The lockdown has been a mixed bag of feelings. I personally feel that there is an opportunity in every crisis. The opportunity here was that I got to spend quality and quantity time with the family. This is something I have missed out on as I have been travelling very frequently for work for almost a decade, and I am not at home 50 percent of the time. However, the overall situation has been bad for the F&B industry. Work has definitely been hit hard due to the pandemic. There is an existential crisis and it will take a while to bounce back.
But I am lucky to be in quarantine with my mother, wife and kids. The children are not being allowed to go outside the house. They play in the garden at home for a restricted time. Sanitisation measures are also being followed strictly at home. We go out to get groceries only once a week. Every single thing that comes into the house is deeply sanitised before it enters the house and in some cases some things are left outside for 48 hours. All family members have been asked to wash their hands frequently, for at least 20 seconds.
My son and I have developed a good camaraderie. We play video games. Recently, my wife and both the kids have started cycling. All geared up with our masks, gloves and hand sanitisers, we leave the house at 6:00pm, and ride around the block within our colony for an hour. It is a great form of exercise anda time for bonding as a family.
On the work front, I am exploring new business avenues in the post-covid era. I have made a to-do work list, and I have been attending a lot of webinars. There is focus on resumption plans, analysing the profit and loss to ensure we cut all unnecessary costs once we reopen. From a personal perspective, the top liners on the To-Do list are to eat healthy and exercise. I am also working on a YouTube channel for my son, where he will review certain games and toys for other kids to see.A lot of work plans, events, and launches got cancelled. But safety is first and I am glad that the government is taking every measure for the safety of the citizens.
Restaurateur Zorawar Kalra, 42, spoke to Nikita Sharma