With the pandemic strengthening its hold over the world, life under lockdown has been difficult for school children who are in the danger of facing long term damage to their mental health and well being for having to endure curtailed social interaction. At St. Lawrence High School, Kolkata, India, children are sharing their messages of love, hope and yearning in the form of short video clips to help bridge the gap of social distancing with their loved ones at school, specially our Principal, Rev. Father Sebastian James, S.J. and others.
While initially children may have felt delighted at a prospect of an extended holiday and no class work, it has soon begun to sink in that though they may have a lot of free time, there is very less freedom. They miss getting up on time, arriving at school, playing with friends and interacting with their beloved teachers. Suddenly their world seems to have been turned upside down and there is a feeling of being trapped at home. Fortunately, technology today has made it easy to stay connected without actually making any physical contact. We have received quite a few of these videos where children from the primary section of our school has recorded special heart warming messages about how much they miss school, an integral part of their growing up years and how eager they are to join us once again.
Among others, we have Md. Aariz Tabrez of class 4 B, who wants to ensure the safety of his loved ones from school by sharing five ways of taking precautions to stay safe from the Coronavirus – to remember to cover our mouth and nose whenever we are out, to avoid crowded places like the mall or the market, to go to the doctor in case of suffering from high fever, to stay at home as much as possible and to thank and co operate with our Corona-Warriors like doctors, the police and the cleaning crew in order to remain safe and defeat the virus.
Raghavansh Bhartia of Class 4 B sends out a positive message to stay strong during the pandemic by invoking the help of God in form of a song. He asks the Almighty to grant strength to people to have faith that we would see the end of lockdown and resume our normal lives. He reminds all those who are watching the video to walk firmly on the path of social distancing as a way of safeguarding our lives. He sweetly asks God to help mankind emerge from the darkness of COVID-19.
Sampan Maity of class 3 B shares his wish for World Environment Day (June 5) by reciting a short poem on the importance of planting trees. He states that he would plant a little tree which would belong to him. And when the plant would grow into a huge tree he would feel delighted to see it rise against the sky. Finally he expresses how happy he is wearing the school uniform in the video but at the same time feels sad for the rising number of COVID affected people around the world. He requests everyone to stay at home and stay safe.
In their own creative ways, the students of the primary school sent their love and support, putting their faith in a positive future free from the virus. They make us believe that though in isolation, we are not alone in our struggle against the pandemic.
