The pandemic has changed what it means to be young in India

Young adulthood can be an exciting time for many, a time when you might move to a new place for college, start earning your own money, meet new people and seek out new experiences for the first time without the watchful eyes of parents or guardians. At the start of 2020, Class 12 students were gearing up to write their board exams and planning university applications, while college students were chalking out plans for future jobs and cities. People were settling into the early stages of career paths and planning to move out of their homes, some learning how to be independent. Turning 18 is an important milestone for many, as it marks the age when the world sees us as adults, and an adult’s world is limitless.

But for today’s young adults, the world has limits.

COVID-19 has stopped people from going to schools and colleges, one of the biggest parts of a young person’s life, for an indeterminate period of time. We didn't know that the friends we met one day would only be accessible through screens for the better part of two years (and counting). Students graduated in their pajamas on what felt like any other weekday.

Those who were excited to begin their careers had to dive in straight to the deep end, as they had to quickly adapt to virtual offices, often learning things which can be grasped much easier and faster in an office setting. And while at least commuting wasn’t an issue anymore, given the lonely alternative, sitting through some traffic does not seem so cumbersome anymore.

Celebrating your graduation ceremony with your friends, grabbing drinks with coworkers after a long day, skipping classes to grab a bite to eat — these are things that today’s young adults cannot take for granted.

Those who were looking forward to escaping their hometowns for higher education were robbed of the college experience of staying in hostels, exploring new places, and learning through close interaction with professors. Premkumar, who hails from Panruti in Tamil Nadu, was admitted to the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh last year. But the entire first year of his MBA programme was spent through a little screen in his parent’s home, and it seems like the second year might go by in the same way. “In an IIM, it's more about peer learning and networking, but since it's all online, I'm losing out on all those. We have classmates from across the country and we don't have the opportunity to meet anyone,” he shared.

“Most of the time I'm just alone at home, doing all the work by myself and without anyone to guide me. It makes life difficult, not just for my studies. Even to have normal interaction with people is very difficult. I was a people person, I don't talk well by texting, so that again affects my chances of making friends. I'm sure this is my last year of academic life and it going in vain isn't something I expected,” he added. Apart from the stress of online classes, Premkumar must also face interviews for placements, with recruiters not caring about the mental wellbeing of candidates. “I don't deserve to suffer all this. I should have been casually attending my classes and playing something in my free time with my friends. I am never going to get that,” he said.   

According to Rashi Vidyasagar, Communications and Strategy Director at The Alternative Story, which provides mental health support to individuals, it is not that the pandemic has resulted in a loss of routine, but rather a loss of structure. There were certain markers in our lives that made us feel like we were actually moving forward, and not stuck in one place. “It’s the lack of structure in terms of social outings, having safe spaces or having predictability, things that you were sure of,” she explained.

Read: Netflix and (virtual) chill: Dating in times of a pandemic

Class 12 students, who have been groomed from as early as Class 6 to score well in Board exams, were one group whose lives were suspended when the pandemic hit. When the first wave of COVID-19 hit in 2020, they were not even sure whether exams would be conducted. The government cancelled the exams, and instead mandated that the final results would be calculated based on the Class 10 Board exam and Class 11 and 12 internal exams conducted by the schools. While this came as a relief, many students felt as though they were cheated, as they usually perform best in the final Board exam. Those whose scores were poor in the school’s internal assessment were not given a chance to improve them, and a section of students demanded to be able to write the exam in person.

However, another section of students face a converse situation. Those enrolled as private students due to give their CBSE exams were told at first that they would not have to write the exams. However, on June 17, the Union Education Ministry said that they will have to appear for the exams. An order was passed by the Supreme Court on August 5, that the exams will begin on August 15 and end on September 15. While the results of the regular candidates have already been announced, based on the CBSE’s evaluation guidelines, the private candidates suffer as some have applied for universities abroad and for jobs, the entry to which will be impacted with the delayed results. Added to this, Sukhpal Toor, an educational activist based in Delhi, says that several of the students enrolled as private candidates due to severe health issues, and will now find it difficult or even dangerous to appear for the physical exams. There are also candidates who have lost one or both parents to COVID-19 and the exams only add to their distress. “Not every private candidate is a kid who flunked their exams, but we've been dealt with like we deserve zero compassion,” complained Arjun*, a private candidate.

Even the Board exams, for which students have been preparing for years, often adding heaps of stress and pressure to their young lives, has become meaningless for some, and a dangerous and distressing endeavour for others.

“A lot of hopes were built of a big event happening in (their) education, which is now not happening,” Rashi said.

For Sivachandiran, from Puducherry, however, the pandemic has had a much more material impact on the early years of his new career. He works as a receptionist at a popular hotel there, but since the hospitality and tourism industry took a heavy hit, the management allegedly decided to cut the salaries of employees. According to Sivachandiran, since hotels were closed for a significant amount of time in 2020 and 2021, the hotel only paid employees 70-80% of the monthly salary. And in June, when the hotel was only open for 13 days, they were paid only for those 13 days out of 30. Sivachandran, who is the only son of a security officer and a homemaker, stays in the hotel quarter, as he cannot afford to travel back and forth from his parents’ home. He cannot even switch to working in another hotel, as job opportunities in the hospitality industry have dried up.

While the pandemic’s effect on mental health has been seen across age groups, young adulthood is a time when most mental health issues generally come up in individuals. And amid the pandemic, they must deal with changes within themselves, in a constantly changing world, Rashi explained. “We have always measured mental illness in comparison to a normal circumstance. But there is no normal circumstance at the moment,” she said.

Rashi also said that over the last year and a half, the organisation has seen more people signing up for therapy sessions and more people coming back to therapy. 

Ananya*, a 21-year-old from Bengaluru, was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a disorder which makes it difficult for individuals to pay attention and control impulses, during the pandemic. “I had trouble doing anything. Some days I'd just sit and stare at my phone although I wanted to get work done; I liked the work I was given and still couldn't get myself to finish it,” she said, adding that she approached a therapist when her friends with similar issues were diagnosed. According to Ananya, though her ADHD is mild, the total lack of a routine caused by the pandemic only aggravated her symptoms. While Ananya has been seeking help and is on medication, she has had to do so without the knowledge of her parents, as she is afraid that they will not understand the illness and what it entails.

While spending the better part of two years in isolation had its own set of complications, there were some who said that the lockdown gave them time to introspect. With the world changing rapidly in a short time due to the pandemic, the lockdown period at least gave people time to process their emotions. Twitter user A Teen With Mental Health Issues told TNM that they experience bouts of dejection, loneliness and anxiety on a regular basis. However, they said, “The lockdown has made me a new human being. I spent more time with myself and started instropecting myself more.. which led to understanding myself more and knowing my needs and goals and making me a happier person.”

(*Name changed)