After the Covid-19 pandemic, the present crisis in the state has become a great cause of concern for the mental health of the general population, especially among children and the teenage youths. It is in fact a case of double jeopardy. During the pandemic, experts had expected a five-fold increase in mental health cases.
Life had suddenly become difficult with the lockdown and Covid-19 restrictions, as most people were confined to their homes. It is not the fear of contracting the Covid-19 virus alone then, but the worry and stress associated with it and the monotony of life in lockdown as well which was affecting us every day.
The young, middle-aged and the elderly had their own set of worries and frustrations. However, the one common denominator is that social life has changed drastically at the individual level as well as at the family and community level, either for a better or bleaker future.
The favourite past-times and work had been thrown out of gear. But, it was the youth who is suffering most whose life has been interrupted with unprecedented restrictions. The boredom associated with the monotony of the lockdown and inactivity had dulled the innovative nature of the youth, and life for them had been reduced to a window of the mobile phone and internet with its games and movies.
Life in Covid-19 times was a frustrating experience for the youth and the students, also due to lack of peer interaction and inaction. Faced with new realities of working from home, temporary unemployment, online education or home-schooling of children, and lack of physical contact with other family members, friends and colleagues, mental health of individuals had taken a toll.
Now, amid the unrest, it is the other way round. The long spell of summer vacation and nearly two-month long shutdown of internet operations in the state is causing widespread frustration among the children and youth with a virtual absence of a pastime which had become a routine since the coming of the internet and introduction of online activities in the recent past.
In a way, the shutdown of the internet had succeeded in putting a halt to online addiction of the youths, although temporarily. But, the frustration and the search for alternative avenues of connecting oneself to the net is also affecting in a negative way. On the other hand, the frustration caused by closure of school, and lack of both physical and online classes is an important indicator.
The other day, students of six government schools in Thoubal district carried out a peace rally and staged a sit-in protest for a disturbance-free educational zone (June 1). The prevailing situation has greatly affected the underprivileged students studying in government schools. While private school students have been taking extra coaching, the underprivileged cannot afford to pay for private tuition as they have been earning for themselves.
It is said that some of the students have been earning their fees by selling newspapers and by taking up odd jobs. It will be hard to compete with the students who take extra coaching.
The state government has failed to reopen educational institutes till date. It was initially announced to reopen schools on June 21 and later deferred to July 1, and now July 8.
The constant state of conflict situation in the state in the 80s and 90s had adversely affected the mental health of the general population to such an extent that generations have been going through a collective trauma besides depression and hopelessness at the individual level.
Corruption at every level and the prevalence of drug addiction among the young have added to the general malaise.
Now, the double jeopardy of the pandemic and the present crisis is certainly going to have far reaching consequences in the coming years. We need to prepare for that.
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