Shillong, May 29: As the state grapples the novel corona pandemic, one section of the society that has remained out of the discussion by the newsmakers is the student community. Much has been talked about the lives of people affected and the new ways of work from home to mitigate the effects of corona, but the lives of school students and the way they are coping up with the situation have largely been ignored.

One of ways student lives are exiting is because they make friends on a daily basis in their respective schools, have tons of pranks to pull, do group activities, explore the world around them, make meanings out of the everyday, it’s a world full of opportunity and optimism for them. But the current pandemic has put an abrupt end to their outdoor and group activities.

As creative as students are, they adapt rather quickly to their changing surroundings. So have their hobbies and interests.

Although much of their time is presently centred around online classes and assignments, their sporting activities have switched to taking case of the household works such as cooking, gardening, online gaming, social media app, et al.

Raj Tiwari says in these times of lockdown and online classes, he has found new friends in the form of plants around his house. It has become a habit of his to water the plants every day and taking care of them so that they provide a healthy environment. “It has become a habit of ours now,” he says, adding that his friends are also helping him in doing the same and together they look after them.

Lucky, currently in Class 9, says she waters her plants every day and they bring her a sort of happiness and contentment.

Such has been the story of many students who are unable to go out for any other physical activity as containment measure to control the spread of corona has meant that they find meaningful purposes within their compound.