Never did the outdoors seem as appealing as they are today. Even those of us who are homebodies are, by now, craving some of the everyday bustle; even the chaos of the streets. So we do what we can to create the illusion of normalcy and to make the best of the situation we find ourselves in. If there has been a proliferation of balcony musicians during the COVID-19 lockdown, we now also see balcony Garba and remote dancing as well:
In places like Italy and Spain, people were clapping and singing and creating music from their windows and balconies. Several videos such as these went viral. Perhaps this reminded us of our long-unused balconies and alerted us as to their possible uses.
On the occasion of Chaitra Navratri, it has been impossible for people to celebrate in the usual way. So, like good Indians, they used jugaad and improvised. There was Garba dancing from the balconies.
Gujaratis are nothing if not resourceful and fun loving – we now have evidence of that even during the lockdown.
Garba is important for the Gujarati – remember this video from a little while ago?
The people in this neighbourhood have made this is a daily feature. Socially distant dancing happens at 11 AM to help people get through the lockdown. People get out of their homes but keep their distance. Then they dance. On day seven they are dancing to It’s Not Unusual in Tom Jones’ distinctive voice.
It was supposed to be a one-off, but the residents enjoyed this so much that it has become a daily event on this street.
The tweeple thought this was a great idea – it is important for people to simply see others while they are self-isolating.
There were many who thought that this sort of activity defeats the purpose of social distancing and even thought that the police would intervene to put a stop to it.
People are still keeping their distance from each other; the people seem to be following social distancing guidelines. This is for just a few minutes a day and has many benefits: giving people some fresh air, much needed but safe social contact and some physical activity which is vital as well. Surely these health-giving aspects remain as important for all of us --- even in these times marred by the COVID-19 pandemic?
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