Lockdown Stories – Exciting Things to Do While Social Distancing
As quarantines, lockdowns and social distancing become the norm for all of us around the world, people have started getting uneasy, and pretty quickly at that!
The first few days were seemingly easy. Since the daily commutes to schools, colleges and work were no longer a factor, we could now find time for ourselves. This meant binging that new show on Netflix, finding a peaceful corner to read, or just catching up on a few precious hours of sleep. But as days turned to weeks and reality started to kick in, what seemed like a quick ‘break’ from the routine started making a lot of us stir-crazy, and for good reason.
It is now time to make a decision. Do you want to spend this time cooped up in a corner just munching on snacks and whiling away your time? Or do you want to put this time to good use and do something exciting with it? We asked a few of our students about what exciting things they are up to while social distancing, and they shared some creative ideas!
Art & Colour Therapy
Undergraduate students Dhruvi Nishar (Bachelor of Data Science), Siddhi Khinvasara (Bachelor of Business Administration), and Aryaman Khanna (Bachelor of Business Administration) are indulging in different forms of art, and the results are beyond amazing!
The lockdown has also brought out the artistic side of our Luxury Management students like Srishti Agarwal and Simran Motwani. “I’m spending my extra time in Zentangle Therapy. Derived from the Japanese word ‘Zen’ for meditation and the English word ‘Tangle’, Zentangle finds its base in philosophy. It is accessible to anyone and simply requires a pen or pencil and a sheet of paper has also been shown to have surprising benefits, helping individuals deal with depression and anxiety, regaining mindfulness. Admit it, each one of us has scribbled little nothings on the backside of our notebooks during most of our lectures, be it school or college. Having no set orientation that defines a start or an end, Zentangle is intended to be abstract. The best part about making a Zentangle is that anyone can create one without the need of being an artist,” shares Srishti.
Finding Solace in Words
“Quarantine gave me a chance to bring back my interest in writing that I had developed at a very young age,” shares Debarshi Kumar Deb from MGLuxM Batch 06. “Back when I was 16, I had penned down my very first novel, but never published it. Partially because I was not confident enough, and partially because I didn’t have the courage to tell my parents about it. Today, along with brushing up on my German and Italian (Thanks, Duolingo!), I have also resumed writing my second novel.”
Saadan Shaikh (BBA’17) utilised this time to start a luxury travel blog. “My time at home inspired me to build something of my own, and the result is a new blog (https://takeoffwithguru.com/) that I created with my friend. The blog is still in the early stages, but I am not going to back down and won’t stop until I’ve taken it to new heights,” Saadan shares.
New Day, New Skill
MGLuxM student Shivansh Lodha is trying to spend every day in the quarantine learning something new.
“Did you know that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit? In this lockdown, I want to inculcate the habit of learning new things daily – right from in-depth research within my field to just reading up on a topic that is completely alien to me. I am now reasonably well-versed in Mutual Funds, which was completely Greek and Latin to me till last month!” shares Shivansh.
Feeding Your Foodie Tendencies
Utkarsh Sanghvi (Bachelor of Business Communication Intake of 2018) is a foodie. When you are not able to go out and try new cuisines like you are used to, what can you do? Start cooking them, obviously!
“Surprisingly, cooking has become the most fun part of my day during the quarantine. Learning a new skill was exciting and the end result gave me a feeling of accomplishment which was just the motivation I needed to keep going. I try new recipes every day and eating good food makes me content,” he shares. (Utkarsh has also picked up another activity to focus on during the quarantine, but more on that later!)
Even Varsha Rajeev and Srinidhi Jeyakumar (BBA Intake of 2018) are trying their hand at some fun recipes during the lockdown. Check out their latest baking montage!
Fitness First
Manthan Shah (BBA Intake of 2018), Aryaman Khanna (BBA Intake of 2019) and Utkarsh Sanghvi (Yes, the same Utkarsh who is trying out new recipes every day) are focussing on their fitness during the lockdown.
“I used to be very physically active during my school days,” shares Utkarsh. “Sports used to be a passion and I spent hours practising every day. However, as years passed and I shifted abroad for my studies, I stopped finding the time to invest in sports and lost the habit of playing. This quarantine gave me the motivation to start being physically active again. Working out daily makes my body feel alive and energetic. Going out in the balcony also lets me breathe in the fresh air and helps defeat the trapped feeling of being cooped up in a house.”
Pick up an Instrument
What is the first thing that comes to your mind to take the stress off a bad day? Good music? Imagine if you could just play your own tunes!
Valentin Bascunana & Vasudha Philkana (BBA Intake of 2016) are doing exactly that during this lockdown.
Song & Dance
And when nothing else works, break into song & dance. Looking for some inspiration? Check out these performances by Perla Rodriguez (BBA Intake of 2017), Amara Dorothy Tan (BBA Intake of 2018), Charu Sancheti (MGB 2017 Graduate), and Riya Sukla (BBA Intake of 2016).
What are the exciting things you are doing while social distancing? Tell us in the comments below!
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