A step in time

Dressing up, wearing make-up, and rehearsing

dance moves

for her video call with school friends have been keeping Jayashree Sundaram engaged during the pandemic.

The 71-year-old, who recently wore a Kerala kasavu sari to dance to ‘Pankajaksham kadal varnan’, sung by

K S Chithra

, says these video calls have not only brought her close to her friends but also her family. “My husband and daughter are equally enthused about it. My husband looks forward to choosing the right outfit and accessories,” says the homemaker from

Koyambedu

.

School and childhood friends’ reunions with themed online meetings have been boosting the morale of some senior citizens across the city amid Covid-19. While some dress up in colour-coordinated or themed costumes, a few groups have been engaging themselves with dance and entertainment videos to cope with the pandemic.

One such group comprises Sundaram and her 25 friends from the 1965-66 batch of Presidency High School, Egmore. The group connected through WhatsApp about two years ago. However, the members have grown closer over the past year with meetings organised on Google Meet by a fellow classmate, Ambica Kutty, from Palakkad. “The theme for our upcoming meeting on January 10 is ‘States of India’. Each person has been given two states so they can dress accordingly and also send a short clipping of their dance moves,” says 71-year-old Kutty, who compiles the dance steps.

The songs chosen for these pre-recorded performances evoke nostalgia. “We pick numbers that we had performed to during our school days,” she says. Kutty, whose son helps her edit and compile the footage, says, “This time we will also be having live antakshari and a skit.”

Participating in these meetings have given a sense of joy during the lockdown, says Sundaram. “If not for meetings like these, I would have been stuck alone in my room with my endless thoughts,” she says. Her daughter Aparna Sundaram, a Chennai-based professor, says, “The reunion and the meetings help senior citizens like my mom keep themselves busy, entertained and relevant,” adding that looking at her mom dance with her school friends is an extremely emotional experience.

For retired Tamil teacher Parvatham S, video calls every 15 days with her 10 friends from work is a break from monotony. “Chatting about our families and grandkids gives a feeling of being in the staff room once again,” she says. The participants of the meeting wear saris that others have not seen before so that they could introduce new styles and fabrics they own. Parvatham, who has not met her friends in a long time says, “These one-hour calls are never sufficient as we have so much to talk about.”

Rugmini Ravindranath has used the lockdown period to reconnect with her old friends. “We moved to Chennai 40 years ago and lost touch with our Mettur friends,” says the 75-year-old, who lives with her 85-year old husband in Chitlapakkam. “About 10 of us now stay connected through our WhatsApp group and video calls,” she says, adding that her grandchild helped her find the friends on Facebook earlier this year.

In her conversations with her friends, Ravindranath recollects moments that are precious today. “We were like a big family. We cooked for each other, celebrated festivals together, went on trips, and played games every evening,” she says.