Jewel Aich is a pioneering magician in Bangladesh, and the first superstar in the craft. The artiste has performed in many countries, and is constantly travelling from one place to another with his caravan of tricks. He is a master flute artiste as well, and gained popularity with it in BBC, VOB, China Radio, and German Radio and various platforms. Recently, in a candid chat with The Daily Star, the magician talks about troubling times and his activities at home.

How are you spending your time now?

I am currently at home, living the quarantine life. We are helpless in this situation, and the best we can do is stay home. I am very depressed about our current situation.

What are your current activities at home?

I am an avid reader. I make no compromise when it comes to reading -- be it poetry, stories, or novels. I even write short stories in my free time. I play the flute ocassionally now. In these troubling times, I am mostly spending my time reading. I believe that life is a priceless resource, and our time here is very limited. At the beginning of life and at the end of it, we are all spectators, what we can do in the middle is what counts.

What are you currently reading?

I have been studying the Great Depression recently. Usually, we do not see or feel anything beyond our world of knowledge. The world is going through many problems and I wonder -- when will all this end? What will be left when all this ends? Now that I am studying The Great Depression, I realise this has happened before. Mankind had to go through such troubling times in the past as well. This virus is killing people, irrespective of their country, nationality, power, and status. Japan is still paying the price of the nuclear attack back in the time of the Second World War. The pandemic is more dangerous than any man-made weapons.

Do you have anything to say to the readers in these troubling times?

 The Coronavirus should not taken lightly. This is a war we have to fight without any weapons. My advice to everyone would be to do the impossible. The most difficult task is to do nothing, and this is what we have to do. The best we can do for ourselves and others now is to stay home and not go out.

We need to stay away from others for our good. Maintaining a minimum distance of six feet at all times is the best precaution. We need to maintain and practice proper hygiene, and wash our hands more frequently.

To stay happy in such distressing times is difficult, but I would advise everyone to try to enjoy the time at gine with our loved ones, because life is short but yet so beautiful.