The world has been engulfed by COVID-19 scare, but there is no dearth of stories of positivity and resilience even in these days of gloom.
In one such gesture, a group of Keralites settled in Australia have made a video of how they have been coping up with the COVID-19 situation that has forced them to stay indoors.
Directed by Emie Roy, a native of Kothamangalam who is settled in Australia for the past 15 years, "Social Distancing Tales from Down Under" documents the pastime activities of seven people that keep them positive during the crisis.
The video is an attempt to find answers to two common questions that resonate all over the world these days – what do you do to stay positive and what do you want to do once the crisis is over.
The video features seven professionals in various fields, including the director Emie.
While Mittu Gopalan, a solicitor, does cooking to keep the clock moving.
Anumodu Paul, a programme manager, tries to explore his passion for film-making. Aleena Anil, a financial analyst, spend her time practising yoga whereas Manju Puthenveettil, a structural engineer, makes ornaments using household items. In the video, Reshmi Raveendran, a filmmaker, is seen practising digital painting to drive away the lockdown blues and Ahmad Kaithal Shaheer, a healthcare professional, plays table tennis with his family. Finally the director reveals her passion for indoor gardening.
Visual media is not an alien field to Emie, a healthcare professional who also is also a freelance media professional. She has produced some documentaries for her YouTube channel.
"The idea of the video struck me when I was thinking what to do during the work from home days when we could save sometime that we usually spend on commuting. When I contacted some of my friends, I found that they were all doing different activities. Then I thought I should document them," Emie told Onmanorama.
All those who are featured in the video are Emie's acquaintances.
"Since there were seven of us, my plan was to dedicate one minute each to everyone. I gave them the instructions to shoot the answers for the two questions – what do they do and what do they want to do after the crisis. I had given specific instruction to make the answer to the second question crisp," she said.
She said it was a bit challenging to coordinate the shoots over phone. "We were also not able to arrange a cameraman. Everybody shot their portion on their phone camera. Some of them got help from their spouses. All the footage, however, somehow came out in sync with each other," she said.
The video has been edited by Emie's husband Geevarghese Kollanur who does video editing as a hobby. Anumodu, who has been featured in the video, helped in the creative side. His portion was edited by himself.
Ethical dilemma and message
Emie said she had some apprehensions about how the people would receive the video at a time when everybody was struggling to overcome a crisis. "However, from the responses I got from those who watched the video, I understood that everybody would like to be creative amid such a crisis. People told me they were happy to see that everybody was trying to stay positive in one way or other," she said.
Those who participated in the project shared the view that they wanted to be a part of it as it conveyed a message of positivity and optimism. They said they viewed social distancing as a social responsibility.
Aleena said the uncertainty caused by the lockdown may lead to a sense of melancholy.
"Coping with these emotions can be helpful when it comes with guidance and inspiration. I believed that if this video could inspire at least one person to pick themselves up and do something that they've been wanting to do and as a result change their mindset, then the purpose of this project would be achieved," she said.
For Rashmi, it was the fun part that prompted her to take part in the project. Manju said the project offered her an opportunity to portray the advantage of having a hobby, especially during these times of social isolation.
Shahir took up the project because he believes every adversity is an opportunity not only to discover ones potential but also to inspire oneself and others.
Echoing his views, Anumodu said he was attracted to the project because it was all about staying positive amid a crisis hoping for a better tomorrow.
"By getting involved in this documentary, I was hoping that I could influence someone or learn more from others, as during this lockdown, I have learnt to self- reflect and analyse and learn more, apart from having fun," Mittu Gopalan said.
COVID Down Under
Australia has been efficiently managing the COVID crisis and the country has seen the trend of a the coronavirus infection curve getting flattened of late. The country has not announced an official lockdown but all those who can work from home have been advised to do so.
"The people have been following social distancing norms strictly and nowadays extensive testing also being done. It's not yet the time to handle the situation lightly," Emie said.
