“There was nobody else, no duniya.” – Covid-19 and the meaning of Home for Older Adults in India

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic fractured the known world; imprisoning people in their homes for their safety. The meaning of home and family altered, leaving people with limited access to social networks and social rituals. Older adults were especially vulnerable with greater restrictions placed on their movement. This paper illustrates some of the reconfigurations what home meant for older adults in India, using data from a qualitative study conducted during the second wave of the pandemic. Eighteen urban dwelling older adults in the age range of 60 to 78 years, from diverse socio-economic and linguistic backgrounds were interviewed. Individual stories about living through the pandemic were derived from narrative interviews. The transcripts were analysed using Riessman’s thematic narrative analysis framework. The meaning of home changed from a place of safety and comfort to “an antiseptic bubble”, a place of loneliness and separation, and a repository of painful memories of loved ones who had died during the pandemic Forced separation from friends and family exacerbated feelings of loss, deprivation and feeling adrift in an increasingly unpredictable/lonely/isolated world. Anxiety, vulnerability and insecurity about the future was voiced. Ongoing implications of the pandemic for social ties and mental health are discussed.