My daughter Bhavya, all of nine, loves to watch My Little Pony , serialised on You Tube and Netflix. An ‘only child’ who can’t go out to play or even to meet her friends, her appetite is barely there, and she’s irritable through the day. As summer sizzles on and online classes end, young children in the city see the days stretching ahead, with nothing much on offer — no visit to grandparents’ houses, no impromptu food home delivered, no out-of-town trips.
Niharika, also nine, with no siblings, misses the company of other kids. “I get bored almost every day. In my free time, I sketch.” Cycling is a strict no-no in her East of Kailash colony. Her time spent indoors has resulted in the drawing of a map of India’s vast boundary line with a big lock at the centre. Ketaki Saksena, Niharika’s mother who works for a not-for-profit, says her daughter is continuing her classical vocal training classes, though these have gone online.
Some parents are relieved though. Anindita Pujari, Advocate-on-Record at the Supreme Court, can work alongside her daughter, who is taking self-improvement online classes. “My child’s audio-visual learning has improved. Earlier, I didn’t know how teachers were conducting classes. Now I know and at every stage, I am there for her.”
Her daughter Satakshi, nine, is not missing her friends even though her movement has been restricted. She is happy as she has the company of both her parents. Her father used to travel a lot, now, “We are now spending time together. My cooking skills have improved. I’ve made cupcakes, parathas, mini pizza, and once made curry in the microwave.” The family shifted into a new flat in a housing society at Noida just before the lockdown and she is enjoying the newness. In her free time, Satakshi sits on the balcony on her jhoola and swings, and watches the neighbours in overlooking flats.
Some children, like Vir Saroha, 5, who lives in Gurugram, miss the company of their grandparents. “Normally, I go to my grandfather’s house in Sonepat during my vacation. I enjoy the tractor ride on the farm,” he says. Instead, he’s drawings, learning rhymes and making up stories around his toys.
Meanwhile, Kabir Rana, 8, from Uday Park in Niti Bagh, also misses going out of Delhi. “Generally, at this time, I visit a hill station,” he says, thinking back to time spent in Darjeeling, Manali and Gangtok. He’s learnt some doodle art, plays carom, Ludo and Tambola with his parents, practises yoga, and has even rearranged his cupboard!
Meanwhile, Veda, 7, is distraught. “We cannot play hide and seek or football. The park is still locked,” she says, of I.P. Extension. Her father, Saurabh Dhar, an engineer, says: “We have to think of new ways of keeping her occupied.” On the positives of the lockdown, Veda says she has “learnt how to make French toast, nimbu pani and cake.”
