THEN AND NOW !

Tha screeching horns of school buses that used to rent the morning calm, the neatly- uniformed children lined up for the morning assembly in schools , the early morning P.T. exercises , the students sitting side by side in packed classrooms - some talking, some gigling , some secretly and furtively exchanging tiffins, the flocking and running to the already overcrowded canteen in break time , the playground activities...the matches, inter school tournaments, the hectic school activities , the journey back home in the filled- to - capacity buses , the ceaseless excited chatter of the happy children with their friends ...... Ahh ! Those were the days!! where have they gone !! For commoners commuting in the noon hours between 2 to 4 was challenging and even annoying as they had to face traffic snarls due to the hordes of buses plying after school . However, there is a total change of scene since the past two years ... the buses have disappeared, the school children waiting for their buses with their heavy bags and water bottles dangling from their shoulders , parents esp the mothers waiting for their children to return home in the buses , children cycling , some walking , some going in pool cars , some in their own vehicles - all rushing to school to reach on time ...they are now things of the past . SFH like WFH is the new norm .ONLINE is the only recourse to stay updated and connected. It is now a common scene in every household that as the clock strikes 8 ,children are infront of their laptops or phones /Ipads /tablets on Zoom / Google meet juggling from one period to another , straining their eyes and ears to catch up with the ongoing lesson/chapter of the various subjects . Working parents are equally posted infront of their digital screens .... So the scene is like if there is one child ... Three people are busy in three different rooms ogling their screens till late noon-- in the case of working parents it is evening extending even to the late hours of the night , for some (due to international calls) even the wee hours of the morning ! The world outside is intimidating ! Children are now almost under house arrest as they are not allowed to go out , play with their friends or visit them due to the raging pandemic. They are now living in their cloistered shells ...imagine children bound in their 2 - room or 3 - room flats day in and day out for almost 2 years ! It is without doubt exasperating not only for them but even for their parents .The enforcement of the strict lockdown phases are evidence of such miserable situations. The more priveleged ones staying in individual houses may at least have a glimpse of the outside world through their terraces or front yards . The fun and excitement of being in the company of friends whether in school or after school is being sorely missed causing mental havoc among children. The mundane routine of their in-house banal activities is telling upon their mental and physical wellbeing . Online classes cannot be paralleled to offline education where the teacher and taught interact face to face, where there is discipline regimentation that can be inculcated in students, where physical activities foster the all-round development of growing children and where friendship and camaraderie , the greatest healing therapy, evolve . Discipline , the most integral facet that needs to be imbibed in children as it forms their character and plays a vital role in building their future , is the most affected. Going to school means being disciplined by following the rules and code of conduct and by obeying the educators. Online classes have taken a toll on discipline.....though it is required of students to be in their school uniforms during class hours majority of them are under dressed , attired in their school shirts and ties intact but with Bermudas / shorts and ofcourse the footwear is of no significance at all! Apart from that studying within the precincts of the home gives easy access to bunk classes and hoodwink the teachers on the pretext of poor network connectivity or other lame excuses . Parents are unable to keep a strict vigil as most of them are working themselves , and even if the mother is not , her check is cobsidered to be irritable nagging at times and thus brushed aside . However, some children , specially of younger age groups are not able to manage online classes on their own and need to be assisted regularly which responsibility also mostly falls on the mothers . The Internet, we all are aware, gives access to all kinds of material to all age groups , some of which is informative and others hazardous and detrimental. The temptation to access and play online games becomes an obsession with youngsters so much so that they dodge their online classes to indulge in their favourite games . The harried lot of parents are not able to constantly monitor their online activities nor can they restrict the use as it is necessary for their education to continue . Where earlier parents could exert control over their screen times , it is now absurd even to think of it. The other thing is that not all in our country are being able to avail this facility .Despite the mobile boom which has made the availability of easy access to phones still a large section of our population do not possess Android phones / laptops etc needed for online education. They cannot afford to purchase them.....with the bleak job scenario and the retrenchments that have rendered many jobless , it is very difficult for this strata to afford online education for their children. It is really unfortunate that several children are being deprived of education . The first- time school goers who would have ventured into the most exciting period of their lives have never seen school and have got promoted to class One /Two , without experiencing what school is all about . Nevertheless , THE ONE person who deserves special mention amid all this mayhem is the WIFE / MOTHER / DAUGHTER-IN-LAW ...for she has proved to be a Superhuman , switching, juggling and straddling various roles to fulfil the needs of her children, the Wfh husband , may be aged in-laws / parents who need constant care and attention . Her role of satisfactorily catering to everyone's needs and demands by satiating their taste buds , dealing with their emotional crisis tactfully and nurturing them lovingly has definitely not been an easy task for this Superwoman who is at a tipping point herself. Many homes , relationships are breaking or on the verge of it due to the continuous stress , strain of day to day life as well as the nagging anxiety about the future esp of their children. With crucial board results being declared on the basis of past examinations , the future of such children is endangered. However, not all is lost .The hope that things will normalise soon with the abatement of the pandemic is what we all need to think of and believe in. Generally a pandemic lasts for quite a few years . There have been pandemics before and they are proof of it. This is a time when communication plays a key role. Parents have to be involved with their children , communicate with them in a friendly manner and counsel them tactfully. The immediate present status of the pandemic is that the graph is flattening and the curbs/ restrictions are not so severe. So now children could be allowed to visit their friends , go for short outings with parents and the likes certainly following Covid protocol . Let us hope that there is no resurgence of another wave of the dreaded disease . Till then let us make hay while the sun shines though with utmost care ! After all every cloud has a silver lining !