[blackwasp]

While we are getting bombarded with news of hardships and difficulties, I thought why not list down some of the positives of this situation that we are in.

1. Lots of extra time - With most of the out of home plans being cancelled (gym, clubs, meetings, office, etc.), it has given us a lot of extra time to do new things, learn a new skill, give time to your hobby, call other family members and friends who you haven't talked with since a while, and so on...

2. Cleaner environment - With the shutdown of industries, factories and reduction in road traffic, the air is much more cleaner. I can even hear more birds chirping and visibility has improved as well. Once all this is over, we need to think about this and try as much as possible to keep our environment in a good shape.

3. Reconnect with others - I have started calling my old friends from school who over time just grew farther apart. A cycling buddy in our group has offered to pick up and deliver essentials / medicines for local senior citizens.

4. Innovation and work improvement - With the unexpected work from home situation, many organisations have resorted to lesser supervision (leading to more autonomy, faster approvals etc.). Restaurants have switched to takeaway, or delivery only models. Teachers / Professors are taking classes online and meetings too are via video conferencing.

5. Reflect on your thoughts - We have been doing a lot of things that are taken for granted, eg. meeting friends, going out to party, spending 2 hrs each way going to work and so on. During this crisis, we can ponder on things and really think if we should be continuing the things the way we were doing. Some of the changes brought due to this pandemic might be retained after all this is over as well.

Request you all to please add to this list.

[alpha1]

Truth be told, if AR VR and robotics technology provides enough realism with reliability, what we are seeing may as well be the future.

[ramzsys]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

With the shutdown of industries, factories and reduction in road traffic, the air is much more cleaner.]

And the air quality data reflects the same: Below 200 AQI all over India.

[bharatbits]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Attachment 1983686

Very clean both in terms of air and the traffic. Is that the flyover between Dadar Matunga. That's the road i take everyday.

Honestly, with the Janata Curfew i felt like i was living in the Mumbai of 20 to 30 years ago. With this 3 week lockdown, i think i will feel like being transported 50 years back into the Mumbai we knew.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

1. Lots of extra time - With most of the out of home plans being cancelled (gym, clubs, meetings, office, etc.), it has given us a lot of extra time to do new things, learn a new skill, give time to your hobby, call other family members and friends who you haven't talked with since a while, and so on...

I found that this is not exactly true. Although schools are closed here, classes continue online. This means that parents are expected to verify all "class" work is done and submitted on the same day (otherwise teachers can mark the student absent), in addition to the usual "home" work given. It's not much of an issue with my daughter who is older (although we have to remind her time and again that it's not vacation time), but with my son we are finding out that "home" schooling a youngster is much more time consuming than just helping with homework every now and then. Of course, we also have to work from home in parallel and cook 3 meals.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by bharatbits

Is that the flyover between Dadar Matunga.

You are right, a friend sent me this picture and both of us were shocked to see it so empty.

[Malyaj]

I hope companies use this period to formally establish some WFH systems and reduce the office spaces they occupy, sending staff there on rotation or need basis only. The reason why this will be good is:

1) Reduced traffic and reduced pollution. We have not been able to find any solution to our commuting nightmares. One hopes this will lead to something.

2) Reduced need for air conditioning (at least in cities like Bangalore) as people have lesser propensity to use AC at home compared to office. Moreover, offices typically are wasteful users of electricity if one accounts for common areas and the general need to have an office fully lit up just for one person.

3) Rents will come down as fewer people want to occupy office spaces

However I am not an advocate of school learning being done online. Online supplements are great but should not be a substitute. Kids absolutely need to get out there in a different physical environment and grow up the traditional way.

[KPR]

1. Stubborn work from office cultures in government, PSUs can be easily changed to work from home saving fixed costs. An opportunity to provide good work culture for them too.
At my home I have seen that
2. We can manage our home without maid's help. As a mutual safety measure we have requested our maid to stay at her home and we have assured her salary for next few months now itself. No matter what happens.
3. Engaging little kids is a challenge and looking after them without my spouse's help for a day is as tough as running a marathon. A big Namaskaar to all mothers.

[DCEite]

1. Gave up (forced to rather) eating out

Being a regular user of Zomato, i loved to order my favourite meal atleast once a week or even twice.
But now almost all restaurants being shut down even for delivery, it is a blessing in disguise that we are made to eat home cooked healthy food.

2. Cleaner environment

The chirping birds are back, so are the squirrels, pigeons, the House sparrow. It feels so nice. The pollution levels have gone down, the skies are clearer. Almost takes me back to my childhood days.

3. Gave up non vegetarian food (except eggs)

Not to say that eating non veg is bad. But its just that a plant based diet is known well for its immunity enhancing properties (please don't pounce me on this and ask for proof or research papers). Besides, lesser consumption of non vegetarian food is well known to reduce global warming effects. I still love my eggs tough but they too gotto go thanks to Navratri

4. More time with family

Enough has been already said about this topic elsewhere.

[whencut86]

Personal bright side is spending more time with my 1.5 year old son.

I think if we tide over this with minimal human impact, a lot of industries importing components from China will be forced to also indulge in local manufacturing. We will see localisation in even small stuff we get from China. They need to be held accountable for the human, psychological and economic impact due to suppressing information and letting this spread. Our government needs to take tough steps to boost local manufacturing for a lot of components we currently import from China to help us boost our economy which I am hoping will be done gradually if not big time.

[skchettry]

Once we tide over this crisis wherein all almost all countries have closed down their borders, we should sit down and analyse what we could do ourselves without depending upon others, albiet at a higher cost, regardless. The whole world is dependent on China for its requirements. And we realise it now when we need various items required to make ventilators, raw materials for medicines and the like. Hope self reliance will get a new push hereafter.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Malyaj

I hope companies use this period to formally establish some WFH systems and reduce the office spaces they occupy, sending staff there on rotation or need basis only.

The biggest barrier to this is 'Stereotype-Indian-Manager-Mentality'.

Obviously I'm not talking about non-IT jobs or those IT jobs that require people to work from an office.

But my company is certainly one that does not require ANY of us to work from an office. Literally. Yet we moved to the traffic-black-hole of Bellandur two years ago, signed on a fleet of cabs and consigned employees to spending up to an hour at least in the cab, 20mins just in the traffic jam to exit the IT park! And managers were actively discouraging people from working from home. Now with this situation the transition has been pretty easy, everyone is working from home and it's going really well. Yet on a company-wide call yesterday, one top idio...I mean VP has to say, "but this is temporary, we do have an office and that is the policy"! Fortunately someone who outranked him stepped in to say "if things continue to go this well in terms of work, I think we should seriously look at our policies".

Sadly there will always be idiots like that first guy who need the power trip and think 'managing' means keeping people under your nose and telling people what to do. Naturally those guys will want to safeguard their jobs, since that's all they really do.

Again I want to reiterate (before people whose job requires them to be physically present at a location jump on me!), I'm only talking about IT jobs like mine where it's obvious that work can get done efficiently from anywhere with a fast Internet connection.

[anjan_c2007]

The greatest asset that the lockdown has ushered in for me are a reconnect with my family (at home), friends (through social media and phone calls only) and with my automobiles (keeping them fit with DIY and tid-bits of TLC). Plus, the bonus time is used to login to teambhp.com.

The daily grind of our work schedules and movements gave us very little time for doing what we like the best, that was being progressively overshadowed by doing what is necessary for sustenance, with some of the not so worthwhile items also getting sneaked in within the sustenance list.

However, we all need to take all necessary precautions. Thousands of genuine 'to do's and not to do's' are circulating in the social media, alongwith the hundreds of other not genuine ones. Let's all stay far and safe from the untamed and cruel virus.

[Rajeevraj]

Maybe an ironic thing to say, but this lock-down is definitely going to help improve the health of a lot of people-Especially those who have had to commute long hours daily in the cities with its high levels of pollution. Recent studies have shown that the lung capacity of today's kids is severely compromised due to the compromised air they breathe. The shut down should help do some self healing.

The other thing at least in my mind, is how this has caused everything into move into a slow motion mode- Last several years have been a whirlwind of changes in all domains and we have been caught up in that unending churn. It is a pause that no one expected to happen in our lifetime.

[saisree]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

I thought why not list down some of the positives of this situation that we are in.

1. Lots of extra time - Very useful time with the family

2. Cleaner environment - Believe me, I smelled petrol when a scooter guy started his vehicle. This happens daily, but, after a long time it hit my nostrils. We are getting used to those fumes. Air quality was so bad

3. Reconnect with others

4. Innovation and work improvement. - I could sense I have been more productive than the days I was at office.


I concur with you on all the above points. I would even go on to recommend this lockdown for at least a day in a month going forward. Its a time we are giving back to the nature to heal itself from the harm we are doing to it daily.