While we still wait for our locked-down reality to meet its end, and for travel and leisure activities to reopen, there are a few silver linings, too, that we can't ignore. Ahead, we list out the good things that may be in store for us, once it's all over.

Remote working will become normalised

Until earlier this year, many organisations didn't have provisions for employees to work from home. But a rushed introduction to COVID-19 made it all possible, and how. Magazines are featuring remotely-shot covers, ‘workations’ are becoming a thing, and films are being ideated, recorded and produced from home, to be delivered right to viewers' home screens. Additionally, changes in the job market are making nine-to-five professionals consider other ways to earn their livelihoods. 

Consumption of local goods and support for homegrown ventures will see a rise

With commute being affected, fashion, F&B and other industries have witnessed partial closure of internationally-sourced supplies. Locally-produced stuff has caught on and found its place on the radar. What seems to be on-trend now, and hopefully move on to become a norm, is shopping from small businesses; making grocery runs to the nearby market for fresh produce; and supporting local artisans and homegrown brands, among other things.

Household chores will seem more manageable

We've juggled work, workout, hours of show-bingeing and household chores together for quite some time now. While many have family or domestic help to assist, whatever we did take in our own hands—less or more—seemed undoable a few months back. When normalcy is restored, it's highly likely that this superpower will remain, and for good.

We'll be in touch with our long-distance friends like we never have before

With the new-age socialising norms—which consist of Zoom catch-ups, virtual celebrations and online dating—in the picture, we've already come up with multiple out-of-the box-ideas to stay connected with one another. In an ideal future world, will we really cancel our milestone parties just because someone can't make it on the day of? Or, not stay in touch with a close friend because we don't live in the same city anymore? Let's hope not.

Homeschooling and virtual classrooms will get more attention

There are communities of parents who believe in educating their kids outside the classroom—whether at home, or outdoors through only practical experience. However, the trend is yet to see significant support in India. But now that children are learning remotely, parents too are exploring new ways to boost their creativity and knowledge. The same is giving us a glimpse of how education could evolve. Alternate schooling ideas could be in the pipeline, for all we know.

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