Relapse 2020

 We are two months into completing two whole years trapped in our houses due to this global pandemic. Looking back now, it seems like a time capsule. From the emails, we got to start working from home, and exams getting canceled. From making dalgona coffee to washing and cleaning every single commodity of our houses. The only constant and the most notable thing has been the note and announcements of “We have postponed, for now, we will reevaluate the situation and extend the ‘temporary policy’ until further notice” In this article we will uncover how our lives have changed, and how some of these changes are permanent and will be our go-to-hack forever.

• Digitization

One of the biggest revolutions the pandemic has brought is the digitization of every aspect of our lives. From online health consultation to online schooling and food delivery, there is nothing you cannot find online now. The surge in online small businesses is extremely huge. Along with it, the surge and creativity different brands have shown in digital marketing is impeccable and it has made marketing of products even more personalized and extremely cheap. The years were full of Zoom burnout, virtual dates, virtual classes, and never-ending g-meet meetings. Due to increased time spent with family, even the elderly have learned to use the tech and operate zoom meetings. Virtual Satsangs are just as common as virtual nurseries. However odd this may sound, this has become our reality.

• A distorted sense of time

With everyone locked down in their houses, every passing minute in the home feels like an eternity. This made people realize how much time they actually have in a day. With not having to commute daily, people saved a lot of time. But, without any fixed timings and having to commute, the daily routines were fully distorted and have affected the sleep schedules of millions. Especially for students.

• A renewed sense of gratitude

We had a renewed gratitude for all that we have and all that we do. We realized how essential workers are so important and how we did not have to displace from one city to another like million who had to return home but couldn’t. By staying in we realized the importance of how important the outside world is. How important being near nature is. By staying locked in our houses, we realized the importance of little things and how liberating the smallest of things can be, like planting a tree or watching a sunset.

• Change of appetite

By having no access to food from restaurants and street stalls, from time to time, we started cooking our meals on our own. We learned cooking and we started getting so much more dependent on home-cooked meals. From making dalgona coffee to cooking a Thai meal, we did it all just to realize how non-digestive food from the outside is. Relishing the taste of fresh food was a new high.

• Increased skill-development

By the realization of the amount of time we actually have every day, everyone at least developed one new skill in two years. It could be cooking, or a course on marketing. The trend of learning new things and developing new hobbies as a way to productive passing of time has become a new trend. The number of home bakery, tuitions, master classes, and freelancing has surged to an all-time high. Which also led to a mental health crisis for many.

• Mental Health Crisis

Grief, loss, anxiousness all of this was a major part of loss, anxiousness. All of this was a major part of the pandemic. The grief of losing closed and loved ones, while anxiousness due to life in general and by staying in all the time. With people getting more time, they got more time for self-reflection to realize what they liked, hated, and what they absolutely couldn't lead their life with. People were trapped with toxic families or roommates or were isolated with constant feelings of loneliness. It was and is an extremely tough time for people. A few people even started getting anxious by seeing others develop their skills, while they laid back and actually relaxed after a long time. Pandemic triggered all of them. Kids to elderly, none were spared.

• Increased importance for hygiene and healthcare

The importance and paranoia around hygiene and healthcare grew exponentially with the surge of the pandemic. Everyone has gotten so conscious of the maintenance of individual and overall sanitation. The state of the hospitals with the second wave of the pandemic also threw light on the state of the Indian healthcare industry. Immediate changes in-laws were brought and a lot of such legal changes have been brought to feed the importance of hygiene in the production processes of commodities as well. Sanitizers and Masks have become our daily use items. Massive law changes have been made as a result of increased oversight on hygiene.

For more articles on food Marketing, agrotech, and technology related to the Indian food industry, check out FMTmagazine. FMT Magazine is an edition of the German publication. It is a comprehensive food and beverage magazine that connects the buyers and the sellers through content that is of international quality. The magazine over the entire spectrum of the food industry including content on policies. FMT Magazine stands for Food Marketing & Technology Magazine. The magazine carries articles on ingredients, processing, packaging, food safety, and marketing, along with interviews with top personalities in the Indian food industry.