Jovan’s first Baisakhi celebration will be intimate, simple: Geeta Basra

AWhen he was a child, Baisakhi was a time of unparalleled joy for actor-singer Jassie Gill. “As a family, we’d look forward to the festival as it meant that we could finally harvest our crops. It was a period of intense hard work. But excitement kaafi rehti thi yeh soch ke ki paise aayenge aur parents se jo chahiye woh maang sakenge,” shares the Panga (2020) actor, who grew up in a village in Punjab.

A lot has changed as he moved on to carve a niche in the film and music industries: “[Now] my family lives in Canada, and I live in India. And on ctor Geeta Basra and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh are planning a “simple, intimate celebration” for their son Jovan’s first Baisakhi in Mumbai. She says that the “festival is a great way to reunite with family and make up for lost time” in the previous two years. “We haven’t planned anything grand because

Bhajji (Harbhajan) is shooting. We’ll probably have a bonfire and have an intimate function. We will cook delicious meals and dress up.”

Additionally, the mother of two is wary about celebrating it on a larger scale because “the Covid-19 virus is still out there”. She says, “The cases may be

Baisakhi, I miss them a lot.”

Gill has a four-year-old daughter, Roojas Kaur Gill, who lives with her mum in Canada. He believes the festival is a great way to teach her all about her roots: “The Punjabi community there hosts shows and dance performances, which are accompanied by stories about what they stand for. Mere family ke liye yeh important hai ki apne bachchon ko apne tradition ke saath jod ke rakha jaaye.”

As Baisakhi marks the onset of a new year, he makes a resolution to do quality work in Bollywood. “Rather than doing eight back-to-back movies in a year, I want to be selective about my work,” concludes Gill, who has wrapped up two Hindi films — Noorani Chehra, with actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and an untitled project. decreasing, but the virus is still out there. So we need to be cautious.”

The celebrations might be low-key, but the spirits are high in the BasraSingh household: “With kids, you get excited about celebrating every festival. But we make sure to celebrate them in such a way that our kids understand the relevance behind these festivals and our culture a bit better.”

The 38-year-old reveals that it is Hinaya, her five-yearold daughter, who is more excited about celebrating Baisakhi with her younger sibling, Jovan: “She is always eager to involve him and celebrate festivals with him.”

Soumya Vajpayee

Who can forget the magic that his songs Angel Eyes and Teri Baaton created when he debuted in 2004? Singer Raghav Mathur aka Raghav is making waves again, not because of a new release, but because Teri Baaton is trending on social media 18 years after its release. Ask him how he feels about it, and he says, “I feel lucky. The idea that music can revive to this degree after so long is a great compliment. When (artistes/content creators) Sagar Bora and Neel (Just Neel Things) made a video, it all changed overnight. I thank them for bringing the song to the top of the streaming charts for the second time.”

Over 1.5 million reels have been made of the song so far. So, what is it about the number that’s resonating with the youth? “I’m sure it’s because of my mum’s timeless lyrics and the greatest rhythm in reggae music history, courtesy Grammy winners Sly and Robbie (Jamaican musicians). I also believe that music that’s made from the heart never fails to connect,” says the 41-yearold Canadian musician.

He has released two ballads in the last couple of years, with Maayera having over 15 million streams, and he’s been working on a few new tracks. He’s glad that “the universe has brought me back into people’s lives just in time”. What does he feel about the role social media plays for an artiste today? Raghav shares, “I like the trend of reels, as it has the potential to transform a consumer into a creator. Success there comes from love alone; that’s pretty special.”