In normal times they would be meeting hundreds of people each day, pore over problems of their constituents, hangers-on and then address people in need of help. However, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation to announce a 21-day lockdown on March 24, they too had to consent to fade away from all public activity and stay home. But then, what alternative engagements could these wizened men who run the country turn to?
As the minutes drag on into hours and over days, many politicians, old and young, are trying to reconcile to the slowdown in contrast to the otherwise hectic pace they are used to and trying to ‘adjust’ to mundane home routines without the crowds milling around. To some, ‘it has been difficult’, to others, ‘it’s pleasant to keep off the prowl and unwind’.
To each his own!
Redoubtable NCP leader Sharad Pawar is truly relaxing with rounds of chess with the family, while five-time chief minister and Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal is spending most of his time meditating and doing sumiran. In Bhopal, BJP stalwart Kailsah Vijayvargiya is using his time to try out new recipes, while veteran J&K politician Ghulam Hassan Mir is catching up on his ‘much missed’ reading, even as Irfan Ansari, a Jharkhand MLA, armed with an MD in medicine, has actually joined a hospital to fight the corona pandemic.
UP’s Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said his routine has ‘not changed much’, though he is ‘much more relaxed’ with a one-hour yoga and meditation session, now that the hectic running around is stalled. “Reciting Sundar Kand from Ramcharit manas is his choice during the lockdown,” said his aide Navin Srivastava. Since janata darshans are off, Maurya still keeps in touch with constituents via internet or phone and then joins the family for lunch.
Cricket on the lawns
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said he has “finally got time to pay obeisance to the Goddess during Navratra with wife Dimple” and then appreciate the other positive that he can attend to his ailing father Mulayam Singh Yadav. He has also been directing party men on food distribution to poor and the indigent and then partake of the fruit diet in observance of the Navratri. “On children’s demand, I do watch a movie or two and catch up with cricket on the lawns with them,” Akhilesh said.
UP power minister Shrikant Sharma’s lockdown routine is simple — yoga and pranayam at 5 am, followed by a check on news headlines, a shower and then Navrtara Puja rituals with wife Shalin and sons Sarthak and Shivam. “It’s camp office hours thereafter, to check on power supply situation in the state. It’s after long years that I can enjoy lunch with family, which is a pleasant change,” says Sharma.
UP BJP chief Swatantra Deo Singh believes, “The pandemic has given all of us a rare chance to spare time for our families. I like to lunch with them and then watch movies like Uri, the Legend of Bhagat Singh, Tanaji, Panipat, etc. on my tab.”The ‘curfew’ has come as a boon to Sharad Pawar, who is catching up on his reading. He has lined up books like Tuka Mane-Part 2 by Dr Dilip Dhionadage on the 16th century Saint Tukaram and his sonnets. His daughter Supriya Sule, Baramati MP, said “He is also reading Gandhi in Bombay and Towards Swaraj by Usha Thakkar and Sandhya Mehta, respectively.
Reading Honourable Insult
Sule herself has been reading Honourable Insult- a century of political invective by Greg Knight and Sardar Vallabhai Patel-a man of few words with many triumphs by Dhruv S Mehta and Sheshrao Chavan, respectively. “He also plays chess with us — me and daughter Revati,” Sule said of Pawar, adding, “He defeats us within minutes.”Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat has been reading the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. “Due to the busy schedule, I did not get enough time for books. But now I have time for Marathi and English classics,” he said, even as Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said he is actually home and cooking! Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has got back to his harmonium, while minister Dhananjay Munde and BJP MLA Nilesh Rane are reading.
Said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, “It’s a blessing in some ways to stay home more and revive old hobbies and interests. We can all stay home. That’s the best way to fight Covid-19 and listen to our ‘home ministers’ (meaning wife), just as I do.”In Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, his ministers and leaders in the Opposition, too, have taken to writing, reading, gardening, agriculture and watching movies. “The CM is still connecting with officers, people and key persons fighting the pandemic through phones and mail,” said Ramesh Bhatt, his advisor. Madan Kaushik, the urban minister, is busy writing a book on politics. “That takes me three to five hours a day,” he said.
Watching screen stars
Indira Hridayesh of Haldwani is catching up with movies and TV — her favourites being Rajesh Khanna, Devanand and Guru Dutt films, while Bansidhar Bhagat of BJP is tilling fields in Kaladhungi village even as cabinet minister Yashpal Arya finds solace in dairying. Former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat and Congress leader Pritam Singh were busy organizing rations for the poor. Rawat loves to start his day with “kick-offs at 5 am, followed by yoga, bath with warm water, a light breakfast and then attending calls.” Lunch with the family is the ‘new thing.’
In Kolkata Dilip Ghosh, state BJP president feels ‘much more relaxed” these days. “I had a busy schedule starting with a morning walk, chai pe charcha etc. Now I am stuck in my Salt Lake home. But I have been able to catch up on Durga Puja special editions and old Bengali classics. I am not a movie buff, though. I am calling up my friends, whom I have long missed,” he said. Sujan Chakrabarty, CPI-M’s central committee member, too is reading and enjoying “some good old movies”. I read Deshbhager Itikotha and watched Gumnami, based on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s life”. Urban development minister Firhad Hakim is busy organising supply of masks and hand sanitizers across the city since he also doubles up as Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor.
‘Whale of a time’
Former Haryana CM, Bhupinder Singh Hooda confessed to having a ‘whale of a time’ reading and watching movies at his Delhi residence. “And yes. I talk to my wife a lot more,” he said. Hooda is re-reading Bhagwad Gita, besides reading Insider written by late prime minister Narasimha Rao. “I can even sleep early and get up early, have breakfast and watch TV. But then, I am attending lot more phone calls these days from people, my son Deepender Hooda and other family members,” he said. His wife Asha said, “It’s after decades — in fact since 1976 — that he is home and we can have some quality time together and play with grandchildren.”
Former Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal is busy with Japji after getting up “well before daybreak” and taking bath. After Gurbani and a sip of herbal tea, the senior Badal is into his 90-minute physical regime followed by some yoga, focused on breathing exercises. “I do take requests on phone from common people from all parties and then its lunch at 1.30 and rest for an hour. I call it a day by 8 pm these days and then am back at Rehras, followed by Baanis and Ardas and then a meal of bajra, chana soup and mixed vegetable soup,” he said. The iconic leader avoids carbs but sticks to protein-rich food though Punjabi delicacies and jaggery is a must though in moderation.
Would love to act
Kailsah Vijayvarigiya said in Bhopal: “It’s a voyage of discovery with culinary arts,” for him and he is “much appreciating the opportunity to cook for family,” and relieve his wife and daughters-in-law. He tried Bharvan Karela (stuffed bitter gourd) at his Nanda Nagar home. He also loves to sing bhajans, which he has got back to. He rues, he has ‘no time to act’, which he loves, too. His colleague Yashpal Singh Sisodiya now has “the time to watch movie with my wife and family”. First time MLA Arif Masood is ‘thankful’ he ‘can offer namaz five times a day while ensuring food supply chain for the poor and hungry.’ Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh has taken to yoga, walking,
cycling and reading books for a past time and chatting up “my adorable two-year-old granddaughter, which I love the most” besides being with family members. “When I analyse my stint as a politician and a former CM, I now realise what I missed,” he said. “I keep in touch with constituents on social media now while looking up old friends.” For most Kashmiri politicians, this lockdown is “no different to the earlier one,” but then 70-year old Ghulam Hussain Mir has now time to read up Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, besides The Outsiders Curse, memoir of the first outsider woman IAS officer of J&K Sonali Kumar and Prasenjit Kumar. The book has targeted politicians of J&K.
Quality time together
Mir is also busy on WhatsApp, talking to constituents. “A politician’s life is among people but this break with the family is invigorating and I am enjoying it,” he said. The opportunity for social distancing has Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and wife Savita spending quality time together after “a long-long time.” He has even dispatched his personal medical team to help the state fight Covid-19, while state BJP chief Satish Poonia is reading his favourite books and taking to Facebook live to connect with workers.
In Dhubri, Assam, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal is busy with grandchildren, telling them stories and “quite enjoying the experience,” while Arunachal ex-CM Nabam Tuki is “Reading books and doing yoga.”
“I have locked myself in my Delhi home for the last one week and am happy to be able to stay in,” Ajmal said. Tuki said, “I read books and newspapers in the morning and laze in the sun and then it’s back to yoga to get relief from back pain. After bath, I pray and read Bible stories before taking to TV, having lunch and a nice nap, which I had so missed.” A 4-pm stroll and some clean up with family and staff and then pursuing social media, rounds up Tuki’s day, though he has found time to read the Arthashastra, Power of Positive Doing and the Challenge of Leadership.”
Tending to the ill
Nagaland’s ex-CM KL Chishi is reading up too for which he got time “with difficulty,” earlier. After that, it’s “being busy with gardening.” Pataliputra MP Ram Kripal Yadav loves “tutoring grandchildren and playing games with them. Thereafter it’s watching news and meditation.” “I am an early riser and love morning walks before meditation and yoga. Thereafter, it is reading the Gita, that spiritually surcharges me.” Mangal Panday, Bihar health minister, says he is “still working from early morning to late nights because the disease is my concern”, but finds time for special puja every day.
In Jharkhand, Irfan Ansari, MLA and an MBBS doctor, has been spending time with patients at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi. “My MD degree has to be used for the benefit of the people, otherwise what’s it’s worth?” “I told CM Hemant Soren, I would like to contribute in this fight and he agreed. Serving people in distress satisfies me.”Some cue for others locked down? Sure, there is!!!
(INPUTS: Sudhir Suryawanshi, Mumbai; Namita Bajpai, Lucknow; Prasanta Mazumdar, Guwahati; Mukesh Ranjan, Ranchi; Fayaz Wani, Srinagar, Anuraag Singh, Bhopal; Harpreet Bajwa, Chandigarh; Rajesh Kumar Thakur, Patna, Rajesh Asnani, Jaipur, Ejaz Kaiser, Raipur; Vineet Upadhyay, Dehradun)