Life away from the spotlight

Spending a weekend and spending a perfect weekend are two different things. For me, a perfect weekend is all about being on the stage, especially if I am performing on a Saturday night or a Sunday afternoon, as well as singing for friends and family. I love it when my son Zephan and my family attend my concerts. I am most alive when I am on stage.

I am singing for most part of the time on the weekend, but when I do take time off, I love waking up early in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays to go for horse riding. I have been riding since I was a child and it is something that I like doing even now. The ride is followed by a good breakfast at Cafe Zoe and a movie.

A couple of years back, my leisure activities included horse riding, reading and driving, but now how I spend my time has a deeper meaning. The jamming sessions with some of my closest friends, Raghu Ram and Papon, is something I enjoy and that has also helped me grow as an artiste. I love spending time with Zephan and travelling with him. We take off to a different country or a different part of India once a year. This time I took him to the West Coast in San Francisco and Vancouver.

I also like going to ‘The Machan’, a beautiful tree-house resort close to Mumbai. However, if I want to push it a little more, then I drive down to Goa. If it’s a place abroad, then I love travelling to Bhutan. I would love to take off for two days to the closest seaside resort in Cambodia or Vietnam and this is something that’s on my bucketlist. Weekends are the perfect time to visit these beautiful places.

As I am generally out most of the time for performances, I like being home whenever I get a free weekend and chill with friends, have meaningful conversations, watch a movie, sing songs and simply relax. I am a good cook so a lot of my friends like coming over to indulge in my preparations. I am a foodie and live to eat. Though I am a vegetarian, I cook mutton and other non-vegetarian items pretty good and many of my friends have appreciated the taste of the dishes.

My favourite cuisine is Thai but when it comes to a dish that I totally can’t resist, it’s ‘rajma chawal’. Fitness is an important part of me. I have been active in sports all through with many national level laurels won in horse riding and karate. I’ve realised that I am more active when I am working out and it gives me a high. I started doing pilates under coach Namrata Purohit about six years back and it has been life changing. I also met Zaheer Khan, who runs ‘Pro Sports Fitness’, and attribute my enthusiasm for fitness to both of them. A good workout is another thing I like engaging in over the weekend.

However, despite my varied interests, my priority over the weekend is spending time with Zephan and getting involved in outdoor activities with him. We often step out for a movie or go for a drive, play some music and carry a picnic basket along as well. He loves watching MasterChef and we do a lot of cooking together on a daily basis.

A bouquet of activities, including my professional commitments make my weekend perfect.

(As told to Surupasree Sarmmah)