Retropoplifestyle

World Mental Health Day

Maintain your Wellbeing using Virtual Fitness Platforms

By Dinesh Godara, Founder &CEO, TREAD

From online fitness classes to counselling, sustain your mental health during the corona virus crisis with the help of online fitness platforms …
Panic in the time of pandemic is normal. Staying at home for long hours amid the lockdown, while juggling work assignments and household chores may leave one mentally fatigued and more stressed out than the usual 9-5 working day. Add on to that is the constant news updates on the spread of the coronavirus disease, which may even cause a bit of paranoia.

A growing number of Indians are turning to online health platforms to seek help for mental health issues ranging from anxiety and loneliness to concerns over productivity and job loss since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Physical inactivity and lack of daily traveling, increased stress levels due to the new work set up/arrangement and managing household chores all at the same time is taking a toll on people’s overall physical and mental well-being. Our daily lifestyle has not just become sedentary but given the implications of the situation is also ceasing to motivate us to sustain our fitness regime. However, if there ever was a good time to embrace a fitness and wellness regime, this is it!

The opportunity has presented itself to help us break away from detrimental habits and commence our journey towards a staunch and healthy lifestyle. Physical and mental health is of utmost importance during quarantine and there can be no better way to indulge in self-care than this. It is not known to many that exercise may block negative thoughts or distract you from daily worries. Physical exercises can also do a great deal in improving your sleep patterns especially during the lockdown when the erratic sleep cycle is emerging as the ‘new normal.’ Exercise may also change levels of chemicals in your brains, such as serotonin, endorphins, and stress hormones resulting in higher productivity with day to day tasks.

Fitness regimes like yoga, meditation, etc can also boost your cognitive abilities and help one maintain the much-needed work-life balance and stay put even while being confined within their homes. It is the perfect time for people in self-isolation to leverage this opportunity and explore various forms of exercise to ease any form of anxiety, depression, or stress.

With gyms or classes becoming impossible to attend, it is interesting to see virtual platforms becoming the new normal to cater to the evolved needs of the consumer. People who have always been into fitness have been sharing their routines virtually to inspire and motivate others to join.

Thus it can rightfully be said, while the catastrophic effects of the pandemic on one hand have brought the country to the standstill, it has also given people an alternative outlook towards living. With an increasing number of app downloads, the virtual world is gaining momentum due to this. We can witness the social media platforms being loaded with tips and live sessions curated to encourage people to remain healthy while staying at home.

There is a serious need for robust interactive platforms to help bridge the gap between the novice and the expert, to help start a revolution encouraging Indians to take a step towards a fit today and a fitter tomorrow!

The Wedding Must haves for this season- Tinsel Toes

With the wedding & festive hitting the calendar, Juttis make for a comfy footwear choice this season…

Masakali- Birds are the most beautiful and exquisite creatures of the world, loved by everyone. There are uncountable designs that are inspired by birds. This pair is serene and exotic. The design is unique and the colors are subtle that can be styled with almost every outfit.

Price- Rs 2499/-
Cecelia- The word Cecelia comes from the word Cecilie, patron saint of music. Hence, the design is so soothing, the material used is distinctive and gives rhythmic visual effect. The base of the fabric is subtle yet glamorous. The design is very contemporary and modern.

Price- Rs 2199/-

Nude Mirror: This shade is pastel perfect! If you are not a fan of too bright and quirky colors then nude mirror is your go to jutti for your special occasions, perfect to wear it with pastels and of course white!

Price- Rs 2499/-
Courtesy – Tinsel Toes. Available at-https://tinseltoes.in

Walk The Talk

Helicopter Parenting Back in the Discussion

By Fatema Agarkar

With the talk of extended lockdowns, and perhaps school closure for a longer period of time, parents are recognising that the C virus continues to doggedly test their patience, resilience, and priorities as they cope with the uncertainty around. Those families that have supported virtual learning, and work with synchronous and asynchronous school schedules of their children while managing their own work routines and house-hold chores find themselves conflicted at times about how much effort are they required to put in, how much do they monitor children schedules, how do they maintain the normalcy at home while making the most of lockdown times, and let’s not forget the fatigue factor. Everyone is experiencing it – students, teachers, and parents, and this constant battle between what is ideal, and what is workable, creates an aspiration dilemma and leads to a deadlock.

Helicopter parenting (as we discussed this in the physical world) is doing rounds again with some parents determined to optimise, conscious that months are rolling by, and keen to make this journey as effective as it can possibly be, they would like to capitalise every moment. These parents were invested in best-in-class practices that enable children to “be-ahead”, empower their children with all kinds of exposure and if in the physical world, they found their own child “disadvantaged” in any way, they decided that they needed to intervene and resolve problems. Wellmeaning, often parents pushed their child, controlled and micro-managed, making children successful but also largely dependent on them for all the answers to problems. One does wonder, how this is an advantage, or in the long run would it hamper the progress of their children to become well balanced and independent adults?

This continuing trend in lockdown times and with virtual learning is rather disturbing and dangerous, and teachers have reported parents prompting their children to give the right answers to questions, often in extended discussions with teachers about personalising content taught (which must be revised because the child does not log in on time and the child cannot lag behind academically), and essentially programming every minute of the child’s day with a series of routines, protocols that do not allow the children to experience or express what’s normal. This desire not to lose out may lead to fatigue in the long run.

While routines are essential, parents will need to take a step back to allow for a few days of simply not doing every activity in the book – from yoga to ballet, from soccer to cricket, from academic school schedules to tuitions after school, from competitive exams, and contests, from book reading to music and baking to theatre appreciation – there’s too much packed into a day. This “outsourcing” of all activities to normalise cannot be advantageous for the child through lockdown times. Children may need to slow down and process, communicate, and have chances of making a few mistakes, experimenting, and learning to work out solutions to their problems.

This will make children more realistic, adaptable, learn to trust their abilities to make decisions or face consequences for them, become more confident and perhaps more all-rounded that virtually moving from one activity or class to another to make sure they finish “best-in-class”. The recently announced National Education Policy in its documentation categorically states that we want a generation of thinkers, creators, and developers and not simply a generation that churns out results and not adults that are not life-ready. Life-ready does not come with a text-book definition, it must be experienced and at times, leading your own path, and not always having it done for you is the difference being socially, emotionally secure, and a balanced person or one that becomes part of the rat race which we all know can cause life-threatening changes.

The pandemic must teach parents leaning towards this path that mental health and wellbeing is critical, no child will be left behind and there are bonus points for embracing information and activities that are age-appropriate and allow children to be.

Routines and essential agreements are important must so is allowing the child the freedom to express and the right to say no. It is an investment for their future and what you put in, will be harvested and control in any form can lead to up to a point only.

Enable them, empower them and this is not with a schedule that makes them the brightest. Rethink the definition of being intelligent and wise, and you will know, the latter will be happier.

About the Author

Fatema Agarkar, is an Educationist and Founder of ACE

Festive Fervor

Gifting Ideas by IZHAAR

As the dangerous Coronavirus is spreading rapidly, we all are under lockdown and are taking the measures advised by the government and health authorities. Now remaining connected with those you love, but can’t truly be with, is a difficult task! It’s hard to recreate the joy experienced through quality time with loved ones, and keeping in mind that innovation and technology has made it simpler than ever to be in contact, nothing beats giving somebody you love a warm hug. Well, you have to wait to give a warm hug to your special ones. What you can do is to make them feel special and cheer them up by sending them gifts through contactless delivery or digital gifts. If you are wondering about the gift ideas during lockdown, then Izhaar have lined up some of the best quarantine gift ideas!

Gingham Cappuccino collection available at IZHAAR

Let’s be real – who doesn’t love receiving beautifully wrapped gifts that hint of exotic treats, exquisite bling or something mysterious and exciting… Be it Durga Puja, Eid, Diwali, Christmas, farewells, baby showers, birthdays – there’s always an occasion to delight a loved one with the perfect gift.

Giving the same kind of sweets, household appliances, tea-set and linen being given to everyone, is passé. Izhaar allows you to give a personal touch to each gift so that it becomes unique.

Check out Izhaar’s collection, your ultimate guide to choosing the perfect gift this festive season. The collection consists of Peshkari Silver collection, Gingham Cappuccino collection, Peshkari Gold collection, Gifting hamper, Izhaar Junior collection to name a few.

Price– Starting from Rs. 1,000 onwards

Now you can shop Izhaar festive gifting collection online at https://shop.izhaar.co.in/

Peshkari Silver collection available at IZHAAR

**Ms. _Ruchita Bansal, Creative Director and Founder, Izhaar**

Available at:

· Gurugram – 775, Udyog Vihar Phase V, Sector 19, Gurugram, Haryana-122016

· Mumbai – 187, First Floor, Zainab Villa, Turner Road, Bandra West, Mumbai-400050

· New Delhi – D 18, Basement, Defence Colony, New Delhi-110024

Website- http://izhaar.co.in/

Hiten Tejwani will be seen in Suspense Thriller film Shatranj

Television’s popularity might be unparalleled, but even today, most actors treat it as a stepping stone to films. Not Hiten Tejwani. For him, commitment towards his roles — irrespective of the medium — was always more important than chasing big-screen dreams. Of course, he has featured in a few Bollywood films over the years, but he has never vied for them. Nor did he leave TV for movies. However, as they, patience does bear fruit, eventually.

**Hiten Tejwani & Dushyant Pratap Singh**

The talented actor has now bagged the lead role in a movie titled ‘Shatranj’. Directed by Dushyant Pratap Singh, it’s touted to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller. The film is produced by Anand Prakash , Mrinalini Singh and Fahim Rustam Qureshi of Anand Motion Pictures ,Origin Film Lab and Dushyant Corporation .Talking about it, Hiten says, “We have started the shoot and are hoping for a theatrical release. When Dushyant approached me, he told me that the story was written keeping me in mind. What bigger compliment can an actor receive! Today, there is a role for every actor, irrespective of his/her age. I am glad that we have reached a stage where people are thinking out of the box and exploring realistic concepts. The new-gen filmmakers focus on content, quality and cast actors who suit the part. To a great extent, that’s also because the audience has evolved, owing to the exposure to desi and international platforms. You can’t fool them anymore.” Other actors in Shatranj are Kavita Tripathi , Shawar Ali , Ashutosh Kaushik , Hemant Pandey , Pankaj Berry and Ekta Jain .

The actor says that he never wanted to pursue a career in films at the cost of his work on television. “I have missed out on a lot of films, as I had no time back then, owing to my busy schedule. Besides, I have always wanted to do justice to whatever role I take up. I believe that I have sustained for so long, because I didn’t try to sail in two boats at the same time. In my entire career, I have never quit a show. I could never accept the idea of leaving television and returning to it just because I didn’t succeed in films. Whatever I am today is because of television, and I will never forget that,” he shares.

**Hiten Tejwani,Kavita Tripathi ,Dushyant Pratap Singh & Shawar Ali**

Interestingly, it’s not just his busy schedule that’s at fault. Hiten lost out on a lot of opportunities also because B-Town folks assumed that he was busy with television shows. “I have been told by several people that my name would be rejected at the table itself, because they would think that I had no time. Of course, there was also the stigma attached to casting television actors because of over exposure,” he says, adding, “I am glad that trend is changing, and we are open to casting actors from all mediums if they suit the character. At the end of the day, an actor should not be slotted on the basis of the medium he is seen on. Having said that, I have no complaints. Back then, I was at the top of my game on television. Today, I am happy enjoying the best of both worlds. While I am doing a TV show, ‘Gupta Brothers Char Kunware From Ganga Kinare’, I am also shooting for Shatranj Film. Thankfully, we will have a decent bank of episodes for the show . So, it will not be very difficult to juggle both projects.”

Sanjyt Syngh Unveils a Chic Home Office in Dubai

Delhi-based interior designer and stylist Sanjyt Syngh, known for his bold and distinctive ideas, unveils a stylish and sophisticated home office. This home office showcases Sanjyt Syngh’s trademark attention to detail and passion for luxury. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a home office has emerged as an essential part of all homes.

The Trend

Whether the home office is within an enclosed room or within the common areas of the home, it really pays to dedicate a space at home that can be your ‘place of work.’ Presently, according to interior designer Sanjyt Syngh, the latest trend is to design a minimalist yet welcoming home office, which is simple, efficient, creates a good workflow and provides formal look to the space. This Dubai home office showcases Sanjyt Syngh tips for creating a minimal and chic home office.

These include the following:

Separate Your Home Office: Use a clearly segregated area as your home office. The home office does not have to be a separate room, it can be a desk and chair placed in a quiet section of any space.

Choose a Neutral Colour Palette: Introduce a limited colour palette—a space with neutral hues tends to look clean and is calming. However, a neutral colour palette does not have to be bland and boring.

Add some fun elements such as trendy wallpapers, luxurious furniture and carefully selected accents.

Opt for Ergonomic Furniture: Invest in an ergonomic chair, which is adjustable, offers good back support and is comfortable.

Good Lighting: Allow for maximum natural light into your home office, this gives the space a bright and airy look and makes the home office seem larger. Additionally, employ a mix of overhead lighting and lamps that will help create a well-lit space, which is ideal for a good working environment.

Use Statement Accessories: Do not compromise on the look and overall décor of the home office. The design and hues of the desk, chair and other storage units should match the overall furniture to give the space a cohesive look.

Furthermore, add a glamorous touch to the home office with accents like modern décor pieces, striking artworks, stylish carpets and fresh flowers.

. Add an Informal Lounge: Placing a comfortable sofa near the formal workstation is a good idea. The perfect informal lounge is one with comfortable furniture made of the finest materials and impeccable finishes

About Sanjyt Syngh:

Interior Designer Sanjyt Syngh, a New Delhi based design consultancy dedicated to luxury spaces. Sanjyt studied Design and textiles at Fashion Institute of Technology, New York and Spatial Design at Chelsea College of Art and Design, University of Arts London.

www.sanjytsyngh.com

Saregama Launches Carvaan Mini Kids

~ A solution for parents worrying about kids’ increasing screen time ~

After taking the senior generation on a nostalgic trip with Carvaan, Saregama launches an exclusive product for the kids segment – Carvaan Mini Kids. With ‘stay at home’ becoming the new norm, parents face a struggle with their kids spending far too much time looking at the screens of various devices – be it the laptop or tablet screens for their online classes, or the mobile phone for playing games or just watching shows. Carvaan Mini Kids is a solution to this often faced problem by parents. It combines the dual aspects of fun & learning, in an engaging way for kids without having to resort to looking at digital screens.

Carvaan Mini Kids is a Bluetooth speaker especially designed for kids aged between 2-10 years. It is compact, portable, light weight, child- safe and easy to use as it requires no assistance from elders or parents to operate. It doesn’t need any internet to play and there are no ad breaks to interrupt the child’s listening or learning experience. It can also be used by the kids as their personal Bluetooth speaker to play their own music or any other collection on phone/ tablet.

Carvaan Mini Kids has dedicated modes for Rhymes, Stories, Learning and Mantras for quick and easy selection by the kids themselves. The Rhymes mode has 80+ classic English and Hindi rhymes like Humpty Dumpty, Mary had a Little Lamb, Ringa Ringa Roses, Jack & Jill, Twinkle Twinkle, Chanda Mama aao naa, Lakdi ki Kaathi, Akad, Bakad Bambe Bo and many more. The Stories mode allows the child to enter the world of unending imagination with 300+ stories in English and Hindi like Panchtantra, Akbar & Birbal, Fairy Tales, Mythology, Lord Ganesha to choose from. The Learning mode help the kids to learn phonetics, Days of the week, Months of a Year, Numbers Tables, etc. with its 15+ specially curated topics. Under Mantras mode, there are 33+ mantras and devotional songs like Om Shanti Mantra, Gayatri Mantra, Hanuman Chalisa, Sai Dhun and more for kids to sing along and learn at an early age.

Carvaan Mini kids comes loaded with additional features like Bluetooth, USB , Aux In/ Out, has a long lasting battery of up to 6 hours and can be charged with any android charger. It has a special loop feature which allows the kids to play their favourite audio in a repeat mode. It comes with 6 months warranty too.

Vikram Mehra, Managing Director, Saregama India says, “While Carvaan is a gift from grown-up kids to their parents and grand-parents, Carvaan Mini Kids is the perfect gift from grand-parents and parents to their Kids “

Carvaan Mini Kids is a perfect gift for kids priced at Rs. 2990. It can be ordered on www.saregama.com, amazon or flipkart for Pan India delivery.

Contours of joy

Lotus Make-up Beauty Show,
18^th October at 8:30PM.

‘Highlighting’ the need for using make-up as art, Lotus Make-up channels, inner happiness with a palette of intrigue

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) curates the country’s first digital Lotus Make-up Beauty Show, at the upcoming phygital edition, of the Lotus Make-up India Fashion Week, spring-summer 2021, scheduled from October 14-18. The show is slated for 18^th October at 8:30PM.

With the pandemic, the mood of the moment is curating looks that add a ray of brightness to extraordinary circumstances. Thus, three make-up artists will catapult the word ‘artist’ to make bold statements. Faces serve as metaphors of happiness, as Lotus Make-up products help accentuate their appeal with deft brush strokes.

Make-up artists will re-create three distinct themes —– beauty trends of 2021; artsy make-up; festive make-up. The FDCI studio space will be converted into an art gallery, customised for each segment and there will be five distinctive faces in each segment.

“Make-up is an effective tool that helps express your individuality, as colours blend in with lines, giving a shape to your emotions, as Lotus Make-up’s natural products inspire creativity. The beauty show is an example of how we, as a company, are committed to help you push boundaries of inspiration, which is fundamental to the evolution of make-up as an art form,” says Nitin Passi, Joint Managing Director Lotus Herbals.

“Make-up is a painter’s tool box, with the MUA as an artist who uses this artistry to elevate your personality. The beauty show is inclusive, and will display the transformative powers of make-up with simple processes and techniques. Lotus Make-up has wide ranging products, which help portray a character, adding life to the LMIFW shows,” said FDCI Chairman Sunil Sethi.

Frieze :Viewing Room 2020

By Benodebehari Mukherjee

7 – 16 October

Our presentation at the Frieze Masters Viewing Room 2020brings together a rare collection of Mukherjee’s paper-cut collages and lithographs which were produced from 1957 into the late 1960s, revisiting them as markers of resilience, as representative of the grit and commitment that personified Mukherjee, and as an essential part of his unique modernist language.

Artist and pedagogue Benodebehari Mukherjee was crucial to the contextual modernism of Santiniketan – an experimental school set up by poet, artist and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore that was deeply connected to the early formulation of Weimar Bauhaus which started the same year.

Mukherjee lost sight in his only functioning eye in 1956, but he continued his practice as an artist making drawings, paper–cuts, small clay sculptures, and even a large mural. In his writings he reflected on the issues involved – how blindness alters ones perception of the world, where it differs from normal perception, and how can it be communicated across the sensory divide to normally sighted people. And triumphantly concluded: ‘Blindness is a new feeling, a new experience, a new state of being.’

After exploring the surface with his hands and fixing the field in his mind he performed a sequence of gestures big and small, leaping blindfolded from island to island, to create complex compositions with several elements. He cut individual motifs or pictorial ‘signs’, defined by edge and surface, from pieces of coloured paper, and pasted them on boards to create spatial interrelations between them. Thus colour, paradoxically, entered his work in an unprecedented manner after its sensory experience was denied to him. But since colour had to be manipulated from memory he had to limit himself to a few commercially produced coloured papers with which he had been familiar. To supplement the limited range of coloured paper at his disposal, and to add subtlety and textural nuances to his work he added newspaper, cord and fabric to his material resources, and moved from paper-cuts to collages.

Mukherjee’s work was exhibited at an important retrospective curated by Gulammohammed Sheikh and R. Siva Kumar at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), 2006–07, among other international exhibitions. His works can be seen in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Tate Museum, London; and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), New Delhi, as well as several important private collections. The artist passed away in 1980 at the age of seventy-six.