Wellness is a topic that has come to the forefront of all discussions owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic has made people stress over their immunity, the ensuing lockdowns have cooped up people within the four walls of home, and played havoc with their mental health by disrupting schedules, and limiting in-person interaction as well as physical expressions of familiarity such as a high-5, a hug, or a handshake. Numerous news media and health media have repeatedly warned about the growing depression because of being home-bound, and also owing to financial worries related to market slowdowns as a result of the pandemic.
Another cause of concern was the health and wellness of women, especially working women with kids. The COVID-19 lockdown created a difficult situation where there is no house help (in countries like India where house help is common), and children were home as schools were closed. Owing to prevalent social culture, the primary weight of the household chores and childcare responsibilities fell on the shoulders of women, further increasing the unpaid work gap between genders. It left working women both mentally as well as physically exhausted and burnt out. Keeping this in mind, specialised sessions were planned and executed by the Alumni Engagement team. The uniqueness of the initiative was that it was led by alumni in close collaboration with the Office of Alumni Engagement.
