Two years of trauma, struggle and pain brought with it an inevitable mental revolution. Swimming against the tide, people found new ways to manifest moments of joy, ways that have stuck around ever since. Ahead of International Day of Happiness (March 20), Chennaiites look back on these tough years and how their ideas of happiness have evolved.
P B Mani,
Former insurance commissioner, Ministry of Labour
Before the pandemic, we thought that we were going to be on this planet for a long time. People would save for the big-picture future. But the uncertainty of life in the pandemic has brought with it a reality check. Being at home, we were all able to seek joy in the small things in life that we failed to acknowledge earlier. The role of each member in the family now is appreciated and cherished. Even a small outing where we are fully masked, gloves and sanitiser in hand was awaited eagerly. The pandemic has changed the concept of happiness altogether, a concept we earlier never knew or enjoyed.
Dharshanya Venkataramanan, student
For me, happiness during the pandemic has changed in a way that has made me notice the little things a lot more. When asked how my day was I used to say “it’s okay, it’s whatever”. But during the pandemic when every day was almost the same, I got tired of “eh, whatever”. Staying at home for that long and doing the same thing over and over again, I reconnected with myself. I understood my body and my moods better. I became grateful for all the things that we used to take for granted. I’m also most grateful for being able to practice more art and explore new ideas.
V Shruthi, homemaker
Happiness is a subjective feeling. What makes you happy one day may not elicit the same feeling on another. Having a baby in Covid times and surviving the virus during postpartum, I have realised that life is fickle; it’s not to be wasted on unnecessary emotional drama. I’ve decided to call family members when I can, pay attention to my physical and mental health, avoid negative vibes. I learnt that happiness lies in little things. Just that we need to find the right things.
Vennila A, poet
Happiness is a peaceful state of mind. Since the pandemic, having witnessed the struggles that came with it, the sudden deaths it brought along, watching people close to you disappear from your life, I’ve come to believe that happiness is a world without disease; a healthy life. Only that can bring permanent happiness. This realisation has tempered the frantic search for small pleasures. This might be something everyone knows but the pandemic has helped prioritise this kind of happiness — that today, in this moment, everything is going well for us and ours.
Varsha Chella, architect and potter
So many of my career and personal goals collapsed like dominoes in the face of this invisible virus, making me question the soundness of these ‘goals’ and forcing me instead to think about what truly matters and rebuild my life around things that will bring me joy and fulfilment. But ultimately, Covid forced me to confront the brevity of life, and I am now working hard never to take a moment for granted and to practice the belief that happiness is now, in the moment.
Kharthickeyen KS, entrepreneur
I am someone who found happiness in solitude and going after my personal goals. But, the pandemic forcefully kept a lot of people out of my reach, and a few of them permanently. That made me feel a loss of connectivity from everything and my personal goals no longer made any sense. I found myself being happy only when I connected with people or helped them in some way. I now seek company more than solitude.
Srijith Sundaram, queer activist and founder-director, Kattiyakkari Theater
I was taking classes for homeless people in the first lockdown. But some returned to their native; and I heard many died without any food. That pained me and motivated me to start Trans Community Kitchen. We risked our lives and distributed food to 75,000 people in the second lockdown. The trans women were called “Anna” by the people queuing up for the food; but they were past the point of correcting them. Then, we realised, food was everything. We worked for Ramadan too, at a time when Islamophobia was a concern. It gives me great happiness that we were able to fulfil the need for food at such a time. We took the effort to ensure a dignified burial for many from the community who died of Covid since. Yena saapado, athula anbu irukanum. And that is happiness.
Ravishankar VM, corporate professional
I found happiness in spending time with loved ones, exercising, enjoying home-cooked food, photography, and reviving my childhood hobbies like drawing kolam. I’ve also developed an interest in decor and gardening. I’m very much connected to nature. I have a bird feeder in my balcony frequented by sparrows in a large group. The joy of such simple pleasures!
Gheshna/G, therapist/ tattoo artist
In the pandemic, I noticed how much joy moments of connection with people gave me, like witnessing the growth of my clients in therapy sessions. Whenever I doodled on the sand or inked tattoos for clients, I felt like I was living in that moment. I also began closely following astronomical events which offered me a lot of wisdom – I used to drag my friends to come gaze at the moon, its penumbra, whenever a cosmic event occurred. Amid the pain of the pandemic, I remember these moments. Discovering your desires is a process, which brings joy. And happiness, for me, is in noticing all this.
B Charles, theatre technician
Since the pandemic, I’ve focused on three major points of happiness. Being an introvert and someone with OCD, I’ve found joy and so much satisfaction in cleaning and organising. It has also persuaded me to touch base with friends; we’ve tuned ourselves to Zoom calls to stay in touch and meet when we can. And I’ve found space for art in the form of books and movies.
Compiled by Kannalmozhi Kabilan, Manasa R, Sahana Iyer and Vaishali Vijaykumar