Lockdowns Got Talent. Here is how
With parties shut, we transformed our homes into a dance floor
If necessity is the mother of inventions then lockdown is the mother of talents.
What does one do when all sense of normality is broken and a busy lifestyle is cut short by a virus that drives us into the safety of indoors with time at hand?
During the quarantine that resulted from the bubonic plague, the Great Bard wrote King Lear. Years later, during a major outbreak of bubonic plague, Isaac Newton completed his papers on early calculus and theories in optics while playing with prisms in his bedroom.
When life throws us, the mortals of today’s world, into the safety of indoors, we don our creative hats and transform social media into a virtual stage of performers showcasing talent — that had hibernated in the deep recesses of a hectic lifestyle — from the best part of our homes.
After Corona and the lockdown, the only thought on my children’s mind has been what excitement the next meal will bring
Hands that held gizmos and fingers that brought gastronomical wonders to the table with just a click now hold the magic of transforming ingredients that were always residing in the pantry into a hearty meal.
They have been kneading, measuring, stirring and throwing a virtual challenge to friends and family with pictures that are good enough to eat.
There is no better time than now to kick start your cooking blog or channel for you can be just one of those kitchen novices and still manage a few hundred followers simply because, like you, everyone is hungry and every is cooking!
While we are at the topic of cooking, I must confess that Before Corona my humble cookbook that housed the magic of Mother’s recipes in its stained and yellowing pages had been my unwavering guide as I stumbled through culinary disasters and triumphs.
After Corona and the lockdown, the only thought on my children’s mind has been what excitement the next meal will bring. Friends and family are only adding fuel to the simmering fire with picture updates on their cooking wonders forcing me to put down my cookbook and reach for YouTube.
On the other side of a few dozen experiments, I like to believe that the end results had my personal touch as they differed from the original but there have been no complains, only encouragement and offers to help, as my children and husband are well aware that the next meal would also be coming from that same kitchen.
We are using our outside wear, that have not seen the light of day for a while, not weighing scales, to check the results of my experiments even though the husband reminds me that he is dressing up just to look the part during WFH.
Abuzz with talent
Post lockdown, my music bests are not celebrities but friends who virtually brighten moments with their soulful voices. Dancing, sketching, painting and doodling — the virtual world is abuzz with talent.
When the doors to social gatherings, celebrations and parties shut, we transformed our homes into a dance floor. The video of two doctors doing the Foot Shake Dance in PPE suits in a hospital corridor was a ray of hope in the darkness of uncertainty, even their masks could not hide their smiles.
When fake news poisoned our already-anxious minds, we touched horizons of hope gliding through the solace of music. When the dining out experience was curbed, we threw opened the doors of our pantry and cooked up a storm.
When access to the outside world was limited, we threw open the doors of creativity because that was one of the many means to ensure that our thoughts don’t stray into the dark corners of your mind and force your biggest enemy to live between your ears.
Charles Darwin explains that it is not the most intellectual or strongest of species that survive but those who can adapt to the changing environment. It is not just the virus that is infectious but optimism and positivity too!
— Pranitha Menon is a freelance writer based in Dubai. Twitter: @MenonPranitha