Take a calm prescription; Relishing a forgotten Punjab

Hello,

Grab yourself some popcorn because the AI talent war is getting intense!

OpenAI’s deal to acquire AI coding startup Windsurf for $3 billion fell apart, as Google DeepMind moved to hire its CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and some of the startup’s top researchers.  

According to reports, as part of the deal, Google will have a nonexclusive license to certain Windsurf technology, meaning the startup remains free to license its technology to others. Google is paying $2.4 billion to license Windsurf’s technology and hire its top employees.

In other news, the Sam Altman-led AI startup has delayed the launch of its open model—planned for next week—for further safety testing. OpenAI’s open model release is one of the most highly anticipated AI events of the summer, alongside the ChatGPT maker’s expected release of GPT-5. 

Back home, Tesla received regulatory go-ahead to display vehicles, allow test drives, and sell its EVs in Maharashtra. The Elon Musk company will open its showroom in Mumbai's BKC on July 15.

ICYMI: Quick fashion startup Blip shuts shop after under a year.

Meanwhile, rice farmers in north-eastern Italy are dealing with a new pest: flamingos!

The baby pink-hued birds are damaging flooded fields that produce rice for risotto with their webbed feet to snatch molluscs, algae, or insects from the shallow water. 

According to local farmers, “This has never happened before!”

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Take a calm prescription
• Relishing a forgotten Punjab
• Fiji’s soulful spa rituals

Here’s your trivia for today: Crusiverbalism refers to what activity?

Wellness

Take a calm prescription

On most days, calm feels like a distant dream. We’re plugged in, logged on and constantly stimulated by screens, urgency or the gnawing pressure to keep up. We optimise our sleep, biohack our mornings, and track our steps. And yet, more people than ever are anxious, fatigued, and unwell.

Luke Coutinho’s new book, The Calm Prescription, reframes calm as a biological state—not a mood or mindset. Backed by science and patient stories, the book introduces calm as a physiological foundation for healing, not a passive luxury.

Calming down:

• In the book, calm is not just described–it’s measured. “When your body feels safe, it shifts into what we call the parasympathetic mode, also known as rest and repair,” he adds. 
• With The Calm Prescription, Coutinho didn’t want to write a lifestyle manifesto filled with impossible routines. The book includes 75 accessible, science-backed tools that readers can use regardless of age or health status. 
• For Coutinho, calm isn’t just a personal practice; it’s a public health project. He’s currently scaling The Bharat Nutrition & Lifestyle Classroom, an initiative that takes holistic health education to schoolchildren across India. 

Wine and Food

Relishing a forgotten Punjab

Some memories don’t carry dates or documents. Instead, they arrive in the smell of shakkar ki roti, the crunch of mathi chole, or the warm rustle of a family photo tucked behind glass. Passed down through taste, texture, and time, they quietly live on in our kitchens. 

At Ikk Panjab—a flagship dining concept by Gurugram-based Bright Hospitality—these memories form the soul of the experience. While the first outlet opened seven years ago in Delhi’s Rajouri Garden, storytelling wasn’t central to the concept back then. That story, however, has since changed.

Nostalgic:

• Today, Ikk Panjab is a celebration of Punjab’s memory, culture, and spirit. The food served here draws from landmark cities and border towns across pre-partition Punjab, each shaped by rulers, refugees, folklore, and resilience.
• One of the brand’s boldest creative choices was to challenge the popular–but–mistaken belief that Punjabi food begins and ends with butter chicken, dal makhani, and tandoori chicken.
• Between oral history and inherited recipes, Ikk Panjab is in a race to preserve what little remains. The menu continues to evolve, shaped by memories that surface in fragments through conversations and even half-remembered flavours. Documentation is ongoing and deeply emotional.

Travel

Inside Fiji’s soulful spa rituals

From lavish resorts to tranquil spas, discover how Fiji’s hospitality, oceanfront escapes, and wellness rituals offer a journey of renewal, cultural connection, and unforgettable moments of ease.

News & updates

• Trade: The US is working toward an interim trade deal with India that may reduce its proposed tariffs to below 20%. India doesn’t expect to receive a tariff demand letter—unlike many other nations this week—and anticipates the trade arrangement will be announced through a statement.
• PC: Jio Platforms has launched a virtual desktop service for set-top box users. Called JioPC, the service offers a cloud-based PC experience through Jio’s set-top box, which comes bundled for free with its home broadband service or can be purchased separately for Rs 5,499.
• Duties: US customs duty collections surged again in June as US tariffs gained steam, topping $100 billion for the first time during a fiscal year and helping to produce a surprise $27 billion budget surplus for the month, the US Treasury Department reported on Friday.

Crusiverbalism refers to what activity?

Answer: The creation or solving of crosswords.

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