Some are anxious, but some others have also rediscovered passions from the past and reaffirmed old bonds under the novel coronavirus lockdown.

“After a gap of around 15 years I took out my chessboard and asked my friend Sanjay to join me,” said Doranda resident B.K. Vijay, 58.

Vijay and Sanjay live at Rukmini Apartment and both were chess players during their college days.

“The chessboard and pieces made us nostalgic,” said Sanjay, an employee of Tata Motors. “We used to play together for hours. I don’t remember when we last played chess… probably 15 years back. Right from the morning we have been playing (under the lockdown).”

Residents of the apartment have put up a notice denying entry to any outsider.

Vijay lives with his extended family. His niece Anshika, a Class IX student at JVM Shyamali, was busy with colours and brushes drawing a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Painting is my passion but due to academic pressure I could not pay much attention to it. Now after the lockdown I decided to use my time to pursue my passion,” she said.

Anshika’s mother, Uma Vijay, said the entire family was together after ages.

“This lockdown is for social distancing to break the chain of the virus. But on the other hand it has given us a chance for the family reunion otherwise in the mad race of professionalism and career people have become strangers within the family,” she said. “We are cooking together and enjoying ourselves. Don’t get depressed over the lockdown, you can use it positively.”

Rekha, wife of B.K. Vijay, said she was encouraging children of the family to read Panchatantra, life sketches of great men and other useful books.