'COVID has become highly contagious.'
'Being in front of the camera, you can't shoot with a mask on.'
'It's scary.'
'While I am shooting, the air-conditioning is circulating the same air.'
'All this is weighs on my mind, more so when I'll be coming home to a baby.'
Singer-anchor Aditya Narayan remembers that exact moment when he realised his wife Shweta was pregnant.
"I was shooting for Indian Idol in Daman. When we came back to Mumbai, my wife Shweta was behaving strangely, with mood swings and all. I had never seen her like this in the past. I told her to get herself tested for pregnancy. She told me to stop pulling her leg: 'Just because I am a little moody doesn't mean I am pregnant.' But she was," Aditya says with a laugh.
Aditya is very happy, and tells Subhash K Jha,, "I've always loved children. I have always wanted my own child... no make that children. And when you find the ideal life partner, you want children all the more."
But with the joy comes the trepidation.
"There is anxiety. I mean, even if we weren't living in scary times, there would have been some anxiety about being parents for the first time. We have to be very careful."
"COVID has become highly contagious though very mild. Being in front of the camera, you can't shoot with a mask on. It's scary. While I am shooting, the air-conditioning is circulating the same air. All this is weighs on my mind, more so when I'll be coming home to a baby."
Luckily, Aditya had planned for parenthood from before marriage.
"I knew we would need more space, a bigger house. Firstly, because Shweta came with her belongings and needed space. Secondly, because we were sure we wanted children.
"There's an extra room for me where I will be quarantined after I return from shooting. To have your newborn child in the next room... It will be very tough to keep myself away, but kya karen? I will have to get myself tested regularly. Shweta and I will be very careful. I wish I could approach the happiest moment of my life with more positivity."
Aditya grew up as a single child. Was he pampered?
"My parents definitely pampered me," he says. "You know, my father started getting his fame only after I was born. My parents have struggled to bring me up well. I didn't feel like I was living affluently, but my parents deprived me of nothing. They did their best to give me everything I wanted."
"My father was stricter than my mother because he came from a humble background and knew what it was like to be in need. My mother was an air hostess with Air India. She got me small gifts from all over the world. Yes, they took care of me. I am ever grateful to them."
Will Aditya be a strict parent?
"I don't have it in me to be strict with my child but I will make sure it is disciplined. I will definitely inculcate the values that I grew up with: That you need to be focused and consistent in order to get anywhere in life. It doesn't matter what he or she would want to be, but one must be iron-willed and determined to get somewhere in life."
"I've always led a focused life, so my child would emulate my lifestyle. I always hero-worshipped my father, so I presume my child will do the same with me. Shweta will be the strict parent. I've seen her with my dogs and with children. She will be a wonderful mother."
Aditya started off as a child actor, but did not miss out on a normal childhood.
"Honestly, I wouldn't want it any other way. All my experiences during my childhood have helped me to be the person that I am. I've done all the normal things as a child while working. Maybe I haven't done as much of it as other children, but I had a healthy childhood, especially between age 13 to 18, when I took a break from show business to focus on education."
With the baby baby due in February, the young couple plans to be very careful.
Aditya plans to cut down on his workload after the baby is born.
"I am trying to finish my pending work, but glitches keep happening, like cancellations and restrictions. I have set up a studio at home, so I will stay at home as much as I can. I will not need to step out for music recordings. I am cutting down on live shows."
"Travelling is very scary. Shooting for a reality show is preferable," he adds, "given that one is confined to one place."
