BENGALURU: As a septuagenarian, Uma Bharadwaj was worried about what the implications of COVID-19 could mean for her. Her worries were heightened by the lack of interaction with peers, who were also cooped up indoors. That was until she tried ZingHour, a virtual activity platform developed by her neighbour, Manoj Chawla. It helps the residents of Bharadwaj’s apartment society – Godrej Woodsman Estate at Hebbal – stay engaged and connected, by providing a host of activities for every age group. “We had a heart-to-heart session with a resident, who is a professional counsellor, which was attended by senior citizens.
It was nice to see the faces of my friends again,” says Bharadwaj, who now takes part in at least three such activities a day, like yoga, zumba and one dedicated to bhajans. “My favourite was the antakshiri session where families from 45 apartments took part,” she adds.Chawla, 59, says it took him two days to fine-tune the platform, before the first session began on March 27. The chief business officer of Tribyte Technologies has transformed the learning management system developed by his company to operate like a virtual activity platform. “I named it ZingHour because I wanted us to liven up our lives through hour-long activities,” he explains. But what makes this platform so different? Answers Chawla, “We don’t just conduct activities but also record it and make it available for viewing later. So, for example, if someone missed the session on Kannada lessons, they can watch it later.”
For Rinku Bhatia, it has proved to be a great way to use her time constructively. An active member of the society’s cultural committee, the homemaker was not used to the sudden onslaught of free hours. “I now conduct storytelling sessions for kids on ZingHour. It helps me stay sane as well since I just don’t have the time to look at the barrage of WhatsApp forwards about the situation,” says the mother of two, adding that the platform is a hit with her teenage son and daughter too.
While one enjoys the DIY and Zumba activities, the other has found calm in the chaos through the mindfulness and crisis management sessions. “My son was all set to go to Canada to study at a flying school. So these sessions are helping him find solace in the fact that he’s not alone in the situation,” explains Bhatia. Professionals too aren’t left behind. Thus far, the platform has hosted two business mixers. Chawla, who was part of one such networking hour, says, “It’s funny, I connected with someone who lives on the floor right above mine. We always greeted each other in the elevator but had no idea about what we do professionally. Now I have a potential partner for future collaborations.”