I received an inspiring video talk presented by a lady named Raageshwari Loomba. She says that the term ‘corona’ has come to be associated with a great deal of negativity. News reports and email forwards have been flooding us with information about the social and economic consequences of the lockdown restrictions; of illness and death. As true as this is, focusing
exclusively on such news creates a great deal of negative energy within our minds and bodies.
The lady suggests a way of giving a positive twist to the current scenario. She reminds us that the virus is named ‘corona’ because it is shaped like a crown with spikes. However, ‘corona’ also refers to the radiant rim of the sun. This rim is only visible during a solar eclipse when we see the eclipsed sun – like a dark disc – surrounded by a golden ring of light.
The speaker suggests that we ordinarily do not see the lighted rim of our ‘inner’ sun because we are blinded by the light of a fast-paced world, by ‘dazzling’ models, or by our endless quest for varied possessions.
We have experienced moments and circumstances of darkness and gloom during the days of the pandemic lockdown. Yet, there have been moments of light amidst the darkness. It would be a good idea to look at the ‘light’ to
balance the effect of our ‘dark’ experiences.
Here are a few examples.
• A number of persons have been afflicted by the virus. Yet, a very large number have recovered after compassionate family members, doctors,
nurses, and medical personnel have cared for them.
• The lockdown has brought industries and transport in many countries to a point of nearstandstill. However, as a consequence, the air is fresher, the summer was less severe than expected, plant and animal life have begun to
revive.
• Thousands of daily wage earners have been rendered jobless. Several compassionate NGOs have tied to compensate for this loss by temporarily stepping in to supply provisions to needy families.
• Some persons have experienced cuts in salaries. This has led many to prioritize their needs, focus on the essentials of life, and cut down on less important expenses.
• Students have not been able to attend school or college in person. Many educational institutions have capitalized on students’ familiarity with the
virtual world to begin on-line classes. Yet, a way has to be found to extend such facilities to those who do not have access to the internet.
• Lockdown restrictions have cut down the possibility of physical movement and visits to friends’ homes. On the up-side, many have been capitalizing on increased home-time to help out with household chores, have quality interactions with family, update culinary or intellectual skills, do yoga or exercise within the restricted home space, or to connect supportively with friends through digital communication.
We have briefly reviewed some ‘lockdown challenges’ and persons’ ‘inner lights’ that have emerged as a consequence. These experiences help us to understand that the dark moments of our life can balance the ‘blindness’ caused by our fast-paced ‘outer life’. They awaken us to see the true ‘inner light’ within ourselves, and within others around us. Yet, our inner radiance cannot be ‘felt’ until we are helped to first live through and emerge from the pain of the darkness we have experienced. A few practical steps can help guide us through this process.
From ‘insight’ to ‘experience’ Students who return to school and college can
be helped to ‘discover their light amidst the darkness’ by working through four guided tasks (adults can do a modified version of this process by themselves).
a. Students are asked to remember the difficulties and struggles that they experienced during the lockdown; and their feelings that accompanied
these experiences. They may write down their experience, or express it in the form of a poem or a drawing.
b. They can be guided to recollect ways in which they dealt with challenges that they experienced, or to recall the help they received from family
and friends to deal with these challenges.
c. They recall how they have grown through these experiences, even in very tiny ways. They could list physical, intellectual, emotional, social,
or spiritual skills and abilities that they have developed.
d. Finally, they can be asked to decide on how they might want to enhance the good practices or skills that they have developed during the
lockdown.
Guidelines to the teacher or facilitator
a. The teacher or facilitator guides students to write down their responses to the four tasks individually.
b. They help students to form groups of four or five.
c. Students are guided to describe their experiences or explain their drawings to companions in their groups. They are reminded to listen to one another’s experiences empathetically without commenting on or
judging their disclosures. All students are encouraged to share their experiences or insights.
d. The sharing is segmented into four parts, with five to six minutes for sharing on each ‘task’.
e. After students have shared their responses to the fourth task, they identify common responses of group members to the first three tasks.
f. Each group is given 10 minutes to prepare a poster featuring the common, or sometimes unique, disclosures of their group members.
g. Each group presents its poster to the entire class. The posters are then exhibited along the walls of the classroom.
h. The teacher or facilitator asks some students to share the feelings they experience as they worked individually and in groups through the entire process. They briefly summarize the children’s responses, highlighting the ‘light’ they have discovered within themselves amidst the ‘darkness’ of the lockdown.
Some students may have become more resilient, compassionate, or appreciative of others; connected with family, peers, and neighbours;
developed patience, or new physical, intellectual, emotional, social or spiritual abilities.
Above all, they might have learned to live simpler, more humane, and ecologically conscious lives. This is, in some small way, the ‘inner light’ they may have discovered amidst the ‘dark’ moments of the lockdown.
Ajoy sdb
Director: Prafulta Matunga
