Beat the lockdown weekend blues

As the lockdown stretches on, the weekends feel empty—especially for those who love going out. Why not make the best of this downtime? If you love photography and never have a moment to pursue it seriously, here’s the chance to probe deeper. Want to catch up on the latest in Indian fiction? Or feast your senses on soothing art and music? Here are four ideas to keep you happily occupied this weekend.

Frame that perfect shot

Want to hone your photography skills with masters like Raghu Rai from the comfort of your drawing room? Nikon India has collaborated with several such experts for its online photography modules, available free till the end of the month. The idea is to encourage people to acquire new skills during the extended lockdown.

Keen and aspiring photographers can engage with veterans from diverse fields of wedding, wildlife, architecture, street, portrait, food and pet photography. Some of these classes will be followed by Q&A sessions on the nitty-gritty of technical details and other concepts. The company has also started a special “Capture with Nikon" segment in which participants can share their work.

Available on Nikon India’s official Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channels

A world between two covers

If your weekend indulge was popping into your favourite bookshop and browsing for hours on end, you can still do it virtually—and also do good by the publishing industry. For fiction readers, the longlists of the last two editions of the JCB Prize for Literature, India’s richest prize awarded to literary fiction writers, are available on Amazon’s Kindle platform at attractive discounts. From books by Malayalam writer Benyamin (who won the inaugural award in 2018) and Madhuri Vijay (last year’s winner) to a range of other titles in English and translations from Indian languages—there’s a whole world waiting to be discovered between two covers.

Select “JCB Award Winners" in the drop-down menu on amazon.in to see the list

Building a creative community

Urban contemporary clothing brand Bhaane has collaborated with independent artists and illustrators to create content to inspire and instil positivity in these tough times. Visual artists such as Anoushka Mirchandani, Smriti Choudhary and Rohan Dahtore are showcasing their work on the official handle of Bhaane as part of the online art exhibition #21DaysofBhaane as well as on their own handles on Instagram.

Choudhary, a graphic designer and entrepreneur, was inspired by a J.K. Rowling quote (“Family is a life jacket in the stormy sea of life") to create a portrait of a family with a gaggle of pets in tow. Shruti Narayanaswamy, on the other hand, has drawn attention to the fact that no one had meditated with such gravity on the simple act of washing hands till the covid-19 pandemic.

#21DaysofBhaane is available to view on @bhaane on Instagram

Reimagining the gharana style of music

Last year, Raw Mango launched a limited edition of collectible objects to celebrate a decade in the fashion and design industry. Out of these 10 objects, the founder of the brand, Sanjay Garg, has chosen Ghar, which is based on sounds from India’s vast musical heritage. He believes sound plays a key role in evoking memories and moments of joy.

Garg has reimagined sounds that call out to the idea of home in a collaborative effort with musician Suryakant Sawhney (Lifafa). The resulting seven tracks are the brand’s reimagination of the gharana style of music.

Available on Apple Music, iTunes and Spotify.

—Compiled by Avantika Bhuyan and Somak Ghoshal

Why not make the best of this downtime? If you love photography and never have a moment to pursue it seriously, here’s the chance