Manisha Koirala on lockdown: This situation reminds me of my cancer treatment days when I was locked up in apartment
Looking back at the days when she was battling cancer, Manisha Koirala says those days were thousand worse for her, as for this lockdown, there’s hope that things will get better if people follow all instructions.
Everyone has their own coping mechanism to sail through this Covid-19 crisis that has made them housebound. For actor Manisha Koirala, it takes her back to the days when she was battling with cancer. Her experience and learning of that time is helping her deal with the present situation.
“During my treatment days in New York, I was basically locked up in my apartment for six long months,” she continues, “Looking back, that was thousand times worse than this for me. (Right now) Even if we’re locked up for a total of two months, it at least gives us hope that things will get better if we follow all instructions. I understand that we’re tense and bored, but I think we should also understand the gravity of the situation and take inspiration for our past experiences or from what we see around us.”
Koirala shares that she’s simply following the protocols shares by health experts and the government. “Some of us don’t need to take medicines. But yes, like everyone else, we’re taking care of our immunity. Eating right, taking all supplements prescribed by the doctors. Washing hands, avoiding touching the face... I’m also keeping my house clean. Guess I’m cleaning way too much because my mother has been pulling my leg on this,” laughs the 49-year-old, who is staying with her parents Prakash and Sushma in Mumbai.
Amid all the negativity around, the actor is trying to focus on good things in life — reading, gardening, spending time with the family, and she’s also writing.
“I’ve just started writing. Let’s see what it finally turns out to be, a book or a screenplay,” she says, adding that she’s loving this time with nature. “You can see how happy and bright nature has become. I’ve seen few insects and birds that haven’t seen in the last few years,” she shares.
However, despite all this, she does feel low, at times. “I also feel the anxiety. This happens to both me and my mother. Whenever that feeling comes, we’re there for each other. We talk, watch a film etc to feel better,” says Koirala, who is also trying to create awareness around the virus via social media and also in her neighbourhood.
