Best of Weekender: Meet social media influencer Radhika Bangia, rent branded attire from Sabena Puri, and toss up some delicious pasta at home

With over a million followers on Instagram and over 5.3 million followers on TikTok and counting, actress Radhika Bangia always strives to come up with something unique and creative for her fans.

This talented actress, model, entertainer, and social media influencer has the ability to make others smile through her videos, which are rich in humour and substance. She has also collaborated with a number of leading personalities in India.

Don’t miss an exclusive interview with Radhika, where she talks about her love for the performing arts, her passion for dance, and what it means to be a social media influencer in this generation.

Renting branded clothes and accessories is the new normal, say founders of fashion rental platforms. Renting fashion works on so many levels.  To begin with, renting is more affordable and secondly, since a costly outfit cannot be worn over and over again, it remains unused in a wardrobe for many years. When you rent an ensemble, you can return it and rent another designer outfit for another occasion at a cost that is much easier on the pocket.

Stage3 is a Delhi-based, fashion-rental and styling platform which focusses on providing today’s fashion-forward millennials affordable access to on-trend, glamorous fashion through rental and sales.

Read all about the fashion rental business in our interaction with Sabena Puri, Co-Founder, Stage3, as she talks about their celebrity-endorsed designer outfits and accessories that are tailor-made for Indian wardrobes.

Did you know that some museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim, Tate Modern, Musee D’ Orsay in Paris, and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam are offering virtual tours during this period of lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic?

Were you aware of the fact that Opera houses and orchestras such as the New York Met Opera and the Berlin Philharmonic are currently live streaming concerts to audiences around the world? Or that you can learn to Zumba just by watching a video?

Don’t miss all our fabulous suggestions of all the interesting activities that you can do at home to help you feel less isolated and make the most of your time at home.

Get ready to watch Tamil superstar Rajinikanth in a new avatar on Discovery Channel with popular adventure seeker Bear Grylls. This episode of the show, ‘Into the Wild with Bear Grylls’ was shot in Bandipur National Park and will air on March 23rd.

In the show, we will see British adventurer Bear Grylls along with the 69-year-old superstar, doing some challenging stunts and discussing a wide variety of topics.

Don’t miss the show that will air across 12 Discovery channels and in many languages too.

Have your watched movies like Contagion, Outbreak, or Pandemic? During this time when we have time on our hands, it may be a good idea to watch movies based on medical disasters. 

Many of these movies are being streamed on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime and being watched by millions of people globally. Movie buffs are enjoying these films, either to be provided with new knowledge on diseases or to seek comfort and solace during these trying times.

Read all about the top movies on medical disasters and find out how people dealt with pandemics with patience and resolve.

If you're tired of swapping between Netflix and Prime Video while social distancing, may we suggest this curated list of feel-good books? International Day of Happiness was observed on March 20 and it reminded us that staying optimistic, happy, and maintaining mental well-being is the need of the hour.

From books like The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert, 10% Happier by Dan Harris, The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama, there are some wonderful books out there that will motivate and cheer you up.

Check out our recommendations on what to read this weekend and how these books will enrich your life.

Working from home is now mandatory for many individuals in order to save others and themselves. Meetings are being carried out virtually through Hangouts, Skype, and Face Time calls. As people from all over the world get ready to work from home, check out some of their unique workstations.

Read all about the innovative home offices that people have created for themselves and how they have made their homes and surroundings conducive and beautiful for long and gruelling days of work.

Did you know that world leaders and bureaucrats have resorted to the age-old Indian tradition of Namaste? Today the 'Namaste' is being accepted as the best form of greeting globally.

Recently, US President Donald Trump greeted Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar with a Namaste while hosting him at the White House. At another recent event, the annual Prince’s Trust Awards, UK’s Prince Charles, who is next-in-line to the British throne, avoided shaking hands with anyone and greeted them with a 'Namaste' instead.

Read all about how the 'Namaste' will soon be the preferred mode of greeting across the world!

On social media, news channels, Whatsapp groups, and school discussions, there is a lot of panic about COVID-19. But what can you actually do to protect yourself and your dear ones? When it comes to protecting your immune system against a virus, you need to know about a few immune stressors that you have to safeguard yourself against.

You could stay away from inflammatory foods like processed food, dairy, white sugar and trans fats, get a full night’s sleep, avoid chronic stress, keep your body moving with exercise, and follow many more healthy procedures to stay safe.

Check out all the tips that our nutritionist has to offer on how to look after yourself during a pandemic.

Are your heroes in real life Elon Musk, JK Rowling, Michelle Obama, Oprah? Are your favourite writers Carmine Gallo, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, and Phil Knight? Are you an introvert by nature but can come alive on a stage? If so, meet Dipali Mathur Dayal, Founder and CEO of The Natturel and Kool Pvt Ltd, the parent company of the brand, Super Smelly, which is a brand of personal care products for Gen Z that is 100 percent toxin-free and made with natural ingredients.

Apart from her entrepreneurial commitments, Dipali loves to spend time with her family, likes to read, loves to travel and is also a fitness enthusiast. She believes that her motto, ‘Never be defeated by mistakes, just learn from them’ is the best way to succeed in the journey of life.

Don’t miss Dipali’s responses to our Proust questionnaire where she talks about her greatest treasures, loves, regrets, heroes and much more.

(Edited by Suman Singh)