Best of Weekender: From candid chats with entrepreneurs on their views on freedom to the flavour of sourdough bread

Every year, when the Prime Minister arrives at Delhi’s Red Fort to mark the arrival of another Independence Day and the flag unfurls and billows in the wind, a spirit of pride and patriotism fills the land.

As another Independence Day goes by, people are viewing freedom with new eyes and a new perspective. After so many long and arduous months of lockdowns, tragedies, and fears amid the pandemic, the future continues to look bleak for many citizens.

YSWeekender caught up with founders like Sujayath Ali, Malini Agarwal, and celebrities like Chef Ranveer Brar, and many more to find out what freedom means to them in these difficult times.

Don't miss our interviews with some well-known entrepreneurs and celebrities, where we discovered new ways of looking at life and liberty.

Our forefathers and freedom fighters, many of whom sacrificed their own lives, all believed that their children’s children and future generations all had the right to attain ‘Poorna Swaraj’ or complete Independence.

Over Independence Day weekend, let us honour our freedom fighters and martyrs of our country, by celebrating them and watching inspiring films that showcase their profound and heart-wrenching life stories.

From the 1982 epic historical film Gandhi, that channels the life of the father of our nation, to 2017 period drama The Viceroy's House, based on the last Viceroy of India Lord Mountbatten, check out our recommendations of the best films to watch over Independence Day weekend.

Learning and understanding the basics of personal finance is not yet an integral part of our mainstream education, nor has it formed an imperative part of our dinner table conversations.

Due to a lack of basic knowledge of personal finance, the foundation is shaky, and we start on the wrong foot when it comes to handling our personal finances. But if we take some time to understand personal finance and plan ahead, we will earn the financial freedom that we crave and need, says Preetha Wali, Co-founder, Pay It Forward.

Check out Preetha's tips on how to plan ahead and keep your money safe and growing too.

Whether you are living in a compact apartment or a duplex, if you are looking to refurbish the whole space or only specific nooks in your home, there are few décor rules you must keep in mind. Ritam Ray, Head of Design, from Welspun Flooring Limited, shares a simple style guide for all the décor enthusiasts out there on how to put together an Instagram-worthy space with the right elements!

From colours that play a significant role in every space by commanding a certain vibe to floors that offer a distinct character to every space to the size, style, and colours of your light fixtures that play a major role in transforming the look and feel of your interiors, there are many ways to improve every room in your house.

Read all about how to upgrade the interiors of your home with some easy steps.

Goa-based bread boss, Sujit Sumitran, 59, has been baking sourdough bread for many years and has evangelised sourdough bread making, which is perhaps the oldest form of leavened bread in the history of mankind.

When Sujit Sumitran discovered the beauty and flavour of sourdough a decade ago, he demystified this complex and time-consuming process of baking sourdough bread for others via his workshops. After COVID-19 struck globally, the master baker launched many ongoing online workshops.

Don’t miss reading all about this enterprising entrepreneur’s experiments with sourdough bread.

Is your favourite hero of fiction Iron Man, because you love his intelligence, spark, charisma, chutzpah, wit, and confidence? Are you real heroes our country’s armed forces and the police force? Is your greatest regret that you did not start your entrepreneurial journey earlier?

If so, meet Vinayak Burman, Managing and Founder Partner of Vertices Partners, an Indian law firm. He specialises in venture capital, private equity, and strategic acquisitions across multiple sectors.

As for his motto, he believes that "If you want to aim at the bulls-eye, you actually need to aim slightly above it to neutralise gravity. Similarly, in life, if you have to achieve something, work at a level higher than you are expected to, only then will you achieve it."

Don’t’ miss reading all about Vinayak's greatest loves, values, possessions, achievements, and more in his responses to our Proust questionnaire.