Make the Most of the National Lockdown – Top Hobby Ideas Around the House to Help You Relax, Rejuvenate, Discover, Learn and Enjoy in These Difficult Times (2020)

On 25th March 2020, the Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi announced that there will be a complete lockdown of the country for 21 days to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). What it means is that 1.3 billion or 130 crore people have a ban on any activity that requires them to venture out of their homes. This lockdown not only came out of the blue but it also indicates the precarious situation we are in. A deadly virus plagues the world and our only weapon is to keep away from it. Until there is a vaccine or a pill to counteract COVID-19, such mass social distancing is the only solution, especially for a country like India that has such a huge population. Even if a small percentage of the people are affected, it would be a Herculean task for the Indian health services to treat everyone as statistically that a small percentage will be equal to a million people.

As soon as the lockdown was announced and the days following it, India’s social media was flooded with posts concerning the disadvantages of the lockdown. There is no denying the fact that this sudden lockdown is a predicament but as the saying goes – "every cloud has a silver lining", even this lockdown has its bright side. True that there have been many questions raised regarding the supply of necessary items like groceries, food, medicine, salaries, wages and cash, but those have been effectively addressed by the government through a set of rules that maintain the supply of those items without compromising the lockdown. Now we just have to stay at home and prevent spreading the virus. While that might sound atrocious to many, in reality it is not as bad as it sounds. Let us look at some of the activities that we can do during this lockdown:

We are a constantly evolving species and introspection at regular intervals is required by us so that we may be the best of ourselves always. This free time that we have got because of this lockdown can be utilized to introspect about our present position in life, our recent activities, our relationships and many such concerns. But in doing so we have to make sure that we don’t overthink. Most of the problems in our lives can be sorted out after some quiet introspection. This unexpected lockdown gave us that opportunity and we must make the best use of it.

Working professionals are busy throughout the week and on the weekends they are either doing pending household chores or catching up on some much-needed rest. This leaves them no time to follow their passion. During this lockdown, they can finally associate themselves in learning some skills related to their passion. It could be photography, painting, music, etc. They can also learn some skills that are useful in life but haven’t yet got the time to learn them like sewing, coding, cooking and so on.

The harsh reality of our lives is that most of us are overworked. Some of us are even doing two or three jobs in order to make ends meet and fulfil our financial responsibilities. Some of us are in jobs or job schedules that we hate to be a part of, but since they pay the bills, we cannot shun them. This break necessitated by the lockdown can be used to give our minds and bodies much needed rest from these daily assaults. Unfortunately most of us are not in a position to leave jobs just because it doesn’t suit us and this lockdown gives us an opportunity to stay away from them for a while, for some personal rejuvenation.

Our immediate family is a group of individuals that are closest to us not only physically but also mentally. They raised us and stand with us through thick and thin making it known that we are not alone. We share a deep bond with our family members and they understand our emotional pulse the best. Sadly, we do not get to spend much time with them to strengthen this bond but this lockdown has changed that. Now we do have the time to spend and socialise with them and this is probably the best that has come out of this quarantine.

Our intellect is what that makes us different from other animals and reading enhances this intellect. Reading happens to be an enjoyable activity too. It enables you to live through varied experiences through the eloquence of the written word and all this right from the comfort of your couch. During this lockdown, amplify your reading of books or re-read a book that you had enjoyed previously. There is no better way to turn a lockdown into a productive vacation than spending it by reading. There are several sites that offer free books to read such as Project Gutenburg. Just look up online for more options.

We are social animals and thus the prospect of spending 24 hours, 7 days a week at home is unfathomable to many of us. We are at a loss as to how to kill time. On normal days most of the hours were dedicated to our office but since the lockdown has suspended all work, we are finding it difficult to occupy those hours. But fear not. The number of activities that you can do at home will surprise you. Follow this BP Guide to know all the activities that you can do around the house.

Normally, whenever you have embarked on learning how to cook, you may have concentrated your efforts towards knowing the basics of cooking. Unless you are a professional chef or very passionate about cooking, the most you would have learnt from these cooking lessons is simple dishes from your own culture. But now that you have the time, elevate your cooking by executing dishes from other cuisines. The European cuisines could be a good option as their food is very different from the cuisines present in the Indian subcontinent and hence cooking and tasting them would be an interesting experience. Of course, by European cuisines it does not just mean the pastas and pizzas but also the baklava, the shepherd’s pie, the schnitzel, the sauerkraut, the caldo verde and other obscure but delicious European dishes.

Anytime is a good time to learn. During this lockdown, you can polish your skills by taking some allied courses (for example, you can take a course in Artificial Intelligence if you have a degree in Computer Applications). Since there is a ban on going out unless it is an emergency, your only option is to take online courses. There are many online courses that are available for you according to your schedule, time and preferred level. These online courses are available at extremely affordable prices. They range from business solutions courses to a full-fledged drawing course. You can pick the course of your choice and upgrade your skills from the comfort of your home. Since the lockdown gave you some unexpected time, you can make the most of it by becoming more skilled than before.

Reading is the best way to spend spare time productively. Not only do you enjoy it but also get to learn something in the process. Like there are bucket lists of activities that you try to accomplish before your life enters dusk, there are lists of must read books that you must go through at least once in your life. Since you cannot step outside your house, it is better that you make the most of your life within. Utilise this time to read or re-read the classics, the compositions that are considered jewels in literature. The two most appropriate books to read or re-read during this quarantine would be Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s "Love During the Time of Cholera" and "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and you can guess why, but you can read any of the other books in the treasure trove of classics. Wide Sargasso Sea, Jane Eyre, Crime and Punishment, Moby Dick, Frankenstein, the list is endless. It is rightly said that you can only imprison the body of a man and never the mind. This lockdown confines your body within the four walls but that doesn’t mean your mind cannot have an adventure of its own.

You will be amazed at how much fun you can have by playing indoor games with your family. Here we have 7 fun indoor games that don’t require any paraphernalia like playing cards, dice, a particular board, etc. 20 Questions, Botticelli, Ghost, Charades are some of the interesting games that you can play. It just requires you and some of your closest loved ones. They are various types of guessing games where you guess an animal, person, celebrity, object through questions that can be answered with only a yes or a no or a charade. These games are not only highly enjoyable but are one of the best ways to spend some quality time with your family. You are bound to have the best time of your life surrounded by a happy family enjoying the quirks of these games with you.

We spend a lot of time on our social media handles keeping ourselves connected with the world at large and friends that we don’t get to meet because of our busy lives. In the news-feeds of these social media platforms appear the news of many highly rated TV and web series that are ruling the charts currently. You read the synopsis of these shows, feel that you would find them interesting but never end up watching because you simply didn’t have the time to watch them. Well, this lockdown is the perfect time to binge watch those interesting shows that you have been dying to watch. Here is a list of the top ranked shows of recent times which are all available on some or the other online streaming platform – Narcos, Narcos Mexico, The Messiah, Hunters, The Sinner, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Stranger Things, the list is endless.Go through this list and choose your entertainment.

You must have come across videos on YouTube where a cat or a dog is performing hilarious but at the same time, cute antics. You have been overwhelmed by the cute gestures and wished your pet cat could interact too with you in the same way. Well guess what, you can utilise the time during this lockdown to teach your cat some of these antics yourselves. It is a challenging task but quite engaging too. You can start with three easy tricks: come when called, sitting and high five. Teaching these tricks will also give you the opportunity to interact with your beloved pet more intimately and hence both you and your cat will gain from it.

YouTube is filled with videos that tend to relax by satisfying your senses. The content of these videos vary. Some show objects in symmetry while others show smooth flowing liquid. This YouTube channel contains abstract art tutorials that are highly satisfying to watch. But it is more satisfying when you actually paint them by following the tutorials. In this particular video tutorial, you get to learn how to paint 4 abstract landscape paintings using acrylic paints and a palette knife. The best part about these paintings are that they are easy and can be done by anybody. So give your senses some relaxation by painting these and others during the lockdown.

Yoga is a therapeutic activity. It not only keeps your body fit and fine but also affects your mental health positively. Yoga is the complete care of yourself. It gives you a healthy mind which allows you to take on life more smoothly and remain in control. Whats more, yoga does not require any special equipment or tools. You can do it anytime and anywhere, hence it is the best way to give your body some exercise during this lockdown. Start with the child pose, tree pose and the cobra pose and then advance on to the plank and bridge poses. Check out YouTube channels for easy beginner lessons.

Ever since YouTube came into our lives, talent and entertainment has no longer been confined to television screens and the radio. Every artist needs exposure and recognition, and that can only be achieved through a distribution network. With the advent of YouTube, this very distribution network has landed on our palms and that is good news for the artist in us. So if you can sing, dance, draw, cook, act, use this time to create a YouTube channel and broadcast your talent to the world. Who knows you might even strike gold and become viral.

Learning a language is a very interesting activity. It is quite engaging to learn how a particular phrase is articulated in a language that is not your mother tongue or spoken language. Also, learning a language is extremely fruitful, as the best way to know another culture intimately is through its language. Besides you might have a wish to be multilingual and the time available due to this lockdown is the best time to materialise that wish. Here are 10 language learning apps that can be downloaded on smartphones for you to learn any language with just a few clicks. The top rated is Duolingo that amalgamates fun and learning, followed by Babbel that gives a structured course. Lingvist gives you a tailored course and Busuu gives you award-winning language courses.