Every festival is important but first-time celebrations hold a certain charm. And actor Gauahar Khan, who tied the knot with actor Zaid Darbar in December, is excited about this Eid ul-Adha. “Last year was the first time Zaid met my mum on Eid, and this will be my first after our wedding, so it is special. Right now, I am shooting in Delhi and will fly to Mumbai for a day for the celebrations. I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” she exclaims.

“The story of Bakra Eid is that Allah wanted to test Prophet Ibrahim and asked him to sacrifice his most precious belonging,” shares Khan, adding, “So, when he decided to sacrifice his son, Allah loved the gesture so much that he turned the sacrifice into a lamb and spared the son. So, that’s the qurbani of a goat. You give three-fourth of it to an orphanage, so the people in need get food and a feast.”

Missing her father, who passed away in March, Khan recalls how he would take her to select the goats. “He taught us how to take care of them, treat them right and with respect, even in death. My memories of spending time with him are precious, including getting the Eidi. It will be my first Eid without him, so there are mixed emotions. I can never replace my dad and his loss will always remain with me,” she says.

Darbar and Khan recently returned from a trip to Russia, where they spent quality time together. “It was a honeymoon trip as we couldn’t go anywhere after our wedding. Though we visited a few cities in India, it was mostly work-related. [Russia] was a lot of fun and there were so many things to do. With everything that we have been through in this year, it was perfect,” says the Tandav actor.

However, she realises travelling amid the pandemic is “a luxury”. “All of us will have to come to terms with the situation today and start having a life again. The way to do that is to be responsible, not just towards yourself but everyone. Be careful about things you do and take all safety measures possible,” she signs off.

Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 27, 2020)

Gauahar Khan travelled to Pune earlier this month to take care of her ailing father, who needed an urgent surgery. She stayed there for over 20 days in a hospital, keeping a tab on her dad’s health, medicine and ensuring everything is always sanitised.

But what disappointed her were the comments she got when she posted a video of herself singing in her car en route to Pune. “They said, ‘Tumhe sharam nahi aati? Celebrities ke liye rules nahin hai’. Covid chal raha hai toh kya aadmi jee nahi sakta? If you are a celeb, people will judge you instantly. I tried to keep my social media fun and it was also a distraction for me. But the comments of some people were really uncalled for. People make assumptions. Don’t taunt people who are trying to be happy on social media during the Coronavirus pandemic. You can’t explain everything to everyone, especially if you have an emergency. I explained only once my dad was recovering,” shares the actor.

Khan stayed in the hospital throughout, and recalls a day when sourcing food during the lockdown was tough. She says, “This whole month has been so difficult with the travelling and being in Pune during the lockdown. Being in a hospital with a senior citizen and taking care of him, while ensuring whoever came into the room was sanitised was stressful. I would stand guard as the doctors and nurses would be in and out all through the day. Thankfully, it was an old bungalow turned into a hospital, so there were fewer people. They took utmost care of my dad, and were so wonderful. I am exhausted and haven’t slept properly in all these days.”

Having lived in Pune during her growing up years, she enjoyed being in the city for such a long period of time. “In tough times, you realise the energy and ability you have to face difficult situations. I am the youngest in the family and my mum is in Mumbai, my sisters and brother are abroad, and they have all been calling and checking up on dad and me, constantly,” she signs off.