Coping with the Covid-19 crisis: Rizwan Sajan
When he is not conducting meetings on Microsoft Teams and formulating strategies for his business, the founder and chairman of Danube Group, Rizwan Sajan, loves to do a few laps in the pool. He tells Friday how he’s been coping with these uncertain times
Since when have you been working from home? And who else is at home with you?
We have been working from home since the last week of March. Apart from me, my wife, son, daughter-in-law and my two grandsons are at home with me.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have been faced with while working from home?
We are living in an advanced world with technology better than ever before. If we had thought earlier of how we would live, being housebound for days on end, we would not have been able to realise how effective and efficient technology has become today with its presence in almost every realm of our life. Having said that, I would say that there has not been a bit of challenge that I might have faced, working from home. The only challenges are the losses incurred due to this pandemic.
How difficult was it to adjust to this new reality?
It has not been a bit agonising to bring ourselves to adjust to being at home all the time because there is always an upside to everything and so is the case with us staying together with our family at home. I am getting to spend more time with my family, discussing what could be done to improve our businesses since ours is family-run. Apart from that, we have Netflix, we can always log on to watch a movie or TV series of shared preference of our family, not to mention, what has to be eaten for the next meal, which is a discussion that everyone in our family is always willing to join.
How are you and your family spending time? Favourite activities that you enjoy doing together. Exercise routine.
I love to start my day with a swim and then its breakfast followed by business meetings on Microsoft Teams. I prefer to have lunch once I’m done for the day, which is around 5pm. Then later in the evening, I either go for a swim again or play a game of carrom or badminton with whoever is willing. Then I prefer to watch the news while having my dinner. Finally, we all love to watch a film or a series on Netflix before we retire for the night.
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