Alopecia, Parsi humour and history of spirits: Indulge in these unique topics this week

Bald and beautifulShe was diagnosed with alopecia when six months old Then the condition got worse and she had to wear a wighellip until she finally decided to shave her head off Neehar Sachdeva is a force to reckon with on Instagram nudging followers to track her moves Once there we are enamoured by the lsquoBrown Balddiersquo who has also modelled a wedding collection with oomph Sachdevarsquos account of her struggle and success is genuine and that keeps you glued to her posts and reels She also posts about her love life and offers style inspirations Itrsquos tough to find someone comfortable in their skin on social media making her worth followingneeharsachdeva InstagramCrack up like a ParsiWhether you are Parsi or not you will recognise Zervaan J Bunshahrsquos SoBo South Bombay aunty and residents of NoBo North Bombay Bunshah is an actor model and voiceover artiste who captures the eccentricities of his Parsi community Not to be missed are his onesided conversations with his househelp lsquoRoopalirsquo whom we never really see and resident meetings of a society in NoBo His capturing of the typical intonation and mishmash language of the Parsi matchmaker the lady at the Colaba market ldquoChhee Mera husband jaisa baas aata hainhellip kitna kharaab hainrdquo of a Parsi struggling to speak Marathi ldquoMee tula laafun de hardquo or the community bereaved by the loss of ldquoaapri raani Queen Elizabeth IIrdquo makes Bunshahrsquos social media handle a laugh riotbunshah InstagramThe guiding spiritHistorian poet and storyteller Anushka Gupta has started an Instagram series called History of Spirits where she deep dives into the world of liquor unravelling origin stories and classic cocktails crafted from them First in the series is gin which she tells the reader dates back to the 16th Century with William of Orange from the Netherlands ascending the Royal throne of Britain Orange brought with him lsquoGeneverrsquo the Holland Gin called lsquoGinevarsquo by the English which eventually became Gin She further explores its journey to present times We like how Gupta gives the information in simple terms covering all aspects of the alcohol keeping us hooked anushkagupta5 InstagramAnushka GuptaAnother lease of lifeThis jumpsuit by Renge has a small coinsized mending in the back of the dressRescue to Restore is an online platform that gives another lease of life to clothing items rejected for retail due to a minor defect but ones that can still be worn saving it from piling up in a landfill Expect an Okhai white kurta with a tiny pen mark a Sparrow top with an unnoticeable design defect at the back or a jumpsuit from Renge which has a small stain What makes this a sweet deal is that they are available at a discount of as much as 40 per cent and can be bought directly from the source sellerreloveinMeet Modi the poetThe world may now know him as Prime Minister Narendra Modi but the veteran leader has always been a poet at heart A thinker both troubled and fuelled by the political social and environmental upheavals around him his diary became his listener and confidante A justpublished translation of his writings in Gujarati titled Letters to Self FingerPrint R399 by journalistwriter Bhawana Somaaya revisits his verse in English He writes of gratitude loss of friendship and also sings a meditative verse to river Narmada Narmada is not a line on the map She is the fate of Gujarat She is the destiny of people and says a prayer for resilience I will stand sturdy like the mountain and flow pristine like the river This is a diverse collection with no singular theme Somaayarsquos translation captures the rhythm of his verse and even his vocabulary and tumult Of his work Somaaya says in the book ldquohis poems prosehellip strike a chord awaken an old woundrdquoAvailable at all bookstoresCurated by Jane Borges Nidhi Lodaya and Yusra Husain