Life in the Time of the Lockdown: The Effects of the First Lockdown in India and the Resilience to Bounce Right Back

Background: The year 2020 will be remembered as the year of the worst pandemic till time immemorial to ever engulf mankind. The world saw many stages of the fatal complexities of the COVID-19 virus. Different countries shared the horror that the virus entailed. India, as a growing economy and an overpopulated state, faced one of the biggest catastrophes ever to be witnessed by the nation. Resources became limited and livelihood became difficult to attain with the sudden lockdown imposed at the end of March, 2020. Even though the country was under complete lockdown for a marginally short period, life as we know it has changed drastically for all. This paper explores the hardships and apprehensions faced by people during the first lockdown, followed by their adjustment into the new normal as phases of unlock commenced. Materials and Methods:  Over 7000 responses have been tabulated, assessed and discussed, covering working and non–working professionals, homemakers and students. The paper further attempts to analyse the dilemma and constraints faced as life moves forward in different sectors, with a renewed variant of the virus resurfacing every year and the pan-country vaccination drives. This paper uses qualitative analysis of empirical as well as secondary data to draw inferences. Results: The questions targeted the stress related to future goals, social interaction and sustainability. Conclusion: The paper concludes with a comparative investigation of the different timelines and the way forward.