Cyclone Tauktae, which hit the western coastal region of India early this week, caused widespread property damage in all affected areas, uprooting trees and ravaging houses. Rajeev Khandelwal, who is currently in Goa with his wife, says that the severe cyclonic storm resulted in power cuts for 72 hours in his locality. The reconstruction work is still going on to restore normal community activities that were disrupted.

The actor says, “We had to boil tap water to drink and burn candles at night. We are still recovering. There’s no internet connectivity, and while we got back electricity after 72 hours, there are so many people around my town whose electricity is yet to be restored. I went to buy some essentials and saw the devastation that has been caused. So many trees and electric poles have fallen!”

The Marzi actor says that even though the cyclone battered the areas around his house, it couldn’t deter the spirit of the locals, who are now working together to get life back on track. “I see everyone helping each other, trying to find a way they can charge inverters to get minimum electricity. Considering the horrors of the Coronavirus pandemic, the destruction caused by Tauktae looks very small,” shares the 45-year-old.

After wrapping up his shoot in April, Khandelwal flew to Goa and plans on spending a few more months there. He tells us, “We stay in a quiet locality surrounded by the forest. I grow a lot of vegetables and fruits on my jungle farm. We plan to stay here for a while and help the elderly around until things get better.”

“I do miss being in front of the camera, but I’m not desperate to be seen. I don’t feel the need to constantly post on social media. I would rather be writing and creating a piece of furniture here in Goa, using natural raw materials,” the actor ends.