Memes new stressbuster in times of COVID-19

While maintaining the physical distance in times of COVID-19, a joint family comes together for a chit-chat after dinner. And one of them bursts into uncontrollable laughter after checking a message on his mobile phone.

The phone is passed on to others who also laugh nonstop. The message that landed on WhatsApp is nothing but a meme featuring popular Tamil comedian Vadivelu hilariously explaining the need to adhere to a 21-day lockdown.

The meme with two images of Vadivelu from his ever-popular comedy sequence of 2005 Tamil movie Ayya read: 21 naal veetukulla iruntha Mayla paakkalam, illana mela paakkalam (If we remain indoors for 21 days we can meet in May, else we will have to meet only in heaven).

“This particular meme was powerful. It conveys the need for staying indoors in just a second that too in the language that could be comprehended by the common man. That is the power of memes,” Sathish Kumar, an HR professional, told DH.

Hundreds of such memes shared on WhatsApp and other social media platforms are favourite stressbusters for those who are confined to their homes due to the lockdown. Families spend time sharing memes and discussing them – most are designed in a way to spread awareness about the disease and the need for self-discipline.

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Memes have emerged as a powerful medium to drive home the messages for the past few years with even police and other government agencies using them to create awareness among people. And the number of memes has only increased ever since the COVID-19 outbreak in March.

“Memes are our favourite pastime generally, but the time spent on them has increased ever since the lockdown was announced. Since we work from home, we can relax regularly and that is where these memes help us relieve stress. Also, it touches our lives directly,” Senthil Kumar, a marketing professional, told DH.

From the Janata curfew to the 21-day lockdown to the “effects of working from home” to what COVID-19 could do the world – the memes cover every topic. A video meme created by R Udaya Bharathi on a mother passing comments on his son’s activities while working from home from an original sequence in super-hit movie Madras has gone viral with more than 1 million people viewing it.

And the majority of the memes are taken out of comedy sequences by Vadivelu, often known as the engine of the thriving meme industry in Tamil Nadu. Bharathi told DH that Vadivelu has merged in the lives of Tamils across the globe and there is no topic that the comedian has untouched in movies that he acted.

“Memes is like what Thirukkural was for the older Tamil generations. Like Thirukkural which conveyed meaning in couplets, memes convey the message in just two seconds. And mostly, meme users choose already popular dialogues of Vadivelu to catch the attention of the people,” he said.

Naveen Kumar, a software professional, says memes help in relaxing one’s mind, especially in times like today where every discussion revolves around COVID-19. “Memes make you forgot about everything for a few seconds and laugh. That kind of relaxation is needed in times of stress. And the moment you stop laughing, you get the inner meaning too,” he said.

Gautam, the administrator of Chennai Memes, says meme is nothing but infotainment. “We entertain the people besides passing on the information. And what better way than using popular comedy sequences or dialogues. We convert those sequences to depict the happenings and we are largely successful,” he told DH.

He also said the response for COVID-19 memes is encouraging and meme creators also post maximum posts to get people’s attention as they stay indoors. “The go-to person for any meme in Tamil is Vadivelu. There is a Vadivelu comedy for everything that has happened and that happens now. And the majority of the COVID-19 memes are also taken out of Vadivelu comedy sequences,” Gautam said.