Sruthi Raman (BOMBAY TIMES; May 19, 2020)

A quick glance at Shruti Haasan’s Instagram page is revelatory of the actress-musician’s lockdown diaries. For Shruti, who has been staying alone in her Mumbai home, the past couple of months have mostly been about cooking, playing with her cat Clara and playing the piano. But most importantly, it has been about enjoying her own company.

“It is weird to admit this to people, but I have been fine from the beginning of the lockdown until now,” she says, adding, “I am really okay being alone. I never had the courage to be so before. When I was younger, I’d need to meet people if I was alone for two hours. I’d imagine that I’d see this version of myself one day, and I am glad that day has come. I am finally ready for my own company.”

This sense of ease also comes from the fact that nobody has control over such circumstances. “There is nothing we can do and it is completely out of our control. Fighting the situation and regaining some sense of false control seems like an unproductive use of time,” she says.

But does it get difficult to stay away from friends and family? “I am more in touch with people than I have ever been in my entire life. I do miss my family and friends, but I am not a very physical person. Even if I don’t get cuddles and snuggles, I am fine. Having said that, you never know, maybe I will go out after the lockdown ends, have a hug and break down,” she replies, laughing.

Apart from aiding relationships, technology also makes sure that musicians like her are able to creatively engage with audiences from the comfort of their homes. Shruti was part of Arivum Anbum, her father, Kamal Haasan’s anthem on the Coronavirus pandemic, and A R Rahman’s Hum Haar Nahin Maanenge. “It feels real and possible to pay for a ticket to watch a concert from home now,” she shares. Music apart, cooking and catching up on documentaries make a big part of her routine. Cooking, she says, was born out of necessity. “I lived in America for a while and could never make sambar for myself. Ever since I came back, I learnt to cook with a vengeance, and this lockdown offered me the opportunity to cook with whatever I have,” she says.

This is also a time for everyone to be compassionate, she adds. “I get memes and forwards that are downright racially wrong and I call them out for it. Getting COVID-19 is not some kind of curse. Anyone can contract it. The stigma is very high. I felt it when I came back from London,” she signs off.