A one-shot guide to vaccines

Curated by Jane Borges Sucheta Chakrabory and Anju MaskeriWhere for adults the vaccine has become part of everyday lingo for children itrsquos an idea they are yet to make sense of Itrsquos something they donrsquot have much say in Thatrsquos probably why an illustrated book like V for Vaccines HarperCollins India feels so timelyIsha NagarPut together with the help of Dr Gangandeep Kang professor of microbiology at the Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory at Christian Medical College Vellore the book is the apt primer for a young child between ages six and ten Illustrated by Isha Nagar the book introduces us to three oddly shaped characters Veni Vidi and Vici who ldquolove talking about vaccinesrdquo They take turns to respond to questions on what is a vaccine its origins and why we need it how it is created and helps the immune system Therersquos also the allimportant discussion on COVID19 and why vaccination is important now more than everAmazonin Rs 99Save your soleBase player helps prevent cracked heels right Bite repellentThis writer has worn insoles when a pair of shoes bought online ended up being loose But for many like former marketing executive Gaurika Bhatia these foot petals have made wearing high heels bearable ldquoBeing 5rsquo1 meant I have been wearing heels from the age of 16 and have considered it part of my identityrdquo As a result she has often had to limp back home after wearing six inches for long hours ldquoIrsquod wake up with blisters or excruciating pain I searched the market for solutions tried home remedies and everything else I couldnrsquot find anything that was focused solely on providing cushioningrdquo This propelled Bhatia to launch Soleify a shoe cushioning brand that aims to provide comfort to your feet without compromising on style The products focus on different areas of the foot For instance the spot cushioning insole is ideal for those areas of the foot that experience additional pressure ldquoThese help prevent blisters and reduce pressure on toes in narrow shoes Being tiny they are easy to carry for unexpected foot acherdquo Back of heel cushioning is bite repellent and is also meant for those who find their foot slipping out of shoes Bhatia says these are ideal for when one foot is slightly smaller than the other The heel support absorbs shock and prevents cracked heels Crafted using specialised material they are designed to not deflate even after prolonged usage ldquoWe want to change the way insoles are viewed in India The idea is to make it a norm rather than something you use only when therersquos an injuryrdquowwwsoleifyin Rs 500 onwardFor fans of Sovietera literatureAn illustration from a childrenrsquos book from the Soviet era Pic courtesysovietlitAn Instagram account sovietlit is revisiting the beauty of Sovietera literature The posts are about childrenrsquos stories and folktales with a few on educational books on science and astronomy from the period The stories by Soviet writers like Galina Demykina range from tales of ships and the high seas to those of Ded Moroz the sometimes good and sometimes evil Slavic version of Santa Claus Stunning illustrations accompany the excerpts from the books Some of these are by famous Soviet graphic artists like Gennady Kalinovsky who also illustrated the Russian version of Mary Poppins and a few editions of Alicersquos Adventures in Wonderland There are posts also on Maxim Gorkyrsquos and Leo Tolstoyrsquos childrenrsquos stories and one on the subsidised translations of Soviet books widely available in India in the rsquo70s rsquo80s and rsquo90ssovietlit InstagramHelping small businesses go bigThe app currently has over 130 home chefsNumerous small businesses have emerged in the lockdown Mumbaibased Chaitanya Davda and Mihir Turakhia have launched Vocal for Local to provide these local entrepreneurs with a platform to turn their hobbies into successful businesses ldquoMany didnrsquot have a platform to showcase their talent manage deliveries and payment They also had limited marketing budgets stunting their growth So we came up with this platform exclusively for people working from homerdquo says Turakhia For an entrepreneur to sign up therersquos a verification process with regards to packaging quality and FFSAI registrationlicenseChaitanya Davda and Mihir TurakhiaAfter the verification of KYC documents the venture gets approved For a user the process is simple download the app browse through the sellersproducts and place an order like any other ecommerce platform The deliveries arenrsquot bound by radius ldquoA lot of home chefs are famous only among their friends and vicinity We thought they should get recognition beyond their fixed circle and give users an opportunity to try specialities of different home chefsrdquo adds DavdaOn PlayStore and AppStore