  When academic institutions in India closed abruptly in March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, formal education moved online. This transition had a very
uneven impact given the significant digital divide between rural and urban
India and the unequal distribution of digital resources in different
institutions. Access to resources varied substantially by individual, based on
socioeconomic factors as well as gender. Institutional support to the academic
community during this critical period was largely inadequate, which has had
serious consequences on the teaching of physics and other subjects that require
laboratory instruction. Educational institutions also provide safe and enabling
learning spaces for women students; reduced access to such facilities
undermined the work- and study-related dynamics for women because of the
scarcity of resources such as devices, data, and time. This paper reports on
efforts made towards understanding such challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic
and describes steps that were taken to address them.
