'Those who profit from the market are the ones who hold their nerves'

The meltdown in the markets following the coronavirus outbreak has been unprecedented. Investors want to know when this will all end and a recovery will start. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. In such circumstances, it pays to listen to those who have years of experience in the market and have been through all its phases. Anoop Bhaskar of IDFC Mutual Fund is one such name. Bhaskar has experience of over 27 years in the mutual fund industry. He has managed a variety of funds in his career, many of which have proved to be highly rewarding for their investors. We speak to him to get the lowdown on the current crisis. Your career as a fund manager has spanned decades. Is this the most testing time the Indian equity market has ever faced in your living memory? How do you compare this crisis to earlier ones such as the recession in 2008-09 and the dot-com bubble? This is probably the toughest as it not only involves financial survival but actual survival of the individual. The uncertainty regarding a cu