Discuss A bombay novel With Others At: Google Hangouts, 11 am; Email: CravingExpatLife@gmail.com
Use art to heal
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Participate in the #CATWeekChallenge. Write a poem, or paint, and post it. Don't forget to nominate your friends.
Where: Instagram
Join a gaming match online
Participate in an online gaming tournament organised by MKJ Gaming, and stand to win R1,000. Whether you wish to go solo or sign up with your squad, this PUBG tournament promises you an action-filled afternoon.
When: March 22, 11 AM onwards
Where: Play from home
Price: Rs 60 onwards
Call: 7855987498
Attend a virtual open-mic
Tune in to Aurea's virtual open mic, where poets from all over India can join in via a simple link which can be accessed through your phones or laptops. Participants need to register by sending an email to info@1-618.in, with their name, email id and the language of their poem. The link to the virtual open mic will be provided via email.
When: March 22, 4 PM to 6 PM
Free
Meet a person with a skill you can use
Amit Kumar Meena, 23 Artist
Life-sized, hyper-realistic, charcoal paintings
About eight years ago, Meena took up drawing as a hobby and decided to turn his passion into profession last year. He came across work by international artists, which he felt could be right up his alley. Once he had his heart set, he developed a technique that suited his style of work using charcoal powder and learned proportions by researching on the Internet. After six months of self-learning, he felt ready to draw hyper-realistic looking faces with details. His work is so intricate, it takes him over 200 hours to finish one life-size sketch.
Recommended by: Shalini Kutti, FAE Beauty,
Head of Design and Communication, "I hired Amit because his work was eye-catching and calming at the same time. It is also fascinating that someone who has never had formal training can draw so well."
Available For: Creating sketches
Charges: Rs 20,000 onwards
Instagram @_amitkumarmeena
Please take this personally!
In 2014, Cuffe Parade resident Pooja Aggarwal had just left her job at Google and was making games at home with mother Geetika and sister Divya. The three started to blog about it and by 2018, they'd started receiving requests for the ideas shared on their page. Soon, they were selling personalised stationery, games and DIY kits. "For every order, we made it a point to first learn why the customer wanted a certain game or stationery. Their reasons have driven us to weave their stories perfectly into the products. For instance, a mother ordered customised ring folders for her newborn baby's medical records. Someone ordered a questions game for a couple so that they'd get to know each other better," says Divya. People come up with the funniest ideas for games to play with their friends. "Last week, we made a Filmy Feud where players have to put their Bollywood knowledge to test or suffer the consequences,"
says Pooja.
Rs 100 onwards
www.thecraftables.com
For an attractive rear
Geetika Bareja quit her human resource job in 2017 after she had a baby. But after eight years of working in a corporate setup, she knew she had to do something in her free time. And what she did was rekindle her relationship with art. Her Instagram page showcases her scrapbook designs and cardmaking skills, but it's the reverse decoupage that has maximum fans. The reverse decoupage technique is done on the back of a plate, which allows you to use the front to serve food. You can also use it as wall decor, if you wish. Bareja's workshops on the technique last two hours and she is happy to take on participants who aren't art pros.
Instagram @thecreativecorner_geetika
Rs 1,600 onwards
Geetika Bareja
For Nutella goodies
Worli resident Aditi Dalvi was 17 when she discovered a love for baking. She spent hours in the kitchen, trying out desserts. When she graduated in mass media studies, she decided to pursue the passion seriously. Now 23, she holds baking workshops at her Worli home. Her Instagram page features the theme of upcoming workshops, including how to bake cakes, brownies, cookies, and everything that includes Nutella. Each session lasts about four hours and participants are provided with all they need. And the cherry on the cake, fittingly, is that you get to take your baked goodies home to share with others.
Instagram @sugar_treatz
Entry: Rs 2,000 onwards
Stories that inspire
The truth about inspiration is that it comes from people. Which is also why we like to read stories about those who inspire. A new Instagram handle, @thisislivingwithstories, hopes to do just that with an interesting curation of extraordinary stories of ordinary people—from the mountain climber and the social media influencer, to the mental health advocate and comedian. Tanwir Firoz, who runs the page along with Natasha Tungare, Gyandeep Nath, Ismotara Mozumdar and Sajan Pyakurel, says, "Everyone has struggles, but what separates one from the other is how they perceive them." Of the 110-odd posts, we like the story of 64-year-old Shashi Prakash Chopra, who speaks of how he gave up his acting dream to become a businessman, but went back to acting school in the 1960s.
For, of and by writers
A newly released app might just give authors, especially the newly published ones, the push that they need. Zinc, an augmented reality platform created by Mumbai-based Neelesh Vishwakarma, allows for writers to directly interact with their readers with just a scan of their book cover. All that a writer needs to do is download the app, upload their book cover with a one-minute video where they speak about the book, along with a bio and links to reviews, if any. A user receives access by simply scanning the cover on their phone. Users also add their own reviews to build on the writer's profile. Authors are notified for every cover scan with demographic details of the user. "This helps them understand the kind of audience they are engaging with," says Vishwakarma. Anand Neelakantan, Bilal Siddiqi, Shweta Rohira and Anirban Bhattacharya are currently on the app.
On Google Play Store
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