Eye on the future

Sheetal

Our learning abilities have been confined to the four walls of the home for a month now, yet can learning ever end? Sharpening a foreign language skill to subscribing to stock market classes to diamond painting to guitar lessons, there is so much more to learn. So, are you ready?

Just go for it

Electrical engineer Kanwar Sumit Dutta has a martial arts background and the lockdown gave him an opportunity to sharpen his skills. He says, “There is an online course that I have joined titled ‘Functional Jiu Jitsu Certification Course’. It is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a martial arts, online course. During the beginning of the lockdown, it was free but now it will cost $59/month.” Dutta also enrolled in a class run by CA Rachana Phadake Ranade on YouTube. He adds, “Share market is still open and who doesn’t like an extra source of income. She explains in very simple terms about the share market. I listen to her lectures daily and it has improved my knowledge about the stock market.”

Investment advisor Manikaran Singal also suggests, “This lockdown should surely help people acquire more financial wisdom. Equip yourself with better ways to manage your money since it plays a pivotal role in your wellness. Learn about financial planning.”

Diamond painting

Colouring books are old fashioned, but have you ever given a thought to diamond-painting? It is a craft where you will colour the sheet, but with diamonds. And careful placement of each diamond can only guarantee the final outcome, which in turn requires concentration. Sukhman Thind, a nurse by profession, says, “I came across one such craft kit on shopping app called Wish. I bought it that instant, as I like to work on new things. I enjoyed my first diamond-painting which was that of a tiger. Every diamond fits like a piece of puzzle, which makes it fun.”

It’s an art

Korean drama or K-dramas, Spanish shows such as Money Heist and Toy Boys, Israeli series Fauda and Swedish thriller Caliphate are able to reach out to the global audience. Being multilingual already, if you ask any linguistic professor, Indians are more attuned to the sounds of foreign language. This makes learning a new language easier for us. Saurav Kumar, a student at Panjab University, says, “I learnt French language in school and take pride in knowing four languages. But recently, I fell in love with Spanish. I am currently at level 4on Duolingo app. I am taking it slow and only devote 15 minutes a day.”

Artist Ravinder Kumar Sharma, former professor at the Government College of Art, Chandigarh, explains, “If the art of the caveman empowered us to defeat the fear of robust animals, then Shaman, the art of tribals, helped in guarding against ghostly powers. When I sit to mould materials, a prayer, which is for the well-being, of whole mankind, takes birth.” There are courses offered on websites such as Unacademy, Udemy and Coursera, which help art students brush up on their skills. Bharti Sharma, an artist herself, says, “Art discourses and virtual classes can really help people cope with stress and anxiety.”

sheetal.dadhwal@tribunemail.com

Learn it their way

• With #ITrainLikeVidyutJammwal, actor and martial artist Vidyut Jammwal has stepped up to help his fans. Not only is he propagating the Indian form of martial art known as Kalarippayattu, but also focused on training kids and mothers out there. Take a sneak peek on his IG account!
• Due to this lockdown, Alia Bhatt too was forced to take a break from acting. But that didn’t stop her from utilising this time to add another dimension to her skills. From her recent post, it is clear that she is making some notes on The Craft of Plot.
• Power couple Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma confessed about their learning experience on Unacademy. Virat shared on his social media handle, “50,000+ Unacademy Learners! Safe to say that our first ever Live Class @unacademy was a smashing success! Have hit sixes on the field before, but knocking this one out of the park was truly exciting. To all of you, keep dreaming, and keep cracking it! #letscrackit #learnfromhome #legendsonunacademy”
• Referring to his character Bablu Pandit in Mirzapur, Vikrant Massey shared a video that helps in promoting productivity. He wrote, “Be like Bablu Pandit and always think ahead, even though things might not always be in your control…” Sponsored by UpGrad that offers plethora of online courses in different fields, the video apart from Vikrant features Radhika Apte, Aparshakti Khurana and Fatima Sana Shaikh.