The Covid period starting with the lockdown in 2020 suddenly brought life to a grinding halt for people in more ways than one. The elderly citizens were concerned about high mortality rates. But a study carried out by a researcher from IIT Gandhinagar indicated that it was also the period during which the senior citizens devoted themselves to activities like meditation, learning new skills and even enrolling in courses.
The paper ‘Leisure as self-care in the times of the pandemic: Insights from a time-use diary study in India’ authored by PhD scholar Ashwin Tripathi and FLAME associate professor Tannistha Samanta was recently published in Taylor & Francis journal Leisure Studies.
Tripathi said that the participants were from Gandhinagar, Bengaluru and Chennai who kept a diary to maintain record of their daily activities. “The leisure and self-care activities were seen as improving the self-worth of older individuals and making them independent… Many of the participants learnt digital skills or even enrolled in courses as they wanted to be ‘active agers.’ These activities also provided a structure to their everyday routine,” she said.
Gender inequality was, however, visible with domestic chores still performed by women, the study indicated. Men spent more time in passive leisure activities like reading, watching television, going out for walks or exercising, while the women preferred activities that were more social.tnn