COMPASSION AND THE ARTS IN THE TIME OF THE PANDEMIC: A DIGITAL JOURNEY

Abstract

This paper will examine the important role that the Arts have played in helping to cope with drastic changes in all aspects of life brought about the COVID-19 pandemic declared by W.H.O. on March 11th 2020, which resulted in an unprecedented lockdown across the globe. The paper will focus on two vital functions of the Arts especially relevant in these difficult times – first the redemptive aspect of the Arts, and equally, its importance as a tool to critique the fault lines around us that have come to the fore because of this national/global crisis. The paper willstress upon the compassionate aspect of the Arts in the newly defined digital world.