The week with a virtual party | 6th- 12th September 2020

 6th- 12th September 2020

I started my Sunday late, had my brunch while watching Coolies: How British Reinvented Slavery. History is extremely astonishing. Whereat times I crib how hard my life is, how complicated this society is, all can kind of be diluted by looking back at the history of this world. In the first week, we were told to make a rough map of our locality and this was all I was able to come up with.

I was talking to my friend, Aabrez that day and he continued how bad he was feeling about how he is going to spend his birthday. I decided that I will contact all his friends and ask them to surprise him with a virtual party. I feel like I decided about this party out of pity, just to make him shut up. I honestly wanted to see him happy that's all. I had never talked to these people or ever met them. I sent them a message on Instagram: 

Hi, my name is Dhrriti Jain, I am a friend of Aabrez Bhardwaj. As you know his birthday is coming up and he is feeling a bit low because of this current "2020" stupid situation. He is feeling bad that he won't be able to spend it with his friends. If you would be interested to come on a zoom call on the 7th September 2020, Monday at 12 am, we could just play some games, chat a bit, have some fun and I bet it would cheer him up. 

Please do consider this. It will be highly appreciated. 

Thanks

I really thought it would be fun. I looked up all kinds of games we could play online, created a bingo card, placed an order to send him a cake and some flowers to his place. Flowers really seemed stupid, so I replaced it with a plant. I got a yes, from around 11 of his friends. They all were so surprised, and almost also forgot that it was his birthday. All asked me, how do I know him, where we met, what are we. FRIENDS. Can't friends do this for each other? I know he won't do this for me, I am just maha stupid. 

On Monday, even though I had watched the entire movie, Coolie I did say that in the class. I stayed shut. Rather than the late-night class, it got shifted to a morning slot. It was good. At least for tonight. 

I did not tell Aabrez about the online surprise, or that I contacted his friends or the gift. This is literally the first time I have ever planned on surprising anyone. Around 8 pm, I called him up and told him to go down to open the main gate, he thought I was coming there to meet him, but he received the cake and flower cum plant. He seemed happy, that is all I could get through a phone call. I told him to finish his work early that night. Out of 11, only 9 came to the zoom meeting. I sent him the link and just told to click on it. He was shocked, he cut the cake I had sent him on the video call with his family, everyone sang and laughed. 

On the other days, on Radio, we learned how to use Zencastr, a website where we can record and take interviews. Data analysis started with the basics of statistics, writing talked about open letters and comics. Caste and religion: Romlia Thapar's The Aryans Recasting Construct, and last for reading images went through the psychology of images. So overall fun. 

Last week, my fufaji came to Delhi, he sent me the September issues of India Today and National Geographic UK- These were some of the stories that stuck with me: