Talk shows, musical evenings, online yoga: The World Spa residents keep their spirits high

Staying at home all day long during the lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) can be a tedious task. But not for the residents of The

Staying at home all day long during the lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) can be a tedious task. But not for the residents of The World Spa in Sector 30, thanks to the society’s own discussion platform World Spa Ki Baat.

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The talk show is held daily for an hour at 5pm via video conference. Residents who are experts in their respective fields speak on topics such as the modernisation of the Air Force, international affairs, energy security, college admissions, spirituality, and others.

“Around 70-80 residents log in to watch the sessions. The speakers are planned and residents are told in advance,” Ashwani Singla, president of The World Spa Apartment Owners’ Association, said.

The residents have planned daily engagement sessions to keep indoors. In the morning, the residents can join a virtual yoga session at 7.30am conducted by one of them on alternate days. The session lasts an hour.

“Admiral Suren Rao has been conducting yoga sessions in the society for a long time. As the Covid-19 scare broke, his family wanted him to stop the sessions with the residents as he was 73 years old. We then asked him to conduct the sessions online. This is the first time he is using technology for the class,” Rakesh Vij, a resident who spearheaded the lockdown engagement activities of the society, said.

In the evening, during sundown, the society has a music hour at 6pm. Two residents in possession of large speakers play songs from the two wings of the condominium. Residents can even place their requests in advance and coordinate a playlist. The society is currently working on a plan to host a Zoom dance party.

However, residents of the society have not forgotten about their staff and others less fortunate. The society is located next to Silokhera village. To help the daily wagers in the village, residents raised a fund and adopted 350 families to help during the lockdown. They partnered with the district administration to help distribute the ration the society bought with the fund.

“The residents raised around ₹7-8 lakh to help the daily wagers who had been affected by the lockdown. We bought ration for them and provided it to the district administration who helped distribute it in the village,” James Abraham, a resident who has been living in the society for the past 11 years, said.

The condominium has over 1,300 residents. The society started preparing for the lockdown by formulating a special task force to take care of its residents. It collected recent travel histories of residents, advised them on safety and other precautions. Singla said that at one point, the society had 92 residents under quarantine.

“The task force, which included public health experts, trained our staff on sanitation protocol and rehearsed steps like serving those in quarantine, disposing of the waste and how to extend support to residents in isolation. They were also provided PPE kits,” Singla said.

The society also turned to its 17-year-old resident, Mihir Vardhan, a robotics enthusiast, to help with face masks. Vardhan created prototypes of face shields using open-source designs on the Internet at home. These were provided to the staff to protect them against the virus while on duty.

“I have three 3D printers at home that I used to print the face shields. They are made from polylactic acid, a polymer. The society had asked for four for the staff, I provided them six,” Vardhan said.

The society has one grocery store and a chemist inside its complex. Residents can place their order via WhatsApp beforehand. They are informed when the order is complete. They can then pay and pick up the order. The society is allowing doorstep deliveries of only perishable items; for the rest, deliveries are restricted to tower lobbies.

While most condominiums in the city have opted for a no-walk policy, The World Spa focused on providing small windows for residents to go on walks.

“There are two slots of three hours each for taking walks in the morning and evening. Towers are alternately assigned the slots. A street inside the complex is provided for this. Residents have to maintain 6ft distance. Older residents and children are advised against stepping out,” Singla said. He added that this decision was taken keeping in mind the physical and mental well being of residents.

The society has accommodated around 40 members of staff inside its complex in a vacant building. The staff are offered meals through a community kitchen and they work on a rotational basis. Routine medical check-ups of the staff are conducted daily. Those staying inside the society are being provided 1.5 times their salary for the duration of their stay.

“We recently held a high tea and special dinner for them to show our appreciation for their efforts during this difficult time,” Singla said.