The Writer’s Flight

If we survive the pandemic, we will celebrate Diwali next year--this statement summarises the mood of many this festive season. People want to play safe, keep life simple and Covid-compliant, and are investing in a host of healthcare devices in order to prevent health crises and life-and-death situations. Home care is proving to be a game-changer in the management of Covid-19. A little alertness on your part will go a long way in keeping you safe. Invest in a set of wellness devices that help you stay ahead of the curve in anticipating an emergency- get an oximeter to measure your oxygen levels, a digital BP monitor, a nebuliser/oxygen kit/steamer, oxygen concentrator and even an air purifier, in case you have respiratory problems. If you are a diabetic, there is a every reason to buy a glucometer. Says 45-year-old Delhi-based Anita Dua: “A trip to the hospital, doctor’s clinic or even labs must be avoided at all costs. So we have built a mini hospital at home to keep health issue at b

Customary gifting has yielded space to home appliances, wellness products and hi-tech gizmos which make the bulk of presents one buys for oneself and for others Namrata Kohli   |   New Delhi Gul Bagh cushions from Good Earth feature colourful sprays of flowers. Prices start at Rs 3,800 It’s that time of the year when people fast and feast, give and get, spend and splurge. However, Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the world as we know it. People are living differently, buying differently and in many ways, thinking differently. Where are the people  spending  and what is on offer? Says Arvind Singhal, Chairman & Managing Director, Technopak Advisors: “There are two kinds of gifting during the festive period--one is gifting for the self, or personal consumption driven purely by functional needs. The other is Diwali-oriented gifting for friends and family. During the past six months, thanks to the Covid-induced lockdown, people have preponed purchases of big-ticket items and have upg

Housewives, retired persons and even students are making a beeline for courses in this space as they seek to earn additional revenue, or even make investing a career Namrata Kohli   |   New Delhi   A seasoned investor talks about the time a friend gifted him a set of ten stocks worth Rs 2,000 when his son was born. The father says while the value of all other gifts has depreciated, this one has grown substantially- the son has turned ten and the stocks have grown 100 times over in value to about Rs 2 lakh. Who said money doesn't grow on trees? If you plant the seeds to wealth now, they could turn into money (yielding) 'trees' later. Investing in stocks has become a major point of interest during Covid times. Many edtech companies have reported a surge in financial and stock market-related courses. Says Raghav Gupta, Managing Director, India and APAC, Coursera: “Since March, we have seen a 966 per cent increase in enrolments for finance courses from the same period last year

Consistent, never on leave, working without supervision. Corona times have led to spurt in automated devices that mop, scrub and vacuum your house unobtrusively Namrata Kohli   |   New Delhi   Milagrow Robotics has iMap Max for Rs 99,990. It is a fully-independent, self-cleaning device with a wet mopping mechanism that puts extra pressure on the floor and cleans the most stubborn dirt We have sold 5,000 units in last three months and are currently out of stock, says a prominent manufacturer of robotic vacuums retailing in India. Jittery about maids entering homes and, in a bid to become self-reliant, educated elites in metros are increasingly opting for automated cleaners. It's machines over man (maid in this case, if you will) as people try to minimise human interface. Akhilee Malhotra, a 45-year-old resident of a premium gated community who recently bought an iRobot for her 4BHK apartment, says, “We are at the edge of the desert in Gurugram, what with Rajasthan being next-door. P