Because the show must go on

Virtual Tours and moviesTour the canals of Venice on VRJaison Lewis Sunday middays tech columnist says that with the restrictions and travel advisories in place most plans over the next few weeks have been cancelled or postponed This restriction though mostly on international travel should ideally be implemented for local vacations tooIs it then possible to experience everything you are missing Over to LewisWhile it isnt a substitute for being say in Paris Virtual Reality could be a good way to get a feel of the vacation you are missing out on You may need to invest in a lowcost VR headset The Google Cardboard is a great option You can find one for as low as Rs 250 on popular shopping websites Once you have the hardware heres where to log intoYouTube VR YouTube has a surprising amount of VR content geared towards vacation travellers Since its construction in 1889 the Eiffel tower in Paris has been one of the most visited spots in the world Its estimated that nearly 19000 head here every day But you can also enjoy a guided tour of the tower or go sail through the canals of Venice without leaving home Ascape httpsascapecom includes destinations from across the world including Latin America and AfricaGoogle Maps VR This unfortunately requires a better grade of VR Headset like the HTC Vive or the Oculus If you happen to own these Google Maps VR lets you fly teleport and walk around and enjoy the streets of your favourite cities right from the comfort of your couchDiscovery VR If you like the way Discovery Channel explores various places around the world you will love their VR presentations that take you to key locations letting you experience everything in 360degree VR available on their YouTube channelHome movie experience Tech could also step in and help with another social activity Watching movies in the cinema Of course a tiny screen cant replace the cinema experience but with a little bit of money or some jugaad you can set up your own home theatre with surprising ease At the heart of any theatre is the projector While you can spend and buy a decent lowcost projector for Rs 2000 to Rs 5000 a true jugaadu would build one out of cardboard cellophane and magnifying lensWatch the video on How to Build Your Own Projector here httpswwwyoutubecomwatchvFKL9_bdtHq0For sound you could buy a soundbar or a cheap 51 wired setup Most lowcost soundbars with a woofer come for around Rs 8000 while you could get passable 51 wired speaker setups from R2000 onwards Bluetooth speakers work well if you are willing to sacrifice bassIf buying is not something you are considering and building is not your forte look at renting Projectors start between Rs 900 and Rs 1200 depending on quality Home theatre sound on rent is a little harder to find but you can buy a decent second hand 51 speaker setup on OLX or QuikrDo build your projector from scratchDont buy when you can rentTravel and PartiesItalian village has a twin in KamshetDevendra Parulekar of SaffronStays at their Swissstyled chalet Lattitude in KamshetIts summer and Europe is out of order But as Devendra Parulekar founder SaffronStays says Why go to Switzerland when you can have the same experience at Lake Mulshi or Pavna The firm which offers private vacation homes on rent says they have received a flurry of cancellations which are accompanied by queries about what sort of vacation to take thats safe in the time of the coronavirus outbreak People have already taken leave so we are suggesting that they rediscover their own backyard Why not book a private villa and enjoy the vacation two hours away from home he saysHis team has launched the Doppleganger campaign which means that you can mirror an international vacation right here in India At Kamshet two hours away from Mumbai on the way to Pune we have a property where a lovely table is laid out all trussed up You will mistake it for a venue in ItalyMaitri ShahHe suggests you also consider the hygiene standards before booking a place At SaffronStays the welcome drink is being served warm not cold linens are changed more often and only warm desserts are available Its all about having fun but at smaller exclusive properties he addsAtul Parekh who runs Latin Aventuras says that if you must travel abroad then the Southern Hemisphere is where its safer whether Latin America or South Africa The flights to Latin America go via Africa So it could be a safer to travel there The weather is beautiful too It will keep you happy in the mind and mental immunity is important right nowAtul ParekhFor those who dont wish to leave the city plan a stylish soiree at home Wedding and party planner Palkan Bandekar who most recently was behind the sitdown dinner to mark Mandira Bedis 21st wedding anniversary says that its best to hold small gatherings preferably with people you know Get the food cooked at home If you cant hire a reputed catering company that will follow health directives Ask guests suffering from cold cough or fever to skip and have hand sanitizers placed at accessible and visible spots around the home she suggestsMaitri Shah who runs Mai Stories an experiential event management company prefers to take a more philosophical view of the circumstance She says that this is a time to stop and smell the roses She suggests holding an intimate gathering While her firm was hired to plan a corporate event for 100 people she suggested they split the party into two for 50 guests each over two days For me supervision is key Supervise your cook or any other catering company you work with Deep clean the table tops Everyone should wear disposable gloves and regularly wash their handsPalan BandekarMaking your home look elegant is hardly a task Add a personal touchmdasha vintage vase or a candle stand you bought on a trip Pretty up your table work on plating and food presentation and display some flowers She also suggests you have a killer playlist ready But if dinner is too much for you follow the worldwide trend of the midnight tea party Just get some lovely Moroccan tea and bitesize appetisers and you are good to goDo Book an intimate exclusive property with few roomsDont Attendhost parties of more than 10Food and DrinkParty only with close friends buy local rethink prioritiesKeshav PrakashDining out may seem dodgy but spirits expert Keshav Prakash of The Vault says that if owners of FampB establishments make their hygiene practices visible diners will be reassured They can offer sanitisers to guests and make sure their staff follows hygienic practices that are evident to the customer Ice buckets and water supply will be a good place to start the checking Is drinking a good way to keep the virus at bay Drink moderately so your immune system is functioning well he suggests And any meat that has been cooked well is not rare is fine to eat Kurush Dalal home chef and anthropologist explains that its about how the meat is handled Cooking kills the virus Its also important to wash your hands regularly with soap while cooking Wash vegetables with potassium permanganateKurush DalalChef Shilarna Vaze aka Chinu who helps the swish set organise snazzy home parties says that we should use this time to go local and try the indulgences we dont get to in our hectic livesIts the time to slow down Let your parties include very close friends Cook at home buy from local markets rethink your priorities Your friends and domestic staff will need to take responsibility for themselves If they do that and you maintain hygiene standards there is little need to worryShilarna VazeIf you are having a do at home and want to impress your guests Vaze says that a mezze platter is the way to go Make a plate with moringa hummus baba ganush with saffron and turmeric kaffir lime tzatziki and ragi lavash Its bound to be a hit Her last tip Eat amla to keep your immunity levels highDo Cook your meat wellDont Overdrink you need to build your immunityChildrenGet the kids to build a libraryPic Suresh KarkeraDr Om SrivastavaInfectious diseases specialistT cells in the body start the defense mechanism and build the immune system However in children this starts developing only between ages 12 and 14 And so you will see that children who had problems when they were younger are fine once they hit this age Similarly when the body starts ageing the immune system weakens However there can be exceptions You will also see a fit 80yearold and a fragile 25yearold he says Care should involve ensuring that infections are not transferred Tissues should be disposed of properly and surfaces cleaned well If its possible to break the chain of transfer thats where the focus should be In places where children are present there needs to be a constant disinfectant and sterilisation policy Do it as many times as requiredPriya Srinivasan directorThe Pomegranate WorkshopWith children cooped up at home the best way to keep them absorbed is to read out stories to them You could also build a home library In fact this is the best time to do so Stock up on some great booksmdashyou can find recommendations of the top childrens books onlinemdashand even have other families come in with their booksInvolve the children in the library building process Labelling stamping the books and cataloguing will give them a sense of responsibility towards organising and maintaining their own personal libraryParents could organise activities based around books Parents not children could go online and search for a number of resources that will guide them to different activities around each book These should not be boring worksheets or tests The text should be linked to the live world Ideally read the book yourself before reading it out to the kidsThe activities could also be linked to found material like wool sack cloth cotton or anything in the house with which they can make art or build things It works for all age groupsBut these will have to be facilitated activities A parent cant organise this and walk awayIts important to restrict screen time during this period The first thing parents do is put a screen in the childs hand as if its a pacifier Instead keep it to a specific hour and stick to it the child will respect itYou can also buy a large 15feet roll of paper available at most art shops Stick it to the wall and get the kids to paint on it not with brushes but larger items like pieces of cloth using poster coloursDo restrict screen timeDont walk away facilitate the activitiesFitness and nutritionDo the dand baithak work with body weightSweat doesnrsquot transmit the virus but respiratory fluids can Following the same logic of protection that you would during the flu season avoid contact with people who may be ill and with them if you are unwell Ensure surfaces are clean It might be a good idea to rethink your fitness regimen if it involves working out in air conditioned closed spaces in a crowd Herersquos how to redesign your workoutMustafa Ahmed cofounderpartner at AKRO FitnessMustafa Ahmed shows you how to do the crab reach animal flow exerciseStep 1 Squeeze your glutes to lift your hips up off groundWhen they reopen gyms should stock alcoholbased sanitisers near all equipment so that clients and trainers can clean their hands before and after every session Also the equipment should be wiped regularly We sanitise our dumbells for instance every three hoursIf yoursquod rather exercise at home I suggest you try the Tabata and Animal FlowTabata is highintensity workout each phase lasting 20 seconds with a 10second break Five tabata workouts mean a 20minute workout which will help you sustain your fitness levels till you are back at the gym I also recommend the Hindu pushups and doing the dand baithak a form of squat I used to be a skinny teenager and my uncle gave me exercises to do at home since I couldnrsquot go to the gym and was being bullied Free squats pushups pullups and leg raises Depending on your fitness level if you do a set of 30020010050 or 5020101 within a certain timeframemdashfor instance to a member I would say 100 pushups in six minutesmdashyou can manageStep 2 As you rise up reach one hand over the opposite shoulder twisting at the torso Pause squeezing your core and glutes to stay solid avoid arching your back then return to starting position Repeat on the other sideThirty minutes is enough for a home workout Resistance band training will also helpIn fact this period could be a blessing in disguise because when you are working with your body weight you tend to recover faster and you will find that when you return to the gym you will perform much betterKirsten Varela Calisthenics athlete founder of Elysium Calisthenics ParkBench dipsYou can do pushups or if thatrsquos too intense go down on your knees to do them I also like to do tricep dips where you pull together two chairs or sofas and pull up and push down your body in a controlled fashion The dip can also be done at a public park with benches if you find working out at home stifling you can use a single bench and do pushups that focus on the tripces and coreincline pushupsFor those who want to lose weight and burn fat exercises like jumping jacks and mountain climbers help you sweat it outParallel bar dipsAyesha Billimori Athlete movement specialistAt a time like this you need to ensure that you exercise to keep your immunity up I suggest you drink a lot of water and eat nutritious food I personally find it cumbersome to run with a mask so itrsquos not something I would advise you to doWin medals at a virtual raceIt would have been a good time to head out for a competitive race weather wise at least But travel limitations donrsquot have to curb your competitive spirit A range of virtual races have been set up and curated by the Eventjini Virtual Running Events Calendar and are available on their site From a 8K run that can be completed any time until March 31 2020 to even a 20K run in April this allows you to compete and finish and you get a finisherrsquos medal staying exactly where you are There are registration fees of course and also rules and regulations So confirm those when you sign upLog in to wwweventjinicomvirtualindianvirtualrunforhermarch2020Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates