The lockdown is treating Baabul Supriyo well.
He says, “When you are in a room with a tiger, you don’t decide what needs to be done. The tiger decides. The lockdown is the only way for the human race to survive until a vaccine is invented. The vaccine could take anything from a year to 18 months Only then can we eradicate Coronovirus as successfully as we eradicated smallpox. It is a difficult situation for everyone.”
How is Baabul spending his time? “If you are spending time with the one you love then you can never be bored. So yes, I’m spending time with myself. This is an opportunity for everyone to become more patient tolerant and humorous. I am definitely getting to know myself better during this time. I am also spending a lot of time with my family. Luckily my father who is 80-plus and my mother who is 70-plus were with me from before the lockdown. My only sister is in New York where the pandemic is at its peak. So a lot of time is going on the phone catching up with relatives and friends. There’s time now for you to have leisurely conversations some carefree chats which you don’t have normally.”
Baabul is all praise PM Modi. “Our honourable PM has given a clear roadmap to us ministers about how to monitor the virus. Each minister has been assigned a specific area to monitor and to keep a constant vigil.”
In his free time Baabul is focusing on his music. ‘My father who even at 81 has a terrific singing voice and I sing together on the harmonium. I also had this great wish to learn the guitar. So I am taking online guitar lessons. My wife and I are very health conscious, so no food binging. In any case with a 2 and a half-year-old around, we end up having a random scoop of icecream or chocolate. And with my mother with me, delicacies are being made. My wife is also learning new recipes. I am happy about it. We are watching movies that I missed earlier. I loved Raazi, Neerja, the series Narcos. I am reading two books simultaneously. I also have to attend the office at times with mask in place. My elder daughter calls me a Type A person. That means I always have to keep doing something. My dogs, birds and gardening keep me busy. I also like to just lie on the sofa and do nothing. When will I ever get to do that?”
My advice to everyone? “Find a way of being close as a nation without physical proximity. If you really love someone stay away from that person. I am sure our very robust Prime Minister and the heroic life-saving work- the force will see us through this crisis. I am sure we can conquer the Corona as we once conquered smallpox.”