Easing lockdown stress of the differently-abled
The Covid-19 outbreak has been particularly harsh on differently abled individuals. Apart from the physical distress, their mental health, too, has been severely affected. The effects of school closure, social distancing and medical equipment shortage are further amplified for families of children with disabilities. Shyama Chona, founderpresident of Tamana Association, says, “Specially abled kids looked forward to meeting friends and had a fixed routine which they now miss.”
Caregivers, families, and friends can help by allowing such people practical and emotional leeway to cope. “Encourage them to communicate with friends, teachers and colleagues via audio-visual mediums,” suggests Chona. As a society, we can help by being aware and sensitive to the risks faced by specially abled people in an outbreak. Diksha Chhabra, wellness expert, says, “If you know someone in your locality, check on them about their health, medical supplies and mental state. Gulfam Ahmad, wheelchair model, asks his fellow differently abled people to pick up a hobby. “Simple activities such as painting or stitching help alleviate stress and keep the mind agile.”
While the guidelines to restart shootings for film and TV shows have been released, there are a number of details to be figured out. Actor Saumya Tandon, who stars in a popular sitcom, has some tough questions. “The guidelines say only 33% of a standard unit will be operational but I think everyone on set has to be tested for Covid-19 even if they don’t show symptoms. 2010. Going down memory lane, Kumar says, “The intent was random banter. We shifted to Instagram in 2014, and I agree that somewhere down the line, the motive and intent shifted from random laughs to doing something good. When the page gained a decent number of followers, I realised that a lot more can be done apart from posting funny content.”
Though his identity is not a secret, he used to appear with a teddy mask at events. Ask him the story behind this, and the 26-year-old says, “The
There is no such point recommended in the guidelines,” says Tandon, adding, “Our nature of work is such that we work in close intimacy as we have people who do our make up and hair, people who fix our mics or sari, shoot in close contact with costars, and so many other things unlike a regular office where people are in cubicles and can maintain distance.”
Tandon adds that she needs assurance that everyone is tested once shoots start.
The actor points out that a number of her co-actors are happy to go back to work but while the guidelines are formed, we need to “have a monitoring agency to concept of the mask was random. I got the mask made for an event and the audience really loved the concept.”
Kumar, through his page, has helped a lot of dogs and cats get adopted. Talking about how he thought of starting this, he says, “The adoptions on our page started with a request to put up a story for a lost pet. The pet was reunited with its family a few hours after we posted it. If a lost pet could find it’s home again, through my page, I thought it is possible to find loving homes for adopted ensure they are followed”. “The guidelines also say that everyone will be stationed where they are shooting. Moreover, we need to have a monitoring agency to ensure all the guidelines are followed by production houses. It will be up to the individuals to do their bit. Everyone is so desperate to get back to work as everyone is worried about their livelihoods that it can lead to lapses and carelessness. It is scary. The channel heads and creative teams won’t be on the sets while actors and unit members will be. So we have to take extra precautions,” she says. pets, too. We have helped more than 8,500 dogs and 1,500 cats find a new home.”
Kumar remembers one particular adoption fondly. “We had a one-legged dog on our page that wasn’t getting adopted. Later, when he was finally adopted by a family, they sent me a picture of the dog and their specially-abled son, who had lost his legs in a train accident a few years ago. It was the son who chose the dog. I guess they are both having the best of days now,” he concludes.
It has been a while since lockdowns have been imposed across countries. The unprecedented arrival of Covid-19 has confined even the most powerful of men and women to their homes. But what about work? Work refuses to cave even in the confines of four walls. Be it serious parliamentary meetings or insightful interviews, through video
calling, personalities from around the world have chosen to present themselves strategically in front of their bookshelves. And it was only fair that netizens decided to decode what’s on their shelf. Here’s what they found: identified were John Duffy’s Fights of Our Lives: Elections, Leadership and the Making of Canada, and Chantal Hébert’s French Kiss.
The Namesake, Vanity Fair, and Queen of Katwe, into films. She’s also adapted The Suitable Boy into a TV show.