‘When I heard that there would be a lockdown, I was relieved’
Looking at the brighter side of the lockdown, singer Jubin Nautiyal says he’s happy to be spending time in his hometown in Uttarakhand, and getting a chance to “reconnect with his roots”.
“This period is organically drawing one to doing things they love. I always feel the pressure to stay creative when there’s no lockdown. But now, I’m coming to understand why I started doing what I do. That’s something I had forgotten while I was in Mumbai for eight years,” he shares.
The Kiston (Roohi) singer was in Delhi when a lockdown was announced. “When I heard there would be a lockdown, I was relieved. I packed up and left immediately,” he reveals.
Two months ago, the Odisha Police had raided his concert at an engineering college in the state, for flouting Covid-19 guidelines. Elaborating on this, he says, “There was some miscommunication between the college and the producers, so, the concert got delayed. About 20 minutes into my performance, the policemen arrived. They told the organisers that they were at fault, so we had to stop the show. After an understanding, they decided to resume the show, but I put my foot down and told them that I would not continue with it.”
In a bid to spread smiles during these grim times, Nautiyal will be hosting a virtual concert. “I don’t believe that I need to play my music on a stage before people for me to connect with them. I enjoy playing music, be it in front of the audience or in my room. I will be lucky if I’m able to entertain people while they are under a lockdown. ” he explains.