Love in the times of COVID

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed not only how people spend time, but with whom they spend. It has strained relationship dynamics. Yet, people need relationships, and the support they offer, more than ever. The necessity of being confined to small groups brought home the fact that strong relationships can withstand many hardships — including a global pandemic.

On Valentine’s Day 2021, let’s celebrate the people who have made us believe in love again.  Relationships expert Dr Nisha Khanna says, “Most people got the opportunity to spend time with their loved ones after a long time, which made their bonds stronger. While they were stuck at home, people started to appreciate each other’s work. Many men started cooking and helping their partners in household chores. This not only made their partners’ work easier, it made them feel special too.” Noting that many people lost their jobs or suffered financial losses during the pandemic, Dr Nisha says having to spend time together gave people the opportunity to build their lives again with the help of their dear ones.

Harpreet Kandhari, a relationship advisor, noted quite a lot of changes amongst people during this time. “COVID-19 has given people the opportunity to sit back and prioritise relationships. Couples are working out together or with young kids. Even spirituality has increased,” she says.

Celebrities too have been demonstrating togetherness — relaxing, soaking up the sun, creating fun Instagram reels or just showering love on each other’s Insta posts. Dr Nisha feels social media helped celebrities stay connected and motivate others. “As celebrities they always have to be in the limelight. The lockdown gave them the time to be more creative,” she says.

A special destiny | Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza celebrated their 9th wedding anniversary recently. The couple was in a relationship for almost a decade before they tied the knot. After their wedding, the duo often shared posts about their relationship and did not shy away from PDA on social media. Genelia shared a video of herself and husband Riteish on Instagram, captioned “Dearest @riteishd, You don’t find love, it finds you, It’s got a little bit to do with destiny, fate, what’s written in the stars and a lot to do with special kind of you??????. There is no me without you. I’m totally madly, crazy in love you??Happy Anniversary Love.”

Supportive spouses | Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and actress Anushka Sharma, welcomed their first child, daughter Vamika, in January this year. The Indian skipper took paternity leave to be by his wife’s side during the birth of their baby. The duo has repeatedly shown support for each other’s work, and helped each other become the best versions of themselves.

Together we entertain | Actress Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra kept their fans entertained throughout 2020 with their working-out-together videos and cooking shows.

PDA stars  | Priyanka Chopra’s marriage to American star Nick Jonas was nothing short of a fairy-tale. During the lockdown and after, their cute and mushy so-in-love pictures on social media made people fall in love with the two of them all over again, and gave us major couple goals.

The chemistry of love | Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have been married for over two years now. The couple turn heads with their shared chemistry, and their PDA moments are everywhere on social media.

Pictures of love | Samantha Akkineni, who married Naga Chaitanya in 2017 never fails to express her love for her husband by sharing beautiful and candid moments from their dinner dates and holidays on social media.

Partnership patterns | Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan present an example of a beautiful, modern-day marriage. Kareena, who is expected to deliver her second baby this month, has broken multiple barriers and has found Saif completely supportive of her dreams and
choices.

That basic connectivity
2020 was a difficult year for all of us, I guess. The one thing I realised is how deeply connected human beings are. Compassion and love for each other only can make us get through as a community. I feel love as an expression that we all experience through various relationships. So this Valentine’s Day is not just for couples.”
— Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, Author