The Writer’s Flight

Brass is big, health is the new wealth and green is the new gold this festive season, as malls and e-commerce platforms alike go all out to woo the customer with a host of tempting offers Namrata Kohli   |   New Delhi A handcrafted seated Laxmi and Ganesha for Rs 1,590 (left) and brass and wood Kaveri devotional gift box for Rs 3,500 from Jaypore The ritual of gifting on Diwali is said to strengthen ties and is considered a harbinger of good wishes and blessings. "What good is wealth if it isn't shared with your loved ones," asks entrepreneur Ankur Dhar, who spends heavily on gifts. Diwali is the perfect occasion to acknowledge someone’s importance in our lives and tell them how much we value them. Keeping this spirit in mind, everything from the traditional puja thalis, religious idols to modern gadgets and gizmos, counter top appliances, homeware, cookware, food hampers, beauty hampers exchange hands every year. Amazon has rolled off its Great I...

With the festive season round the corner, painting your walls can add a dash of colour. Sanitising them can lead to better health and hygiene Namrata Kohli   |   New Delhi Repainting the walls is an easy and quick way to scale up the look of your home. It can uplift the vibe of space with the right colours and texture. Picture Courtesy: AkzoNobel India/Dulux Paints A mint-green kitchen, a powder-pink playroom, a grey living room, a light blue bedroom–you can brighten a room, create drama or a relaxed set up, depending upon how you choose to paint your walls. When was the last time you had your walls painted? Think of all of the wear and tear your home’s surfaces endure daily. From hanging things, absorbing light, to all the dust, dirt and grime, your walls go through a lot. They get dirty with and worn down with leakage, cracks, mold, and fungus. Giving your walls an update with some high-quality paint is an easy way to get your walls clean and ready for the next few year...

Just make sure you get your math right while striking a deal for a house this Diwali. Often times, the cost of the offer is built into the price of the property Namrata Kohli   |   New Delhi Many developers in large cities are offering buyers discounts, zero EMIs for up to a year, stamp duty and registration waivers, among other incentives this festive season Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions one takes in life. People wait for propitious times to buy their dream homes and nothing beats the auspiciousness of the festive season, which starts with Navratri and ends with Diwali. Buying a home during this period is said to bring good fortune, prosperity and wellbeing for the family. With demand from actual end-users to buy their home, developers are doing everything to cash in on this sentiment with festive discounts, which are basically deal sweeteners that often provide financial cushioning, on-the-spot discounts at exhibitions, waivers on stamp duty, g...

Amit Trivedi soaks in the acoustic legacy of five states, driving through each of them in a road trip spanning almost an year In 2020, when the pandemic struck, Amit Trivedi launched his own music label, ‘AT Azaad’ for independent songs, and has produced over 20 songs from which the garba number, ‘Moti Veerana’ and the romantic ‘Madhubala’ became magnum-hits. “There’s music in India's soil, and I’m on a musical journey across the nation to collaborate with amazing artists! We’re combining the best of our legacy and tradition… with new styles and techniques to create new music that will resonate with the entire nation,” says the musician who is working on his project, ŠKODA Sonic Roots, with automobile brand Škoda, to connect with earthy Indian voices, traditions and stories to create inspired new songs. He drives through Gujarat to meet Dandiya King, Kirtidan Gadhvi, for the ultimate Big Fat Gujju wedding, inspiring a brand new Lagna geet! He romances the great Indian Mooch traditi...

Credits: Vladimir Weinstein / https://indianraga.com “If music be the food of love, play on”- that first line of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night play established the prowess of music to transform mood, elicit emotions. Frustrated in love, the speaker asks for music and yearns for some “food for soul.” Music is a universal language transmitted through generations, says Asad Lalljee SVP, Essar Group and CEO of Avid Learning Curator, Royal Opera House, Mumbai- “With time, the process of music making has evolved from early known use of rhythmic percussive instruments to melodic instruments using wind and strings, further evolving to a more complex systematic pattern in modern times with the use of both.” Globally, the most trending instruments, according to Lalljee, are guitar, drums, piano, keyboard, whereas most popular Indian instruments include sitar, tabla, sarod, flute and harmonium. During the pandemic teaching music moved online and to digital platforms from a one-on-one, in-person for...