If you happen to walk down Pali Mala Road on Monday or Thursday night post 9 pm, chances are that you might be able to catch a few notes that emanate from a karaoke session at Soul Fry. Tempted, we too felt the urge to follow the sound about three months ago, and we stepped into a lively session; actually a chorus of people singing and cheering each other at the karaoke night at the popular Bandra hangout. What sets this particular session apart is the careful curation by its owner Meldan D'Cunha, who takes in requests from his seat next to the console, and the dollops of encouragement, mostly from his wife Glynis, seated at the family table. By our third visit, we were being greeted as family, such that we were able to overcome our stage fright, as we tried out a few songs.

It's this same warmth and homely vibe that D'Cunha is bringing to Mumbaikars in lockdown with online karaoke sessions. All you need is a device with the Zoom app and another (laptop or phone) where you can play a karaoke version of the song you want to sing on YouTube. And of course, the code for the meeting on the Zoom app from D'Cunha.