The actor says that this year, she’ll not be able to make it to her mother’s place on Gudi Padwa
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 25, 2020)

“This year, the plan was to go to my mum’s place on Gudi Padwa as she was planning to prepare a traditional Marathi lunch, which is rare for me, and I was looking forward to it. But it won’t happen,” says Renuka Shahane, who feels she might not get the batasa (sugar candy), neem and mango leaves and garlands for the puja. “There is no cause for celebration this year. Moreover, I don’t celebrate festivals in public, so the manner in which we celebrate Gudi Padwa will remain the same. We will do the gudi puja and I will make shrikhand at home. We will all be together and that will be a moment to cherish,” she shares.

With the Coronavirus pandemic, Shahane feels blessed that none of her family members had travelled abroad, so there was no reason to be concerned. She says, “But one can’t be selfish. We should also look at the repercussions globally, and in our country. The lockdown has to be taken seriously as we can’t take things lightly. The ones with privilege should try and help the ones who are the most affected by the pandemic — at least those around us. The pandemic will affect us all for a very long time as it is a war-like situation with the amount of casualties. The world is so connected and that is the main reason why the virus spreads so fast.”

The actor adds, “One will have to rethink many things including much-needed changes in our lifestyle, how we are treating Mother Earth and other species on this planet.”

She is enjoying having her husband (Ashutosh Rana, actor) at home 24x7 but reveals that her life hasn’t changed much as she has asked her staff to stay at home. “I am used to them taking leaves on Ganeshostav and summer holidays, so this phase isn’t new to me. I am used to doing the housework. But what is surprising is that people are cribbing about spending time with family. I’m shocked to hear that because don’t we all want to spend time with family? Some people are so strange,” she says.