Beyond #WFH is our initiative to spread positivity and inspire our readers by inviting leaders and friends to share what they do to unwind and relax after they finish their work-from-home and work-for-home responsibilities during the lockdown.
While Covid-19 has had multiple impacts on business and Beyond #WFH is not about business, it’s about self-discovery, things that will give us the strength to get through the lockdown and more importantly for those ‘moments’ that will stay with us for long and beyond this pandemic. PS: We are not talking business!
In this story of Beyond #WFH we bring to you, Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact.
I am generally a restless soul and I prefer being in the midst of action rather than the sidelines. I rather be leading the team on the field than just cheering for them (well one does that too sometimes). I prefer meeting clients and the team as often as one can, as I feel that there is no replacement for personal contact. In short, this lockdown is absolutely the opposite of what someone with my kind of personality can withstand. And that’s the reason why the initial couple of days were extremely tough on me. It took a little while to get used to seeing the world only through the laptop- doing meetings, internal brainstorming and even an open house with the entire office. But as things did settle down, I have come to realize that not everything about this lockdown has been that bad, rather it has helped me figure out a few things about me which weren’t very evident before 24th March.
For those who know me well, know that I am big sports enthusiast and especially football. And by enthusiast I don’t mean an arm-chair enthusiast, I play every Saturday and Sunday – for which requires waking up at 6 AM despite the weekend. Lockdown meant that this wasn’t happening and when you take away the favorite toy, the child is bound to be grumpy. But then my 11-year-old enchanted be into the world of virtual footballing – FIFA20. While at first when I played against my son, he made me feel like an absolute dud, but soon I got the grip on it and now I have atleast two games on a weekday with my son and countless over the weekends. And while I still haven’t managed to beat him as yet and a draw is the best result I have managed so far, but I am sure the win isn’t far away too.
Besides this, during this lockdown, I have managed to surprise myself on two fronts. I have always been extremely helpful when it comes to supporting on household chores (as if I have a choice) but when it came to cooking my talent could only muster a decent tea (coffee if I am in the mood to pamper my wife), scrambled eggs or possibly Maggi. And why would one need to when you have Hasina (before you let your mind wander, that’s the name of our cook), who dishes out some amazing recipes.
Given that we weren’t going to see Hasina for a few days, I decided to venture into the kitchen and after a couple of failed attempts I did quite fantastically (if I may say so) and managed some Amritsari chole, Chicken curry, Dal Makhni, Sambhar and even Besan ladoos, and I am still extending the menu (attaching a picture of me in the kitchen – and I like it absolutely clean around me).
The other reality for me so far has been that I just can get myself to join a gym or exercise. My idea of exercise is a game of football on the field. Given that I have not been doing that for some time and the fear of coming out of the lockdown in a completely different shape, I decided to join my wife (who is regular with her exercise regime) for her online training classes, and it’s been fun besides keeping me in shape (sending you some proof here too).
So yes, in a nutshell- the lockdown that started on a very grim note hasn’t been all that bad. I have picked up some new things and I feel they are going to stay with me forever. Yes, the lockdown did manage to open up a few things!
