‘Have realised cooking is not rocket science’, writes Harbhajan Singh

I never imagined that this year will throw such tough challenges at the world. Everything was going fine at the start of the year until the Covid-19 outbreak gripped the whole world, putting a full stop on almost everything.

Since the nationwide lockdown began, I have been at my Mumbai house along with my wife and daughter. I have not been with my family for such a long time without having gone out. It is a matter of grave concern that Maharashtra, a bustling state, has the most active Covid-19 cases. Although I am in Mumbai, I stay connected with my mother and sisters who live in my hometown in Jalandhar, Punjab.

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I have done my bit for the underprivileged in Jalandhar. I have supplied ration for 5,000 poor families and will continue to do so in the coming days. In such difficult times, I feel very close to god and I pray every day for the well-being of every human being.

Locked at home, I have been hooked on to two things: yoga and cooking. In both these activities, I am accompanied by my wife Geeta (Basra). We spend two to three hours doing yoga at different times of the day. We also clean the house, do the household chores and play with our daughter.

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While my wife practices her piano tunes, I cook and look after the baby. Before this situation, I had never entered the kitchen. I have realised cooking is not rocket science. In fact, it is very relaxing and one feels elated after preparing a dish. I have made aloo baingan, aloo gobi and dal, to name a few dishes, so far. I have decided that I will continue to cook even after the lockdown ends.

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Earlier, we would clean the house thoroughly only around Diwali, but knowing the nature of this life-threatening disease, we ensure that we keep the house properly cleaned. Since I can’t go out and meet my friends, I make it a point to keep in touch with them through video calls.

During this time of the year, we are usually playing in the Indian Premier League and travelling to different parts of the country. However, I am not really thinking about cricket at the moment but hoping that the suffering of human race ends soon. This year will be a testing year for all of us. It is time for introspection and to appreciate what god has blessed us with. The doctors, nurses, police personnel and other coronavirus warriors are the real heroes. May god bless them.

(As told to Shalini Gupta)