Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
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Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

This month Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, (MFWF) comes to your door with a brand-new Online Edition from Monday 25 to Saturday 30 May. The MFWF, is one of the one of the most popular culinary events in the world, is usually hosted in March every year. This time, due to the lockdown, the physical edition has been postponed. However, the virtual programme for the last two days will comprise of talks, trivia, trouble shooting, tours, Q&As, and a blockbuster showcase of international and Victorian talent, along with takeaway menus, prizes and special offers. On May 29, join zero-waste hero Matt Stone for hands-on demo of chook cooking at its finest. In this masterclass, Matt will show you how to break down a whole chicken like a pro, putting it to use in three separate dishes. Born and bred in Melbourne, Starward continues to push the boundaries of what modern whisky can be. Join brand ambassador Matty Follent for a delicious cocktail a chat to end your day and kick off the night sessions of The Online Edition. The Hungry Gentlemen – award-winning wine and food writers Max Allen and Richard Cornish – bring you Friday night drinks with a difference. Streaming live from Pope Joan, the pair will tell the fascinating story of the plunder of Victoria’s ancient native oyster reefs to feed goldrush Melbourne and how today those reefs are being brought back to life. Lastly, Shane Delia’s passion for the food of the Middle East is irresistible. Tonight, he opens his kitchen at home and walks you through some favourite dishes from his new Maha Go repertoire. On May 30, Get your taste of the new home of global flavours in regional Victoria with Tony Tan, National treasure and international cult culinary idol, who will give us preview of his swish new digs. Join the founder of The Everleigh, Michael Madrusan, talking all things drinks, righting the wrongs of the cocktail world and shining a light on all the good things happening in strong drink in conversation with MFWF creative director Pat Nourse. Michael invites you to join him for a drink in real time, with the offer of a cocktail special from The Everleigh delivered hot to your door: a generous pour of Hot Buttered Rum concocted with aged rum, honey and butter topped with freshly grated nutmeg. Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

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NCPA International Jazz Festival
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NCPA International Jazz Festival

This Thursday, 28th May at 6 pm NCPA@home presents a unique show which will witness 15 international Jazz and Blues artists jamming with each other one stage! This magical performance by two Latin bands and three traditional and contemporary Jazz bands was a part of the NCPA International Jazz Festival ’18 finale. Members of Latin bands, Los Gatos and the Brazilian Samba Express shared the stage for the finale of NCPA International Jazz Festival’18 performing well known Latin Jazz numbers whilst improvising on them. The face-off between the percussionists from Cuba, Brazil and Panama will enthral the viewers who have never heard the likes of this confrontation! Further, members of the Clifford Brown band, MND FLO and Ari Roland’s Quartet combined to play this rousing finale. Three jazz classic tunes were on display, but with a blues touch. Expect to hear All Blues and Bag’s Groove at this set, amongst other popular Jazz standards. NCPA@home series includes exclusive videos and content across genres from NCPA’s extensive archival library. Block your calendar and stay tuned to NCPA’s YouTube page to enjoy an exclusive showcase of Musical Concerts!  YouTube link -  https://www.youtube.com/TheNCPAMumbai1 Performing Musicians: Chris Byars – Tenor Saxophone Clifford Brown III – Trumpet Zayed Nasser – Alto Saxophone Francesco Lento – Trumpet Jim Porto – Vocals & Piano Simon Moullier – Vibraphone Pradyumna Singh Manot – Piano Sharik Hasan – Piano Miguelo Valdes – Conga Roberthino Bastos – Percussion Alexander Toth – Bass Sonic Shori – Bass Ari Roland – Bass Rayford Griffin – Drums Kunal Netrapal – Drums Opening its doors to the world in 1969, the NCPA became the first multi-venue and multi-purpose cultural centre to be built in South Asia. Vibrant and diverse, the NCPA today is recognised by artistes, patrons and media alike as India’s premier performing arts institution. The Centre provides a fine showcase of India’s rich performing arts traditions, all thanks to the institution’s training and research initiatives. The NCPA presents over 600 events each year across all major art forms, most notably Indian Music, International Music, Theatre and Film, Dance, Visual Arts and Photography. There are Heads of Programming for each of these art forms who curate innovative events and festivals; representative of everything from classical to contemporary throughout the year. The NCPA produces its own programmes as well as collaborates with leading cultural promoters from around the world. The NCPA is the only member organisation of the International Music Council (IMC) from India. To know more visit http://www.ncpamumbai.com When: Thursday, 28th May at 6.00 pm Where to view: NCPA YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/TheNCPAMumbai1     NCPA International Jazz Festival

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The Secret of 20 minutes Power Nap
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The Secret of 20 minutes Power Nap

Sleep is an important aspect of human life and for the functioning of mind and wellbeing of the body. An average adult should get a minimum of seven hours of sleep daily. But given the busy lives that we experience, be it college going adults or office goers, it gets difficult to consume enough sleep because our lifestyles demand otherwise. Sleep is essential but it is also important to inculcate certain techniques which quickly remove stress and worries. Mudit Dandwate, Co-founder, Dozee shares the secrets of 20-minutes power nap. So how do we cope up with the lost sleep to nurture our health? Don’t worry, we have you covered with some easy to practice meditation techniques. One such is Yoga nidra, which is also known as yogic sleep and has been proved to be useful in more ways than one. It is the state of consciousness between waking up and falling asleep. It is the “going to sleep” stage and it is ordinarily coaxed by guided meditation. A 20 minutes session of yoga nidra is equivalent to 1 hour of sound sleep. How does it help? It helps the person practising it to be completely relaxed, become systematically and increasingly aware of their inner self and concentrate on the positive thoughts by following a certain set of verbal instructions. It helps you shift your brain into an alpha state (from gamma and beta waves seen during working hours), starts its process of “powering down,” or coming into a rest state with slower, restorative brain-wave activity. Yoga nidra counteracts stress, long standing anxiety and also depression. It refreshes the mind, making it more open to absorbing and learning new things. It also releases the tension in the body. Practising yoga nidra right before going to bed every night trains your mind and body for this relaxation process so you can reach a deeper state of sleep. It also helps combat insomnia. It induces complete mental, physical and emotional relaxation. Certain AI and other IoT devices make it easier to take up relevant information from the signals/vibrations that your body produces while you are asleep and give you a health report that can help you make amends. They also provide you with personalised set of guided meditation on their application to make your life easier. A regular practice of yoga nidra has all the potential to help you develop, change, or alter your routines and lifestyle for the better. So, we sure are onto plugging into an application to practice some yoga nidra and reap some benefits. The Secret of 20 minutes Power Nap

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How Tibetan/ Yog Nidra can help your sleep pattern? 
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How Tibetan/ Yog Nidra can help your sleep pattern? 

Sleep interruptions like falling asleep or staying asleep are pretty evident among adults and affects them. Mindful meditation can not only help you sleep better but also reduce risks of other health problems like fatigue, less tension, insomnia, obesity, heart strokes, etc in the long run. Certain meditation techniques help you concentrate your mind on your breathing and shift your focus, slowly inducing sleep. But it is also important that the mind does not gallivant around thoughts while sleeping. Mudit Dandwate, Co-founder, Dozee shares his thoughts on how yog nidra can help in improving your sleep pattern. Sound Healing is one such extremely powerful and non-intrusive method to release stress, anxiety and reduce some physical pain. The Tibetan sound healing technique is an ancient healing modality that utilises the deep vibrations and soothing sounds of Tibetan Singing Bowls to bring relief. It works on a scientific concept of Binaural Beats or Brain Entrainment, which states that listening to certain frequencies can change our brainwave states. The rich blend of harmonic overtones produced from the singing bowls helps us to first sink into the alpha state, then the mind lingers between alpha, theta and delta brain waves enabling deep relaxation and heightened perception. These vibrations work by lowering blood pressure levels, improve blood circulation and breathing rate. Sound meditation is comparatively simpler than other techniques because the sound keeps their mind occupied, making it easier to enter into deep states of calm. Sound meditation allows you to reach deep meditative state of Theta-brainwaves, where you can achieve high levels of creative visualization. Increases learning capacity and performance. Regular sessions with sound meditation have shown significant increase in overall productivity. It also enhances physical recovery. Sound bath research results showed that it has a significant impact on lactic acid reduction in athletes post-workout, accelerating recovery speed and enhancing mobility. Tibetan sound healing is not only low technology but also feasible, low cost yet very effective method of feeling at peace before and after falling asleep. It also contributes to clinical resolution of conditions like depression, trauma stress, emotional stress, hormonal imbalance, insomnia to name a few. sound healing, sound therapy, tibetan singing bowl, tibetan bowl, music therapy, ascetic training, resonate, pain management, sound bath Tibetan singing bowl The modern rat race is pretty tiring and stressful, this technique can surely help you ease some of it and can be done by practising it from any part of your room, workplace, etc. You can simply listen to these Tibetan sounds available online or register yourself with an IoT application that provides sound meditation. How Tibetan/ Yog Nidra can help your sleep pattern?

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Sip on the strongest coffee of India
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Sip on the strongest coffee of India

SLAY Coffee is out with SLAY X, the strongest coffee in India. A steaming cup of black coffee in the morning is a perfect way to kickstart their day for many in the country. A true coffee connoisseur will scour shops, both mainstream and boutique, to find a blend that has a decent kick to it. With SLAY X, the search is now over. The coffee which is currently considered as the strongest in India contains around 500 mg of Caffeine per 100 grams of coffee. Internationally, brands that claim to be the “Strongest coffee in the world” like the Death Wish Coffee contain around 1750 mg per 100 Grams of coffee. SLAY-X on the other hand has 2250 mg of caffeine per 100 grams of coffee making it the strongest coffee in the market and yet the most palatable. SLAY-X is the unique and proprietary blend of Robusta Cherry and Robusta Parchment from the high-altitude estates of Chikamagalur, dark roasted to boost caffeine content. The roasting technique that SLAY has developed and perfected; is a simple selection of beans from our farms, which are grown to our specifications. SLAY tested dozens of beans from various plantations before it settled on the farm from which the beans for SLAY-X comes. Co-founder Lakshmi Dasaka says, “Despite it having twice the caffeine content as found in the reigning strongest coffee in India, the coffee is anything but horrifically bitter – it’s in fact very palatable. Surprisingly, we have seen people add extra shots of SLAY-X to their coffees, and this is a very common occurrence”. One can now order SLAY X at the click of a button. Two variants: The Wrong Turn & The Graveyard are available in the range currently. SLAY X will further add two iced variants: The Sinister & The Redemption by end of June to its menu. SLAY Coffee promises India’s Best Coffee delivery experience right at your doorstep. Packaged in a spill-proof and temperature-controlled case, your SLAY Coffee is ground and brewed upon order. Every cup is made with fresh, premium beans and handcrafted by a SLAY-Certified barista. From India’s Strongest Coffee to skinny options to a non-caffeine portfolio and more, Slay’s got something for everyone. Available on Swiggy & Zomato, your favourite coffee is just a click away. Sip on the strongest coffee of India

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Chitraa, a critically acclaimed play, goes digital for the first time.
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Chitraa, a critically acclaimed play, goes digital for the first time.

Following the path taken by theatre houses from all over the world during this lockdown period, Red Polka Productions’ critically acclaimed play, Chitraa, is going digital for the first time with the original cast line on Thursday, 28th May. This digital piece has been directed remotely and virtually in accordance with the social distancing rules. Chitraa, is a modernised English rendition of Rabindranath Tagore’s famous work, Chitrangada. There have been multiple renditions of the play but this one is unique with its hybridised fusion structure: contemporary comedy interlaced with the untouched original romantic scenes by Tagore. Chitraa opened with a phenomenal success at Alliance Francaise in 2018 followed by house packed shows in Rangashankara and other places before travelling to Hyderabad. Directed by the duo, independent filmmaker Prataya Saha and veteran theatre personality Shatarupa Bhattacharyya, Chitraa stars experienced theatre artists from Bangalore like Anshulika Kapoor, Subhabrata Kundu and Archana Kariappa. With over 1000 audiences and rave reviews, Chitraa in its own small way reintroduced Tagore to the contemporary theatre goers in Bangalore, in 2018. The story of Chitrangada is a simple one, taken from the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata; Arjuna, then in celibacy roams through the jungles reaches Manipur which is ruled by princess Chitra; a woman who has been born and brought up like a man, a fierce warrior and archer. She meets Arjuna one day and falls in love but Arjuna refuses to marry her. So Chitra, dejected by the rejection seeks the help of God Madana to change her into a more conventionally feminine, fair and beautiful woman. After the boon she transforms and comes to Arjuna again as a completely different woman. Will Arjuna accept her? Fall in love with her? The play delves into pressure and expectations of a patriarchal society on women and raises some important questions for the audience to ponder upon. Prataya Saha is an independent multiple award winning filmmaker, Tedx performer, theatre director & photographer based out of Bangalore. He is now seven films old with his films selected in 30 film festivals around the world including the prestigious Oaxaca Film Fest, Bengaluru International Film Festival, Woodpecker International Film Festival, the Best of India Film Festival, CSIFF, Delhi International Film Festival, Cardiff International Film Festival, etc. Shortly before the lock-down, he has been touring with his latest film, which has won over 10 awards, across the world. His films are streaming on international & national platforms like Starzplay, MxPlayer, Viddsee, etc. Shatarupa Bhattacharyya is a PhD from National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore. She has nine years of theatre experience primarily as an actor where she has acted in plays like Evam Indrajeet, Mother Courage and her Children, Waiting for Godot, Yahi Kahi Bohot During etc. She was last seen as an actor in Bangalore little Theatre’s The Year of the Rooster and in Quiver Production’s The Vagina Monologues. Photo-story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zh7–e4EhU Audience Reviews at Alliance Francaise:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGplpOT2qnI Audience Reviews at Lahe Lahe:  https://youtu.be/ouM6-oPNHeo Behind the scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2UUqW2v7tc Chitraa, a critically acclaimed play, goes digital for the first time.

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Quarantine Skin Care
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Quarantine Skin Care

With majority of us currently confined to our homes, our skincare regimes have significantly changed. While most of us are off makeup and giving our skin a break, we should also use this opportunity for self-care and not forget some basics; after all, it is not so bad to pamper ourselves even in the smallest way possible. The Flipkart team gives a few essential tips that you should be careful to keep up through this period. Protect yourself from the UV rays It is a myth that one needs to apply sunscreen only while stepping out. Whether you are staying at home or going outdoors once a day for exercise, it is important to use a full spectrum sunscreen as glass windows and fine curtains can let UV rays in. Lakme Sun Expert Ultra Matte Lotion| Rs.230 Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunblock Cream| Rs.191 Lotus Herbals Safe Sun UV Screen Matte Gel| Rs.267 A regular skin cleanse can do wonders When it comes to skincare, amidst the lockdown, many of us may find our skin to be a lot drier and are witnessing unexpected breakouts along with a dull, tired skin. This is mainly because of the change in environment, constant stress and anxiety, and new habits that are impacting the skin. To combat this, be sure to use a cleanser adapted to your skin type — cream, oil, micellar water — and complete your cleansing ritual every evening. Make this a part of your routine as it is vital to remove dirt accumulated on your skin during the day and to ensure that your skin can regenerate itself optimally at night. Along with it, keep yourself hydrated inside out and it will work wonders and bring back the glow to your skin. Olay Total Effects 7 in 1| Rs.269 L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Laser X3 Power Water| Rs.925 Stay home, Stay Moisturised While it is important to regularly wash our hands to keep the virus away, all that washing, and hand sanitizing dries out the skin. Many people are experiencing cracked and chapped hands. Therefore, moisturizing your hands regularly is very important. Ponds Triple Vitamin Moisturizing Lotion| Rs.250 Vaseline Intensive Care Deep Restore Body Lotion| Rs.265 Parachute Deep Nourish Body Lotion| Rs.165 Nivea Cocoa Nourish oil in lotion| Rs.300 Don’t ignore Lip care Lastly, that one thing that should not be ignored is lip care. A lip balm is not only an essential beauty item, but also a healthy skin need. Lips happen to be one of the most sensitive parts of the body and need the most extreme consideration and care. So, the next time you take care of your skin, do not forget to keep your lips hydrated too.   BIOTIQUE Bio Fruit Whitening Lip Balm Fruity| Rs.157 Himalaya Shine Lip Care Strawberry| Rs.138 NIVEA Shine Caring Lip Balm Cherry|  Rs.131  Stay hydrated with the Face Mist If you are looking for the perfect skincare treat to deal with the hot weather, try out a cooling face mist? It will keep your skin feeling hydrated even in the worst heat. Simply spray the mist on your face for a refreshing look Plum Grape Seed and Sea Buckthorn Nutri-plenish Face Mist| Rs.360 Kaya Youth Hydro Replenish| Rs.319 Quarantine Skin Care

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Alpine delicacies from the Swiss Alps
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Alpine delicacies from the Swiss Alps

As we face restrictions on global travel, Switzerland encourages people to ‘Dream Now Travel Later’, assuring the world that the beautiful country will pause time and stay the way it is to be ready to welcome visitors when the world opens up. Till then, it is a good idea to travel through your kitchens and experiment with dishes that are symbolic to Switzerland and experience the cuisine from one of the most loved destinations. Here are some top easy-to-make recipes with ingredients available in your kitchen. ‘Alpine Macaroni’or known to the Swiss as Älplermagrone, is the ultimate comfort food one can find on the slopes of the famous Alps. This alpine dish is found everywhere on restaurant menus from Appenzell to Zermatt, through Lugano and St. Moritz. https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-in/experiences/food-wine/recipe/alpine-pasta/ Has this quarantine been too tough on you? Then indulge in some ‘Cheese Fondue’for a generous dose of creamy pot of cheese with the pieces of bread just like the Swiss do. Switzerland is known for its best fondues, however there are many different styles and versions. One of the best variations is the Fribourg one, the moitié-moitié, made from spicy Gruyères and softly melting Vacherin cheeses.   Looking for a Saturday night cheat meal? Then melt up the cheese and serve it with vegetables, lavash, croutons and potato wedges, this gives an interesting twist to your fondue palette while you binge watch on your favourite shows. https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-in/experiences/food-wine/recipe/fondue/ ‘Rosti’or also known as “Röstigraben” (Rösti ditch), originally a farmers’ breakfast from German-speaking Switzerland, is now a Swiss national dish with each region having its own version. The Bernese, for example, are known for their crispy Rösti fried in butter. This classic comfort food is surprisingly easy to make, with some tricks along the way, and it turns potatoes into a main meal. The recipe can be summarized in five words: grate potatoes sautéed in butter. The resulting dish is a pancake of potato, crispy brown on the outside, gooey, buttery, potato-licious inside. This is a dish that is very easy to create in your kitchens for a lazy Sunday brunch. https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-in/experiences/food-wine/recipe/recipe-for-roesti/ Meringue, a sweet kiss with egg whites is a sugary pastry invented around the year 1600. Since the delicate and airy pastry made from egg whites and the thick battered Gruyères cream complement each other so well, one easily understands why Meringue is a favourite dessert in the land of Fribourg. You can enjoy your meringue in two ways – one can be slowly baked, transforming into crisp cookies or as dessert on top of cake’s layers. It is a good start to your love for baking delicious desserts. https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-in/experiences/food-wine/recipe/meringues/ So, bring out the foodie in you and experience the taste of this magical destination by trying out some of the famous dishes. You can find more such interesting recipes here, https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-in/experiences/food-wine/typically-swiss-recipes-search/ Alpine delicacies from the Swiss Alps

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Simple Recipe for Tawa Pulao
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Simple Recipe for Tawa Pulao

We Indians are masters at the art of cleverly turning leftovers into delicious meals, and this is very evident in the dish created by the industrious stall owners of Khau Galli (a very popular street/by lane that houses food stalls in downtown Mumbai) called Tawa Pulao. The base of the dish is the bhaji, or the gravy part of an immensely popular anytime snack, Pav Bhaji. There are many stories as to the origins of this dish and the most plausible story to me is that it was created for mill workers. The cotton mills in central Bombay used to work 24 hours a day and worked in multiple shifts, the night shift used to break very early in the morning and needed a little something to quench their appetites, here was born the Pav Bhaji. Pav Bread was very easy to procure and store. The Bhaji consisted of leftover vegetables smashed together with rehydrated green peas, a healthy amount of spices thrown in and finally sprinkled with the classic salted Amul butter to enhance all flavours. Now taking this delicious dish a bit further and as an alternative, the Bhaji is mixed with leftover rice, which acquired a posh version when steamed basmati rice was used. Tossed along with the Bhaji and aromatics like coriander and mint leaves, crunchy diced onions and green capsicum along with copious amounts of salted butter on a very hot tawa or cast iron griddle, the Tawa Pulao was created. I particularly love this dish, not just because it unites two very obvious Indian loves of something chatpata and soothing rice, but because there is no “authentic” recipe! Just toss whatever leftover vegetables you have on hand, add a good amount of butter and the star, which is Pav Bhaji masala. I sort of fake my way through this dish every time, since there is no “strict” recipe – just a method and a single masala (you can use whichever garam masala you have on hand), this dish can turn leftover vegetables into something spectacular, go ahead and give it your twist. Recipe for Tawa Pulao Ingredients 3 cups cooked rice (basmati if possible) 2 cups par boiled, finely chopped vegetables of your choice (cauliflower, peas, potatoes, green capsicum, french beans, carrot, cabbage, sweet corn) 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes OR 1/2 cup tomato purée 1/2 cup finely chopped onions 3-4 tbsp salted butter 1 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 3-4 tsp pav bhaji masala 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder 2 tsp cumin seeds Salt to taste Coriander leaves, lime wedge, salted butter and finely chopped onion for garnish. Method Heat a wide skillet/tawa or a wok, add the butter, cumin seeds and let it sputter. The rest of the dish is cooked on a high flame. Add the ginger-garlic paste, onions and let it cook for a minute or two. Add the tomatoes and Pav Bhaji masala and Kashmiri red chilli powder. Cook until the tomatoes turn pulpy. Toss in the vegetables, and cook until the vegetables are coated, constantly mixing to prevent the them from burning. Add the rice and toss everything until well mixed. Add the coriander leaves, extra butter, toss again. Serve warm with chopped onion and lime wedges. – By Rupa Balachandar, A designer by profession, a home chef by love and a gemstone lover by passion, Rupa is a food and lifestyle writer who happens to be a vegetarian and loves to cook vegan and vegetarian versions of international cuisines for her family and friends. Simple Recipe for Tawa Pulao

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What’s the Hullabaloo About?
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What’s the Hullabaloo About?

An enriched life is a life pursuing one’s purpose. And if you find your purpose at a very young age, chances are, you will enjoy the process of honing it constantly. At Hullaballoo, we believe that this seeding of possibilities has to be sown during a child’s formative years itself. The more children are exposed to the myriad ways of expressing themselves, the more they will be inspired to make some of it their dreams and ambitions. The team believes in having serious fun. They identify possibilities and experts, discuss and curate, set up the experience and conduct the fun. They also conduct live sessions. They carefully curate these experiences for your children that they can absorb on their own, or can enjoy with your participation. Each live session is meant to be highly interactive and are being capped at eight kids only. Their USP is that they tie up with professionals who are experts in their field. They believe that every child needs professional assistance to mould them better. The Hullabaloo team is founded by Anuja Gupta and co-founded by Danvneva Phira and Nithya David. Mothers of three year olds who felt a vacuum which needed to be filled, started this venture. They have made the pricing very reasonable so that everyone can participate. The session starts from Rs 350 for one session and Rs 2200 for all nine sessions. More details on www.hullabalooblr.com [envira-gallery id=”9510″] What’s the Hullabaloo About?

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