| Abstrakt: |
The entire world has been coping with an unparalleled situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has altered many aspects of our daily lives, like the nature of work, lifestyle, leisure activities, family moments, among many others. The communication pattern seems to be the most affected aspect as people work from home, unable to meet their colleagues or co-workers face-to-face or meet extended family members or friends.Leisure activities have also been badly affected. This study aimed to find out the changes in the communication patterns with family and friends among the Indian diaspora in the Sultanate of Oman during the pandemic. Semi-structured telephonic interviewswere conducted with randomly selected samples of Indian diasporic people across thecountry. A qualitative method of research was used from a phenomenological approach to understand how the Indian diaspora has been coping with the unusual situation of being disconnected yet connected. The responses were transcribed and analysed to answer these research questions:a) How do the people of Indian diaspora perceive the pandemic? b) What were their personal experiences while residing in Oman during the pandemic? c) What were the measures taken to cope with the challenging situation? The results reflectthe adaptability and resilience of the Indian diasporic people during this exceptionalsituation. Though there have been times of sadness, disappointments, frustrations and anger, they have not lost hope. Instead, they are highly optimistic about the vaccine, which will slowly bring life back to normalcy. There are mixed feelings of fear, stress, yet it is laced with a constructiveapproach of being able to spend quality with family members or pursuing hobbies. The participants spoke about supporting the local government and fellow beings by practising personal prevention and protective measures. The findings of this study lead to a new understanding of the perceptions, feelings, thoughts, and experiences of the people of Indian diaspora residing in Oman during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
