Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; April 5, 2020)

At a time when the country is practising social distancing to keep Coronavirus at bay, celebrities are making the most of their free time by pursuing their hobbies and spending quality time with their family.

A case in point is ace comedian Kapil Sharma, who is enjoying every minute of this stay-at-home phase with his three-monthold daughter, Anayra. He shares, “Aaj kal saara din baby ke saath khelta rehta hoon, and khaata aur sota hoon, bas. Badi mushkil se routine sahi hui thi. Usko settle aur hamein time par sote hue 10 din hi hue the ki phir se routine change ho gaya. Abhi baby bhi bore ho gayi hai dekh dekh ke mujhe saara din. Usko lagta hai, ‘Mera baap kuchh karta hi nahi hai’ (laughs!).”

Kapil has mostly been at home ever since his bundle of joy arrived. “In a way, I have been in a lockdown state since December 10, the day Anayra was born. I would step out only for two days a week to shoot for the show,” he says.

The comedian, who has barely spoken to the media about his daughter so far, tells us that he can’t keep his eyes off his baby. He says, “I don’t even realise when the day goes by. Abhi uska mere saath thoda zyada attachment ho gaya hai. Pehle Ginni (wife) ko hi dekh kar hasti thi. Since the past few days, she has started recognising me and even smiles. That feeling is out of the world. She totally justifies her name — Anayra, which means happiness. She smiles like my mother and me. Hum teeno ki aankhein band ho jaati hain haste time. Khoobsurat apni mummy jaisi hai woh, and thank God for that (laughs!).”

This phase has also led to a lot of introspection and realisation. Kapil shares, “We take a lot of things for granted. The lockdown has made us realise the value of people who work for us relentlessly. I have also realised that my mother has started behaving like a child, now that she has crossed a certain age. Jaise gajak (sweet) aayi thi Punjab se toh mummy ne bahut sari gajak dabbe mein daal kar apne room mein rakh lee. When I asked for it, I was told that it’s not in the kitchen and that I needed to ask my mother.”

He adds, “It’s been 14 years since I moved to Mumbai, but it’s for the first time maine koyal ki awaaz suni aur sparrows dekhe; something that I would see in my hometown, Amritsar. It feels like nature is in detox mode. Having said that, I want normalcy back in our lives again. Sadkon par raunak rahe toh achha lagta hai. Kisko achha lagta hai soonsaan pada hua hain sheher saara.”