Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; April 21, 2020)

If it wasn’t for the Coronavirus lockdown, actor Ayushmann Khurrana and his filmmaker wife, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, would have organised a birthday bash for their daughter Varushka, who turns six today. Given that a party is impossible in the current situation, the doting parents took it upon themselves to make the occasion a memorable one for their little girl.

Turning party planners, Ayushmann and Tahira rolled back to the age-old idea of using old newspapers, spare craft papers, white paper sheets, cardboards and other material readily available at home to create decorative items for the celebration.

Tahira told BT, “Initially, we tried looking for vendors who could help us with items to decorate the house, but that didn’t seem possible. So, we decided to make these things on our own, and for the last 10 days, we had been devoting a few hours daily to this. We didn’t want Varushka to feel low on her birthday. Ayushmann played music to keep us entertained throughout the days of prep. On some days, he would sing cool songs with the guitar and on others, he would turn to his playlists. It was so much fun since it kept all of us engaged and together.”

While Ayushmann has kept his plans a secret, Tahira started baking six small cakes yesterday. The family has also procured videos from their relatives and Varushka’s friends, wishing her on her birthday. Tahira added, “We are missing the presence of other humans around us. It’s going to be just us, but this birthday party will be memorable and special. I’m also planning a treasure hunt for the kids, so that they can have some fun. You have to find ways to adapt to situations.”