While the mid-semester break of DU students has been increased by 2 weeks, there are a number of things to do instead of sitting idle at home.
The extension of holidays by any number has always been the most pleasant feeling for any student. Delhi University students are no exception to the case, especially when their mid-semester break has been extended for the entirety of March. The only worrying aspect is the cause of this longevity, which is, to keep students away from large gatherings at campuses and from metros and buses to avoid the spread of the deadly Corona Virus.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announced on 12th March that all Delhi schools, colleges and cinema halls would remain closed till 31st March 2020 to avoid the further outbreak of the virus in the capital, which recorded its 6th positive case last Thursday. Later, Delhi University also issued a notice closing all DU colleges till 31st March but has decided to make the study material available online at the end of respective weeks till 31st March. Keeping this in mind, many students who were supposed to return to Delhi just before the break ends, have decided to stay at homes till the 31st.
What has been the major drawback of this extended 2-week long holiday break is that the students are advised not to leave their homes and avoid going outside frequently, and even if one goes, he/she should take proper precautions. In these circumstances, the question arises that what should a student be doing in this long break to not get bored and sometimes in order to overcome mental stress. What are the different options available at home which can be explored? What can be done to enjoy under this long Corona captivity?
The first thing that all students should do is devote some time in the day to family talks. Start talking to your father, mother, and siblings, a thing which becomes almost impossible for students, especially for the ones living in Delhi. Parents and guardians today, complain of how family conversations have been reduced to mere eating dinner together. This is a perfect time to let them know that you do care. Just sit near them, ask them questions about family, its history, plan some trips with them and you will realize the time when you had enjoyed, argued, fought with none but your family. Watch some good movies and shows with them at home. Play some board games and relive all the magical moments. Another thing is, of course, online streaming shows which students enjoy the most to reduce stress. Watch good and informative content, which can be related to your course or otherwise on Netflix, Prime, Hotstar and explore the different shows. Also, it is the best time to complete some great, long and famous series like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Narcos, Lucifer, Money Heist (whose new season is just about to arrive). One can always also watch ‘’ documentaries’’ based on social causes to understand the society, on recent global and political affairs to understand world politics.
Reading is a practice that should be done on a regular basis, but what better time to completely dedicate yourselves to books than an extended break. For readers, it is the best time to complete books and classics as many as they can. Even for students who are not habitual of reading daily, can start by developing a habit to read 4-5 pages daily. They can read the softcopies of the books as well. But it is important to read, other than curriculum books not just in order to know more but to improve and to develop patience and good listening skills in this competitive world. Reading newspapers is an equally important task. Going through editorials, columns, features, and articles, gaining knowledge and then sharing views is how an opinion is formed. Reading a newspaper becomes the hour of the need especially today when Whatsapp University is at its peak and ‘’ misinformation is the new information.”
It is really the best time for creative people. If you are a writer or aspire to be one, start writing an article or paragraph on anything daily and gradually see the improvement. Start writing on contemporary issues like Delhi riots, CAA and MP crisis and you will know that for writing on anything, you need research and you will automatically start reading. It is time when you can create and design your own content and upload it on Youtube, Instagram, and Facebook. Create your own pages and share videos. You don’t need to be good at it, just be original, don’t feel shy and just upload. Even if you are writing articles, publish them somewhere, do a book review whenever you read a book. It’s not just a time pass activity but ultimately helps you develop a good and positive habit. Be yourself and trust yourself. It is also the best time to introspect yourself, know more about yourself. In our busy lives, we often forget to talk to ourselves and therefore, it is the best time to work on ourselves as well. Learn from mistakes, develop a habit, learn something new, like a new language, drawing, singing, playing guitar and all this is now easily available online for the basic level, so you don’t need to travel outside. Talk to yourself and enjoy your own company for a while.
Thus, there a lot of great and innovative things to try in this 2-week long break. Even without going outside, you can try and learn new things and even master quite a few of them. It’s safe and helps you to explore the more of you, know more about you and ultimately strengthens you not just morally but mentally and emotionally too. It is important to not devote the entire time to academics but keep learning something new, something creative. It is important that we don’t panic and not lose hope in the time of this pandemic, but stay together, help ourselves and each other.
