The Pandemic still continues as we move out of the year of 2020 and move into the next year of 2021. Several professionals talk to Monarose Sheila Pereira, how their work scenario has changed.

Dr Nirmala S Rao, Psychiatrist, and Director: Aavishkar Centre for Self-Enrichment


With social distancing norms and health, hygiene and safety standards, clinic practice will certainly change. Working hours and patterns would need to be modified to accommodate more people in a safe manner. Online follow-up consultations may be used to facilitate following of safety norms. We would have to move to a 'strictly by appointment' mode of seeing patients to avoid crowding.

Framroz Ghaswala, Consultant

The work scenario has changed drastically. Several months of lockdown has caused a lot of difficulties across all business sectors. With the gradual opening up of the lockdown the printing, graphic designing, advertising and Public Relations departments too have witnessed dramatic changes.

The complete work scenario has changed. Work and assignments are slowly coming in. The professionals in Mumbai are happy to pitch in but where is the labor? As a Graphic Designer and Printing and PR consultant many of my clients are finding it extremely difficult to restart their business because the labor has migrated to their native places. Who will run errands and work on the machines? Some labor has started trickling back to Mumbai but the bulk of workers and daily wage earners are still hesitant to return. Many educated and uneducated citizens still do not wear masks and do not take adequate precautions as prescribed by doctors and the government. This is definitely not a healthy environment.

Dilip Joshi, Actor of Tarak Mehta ka Ulta Chasma fame

Work on the sets of Tarak Mehta ka Ulta Chasma has resumed. We use sanitizers and masks. The make up man wears a PPE suit and a face shield since he comes very close to people. We also try to work with minimum actors on a scene. The sets and makeup rooms are sterilized twice. We are all very alert and try not to touch each other and avoid close contact. We take all precautions.

Asif Upadhye, Director, Never Grow Up

With everything going digital and team members working from home, the one thing that has changed is the sheer number of video calls one now has to do in the day. This can also mean that we now have less time to be efficient, as the sense of being busy can get overwhelming at times. From a work perspective, we’ve been using the time to launch new services, getting into newer markets and re-engineering our services and products to meet client expectations, learning a thing or two and preparing for what may seem like a long haul of working remotely. 

Advocate Vinod Sampat,

As regards the profession of law most of the work has come to a standstill. Only that work, which can be done from home related to drafting, is possible.

The legal profession requires continuous interaction. As a result of which work is suffering. Courts are only taking up urgent matters. Many advocates are suffering huge financial losses, which cannot be expressed in words. There are a few advocates who have committed suicide due to depression and lack of funds.

The pandemic continues. Unfortunately citizens are still not taking the instructions seriously. They still crowd around, do not maintain social distance and do not wear masks in the right way - these are the only ways to control and eradicate the pandemic. Let's hope people will pay heed.