Best of Weekender: From a candid chat with actor Devas Dixit to the magic of Mandala art

Devas Dixit who acted in Chhapaak, Raid, and more recently, the web series City of Dreams, and the espionage thriller Special Ops had almost given up his dreams of becoming an actor at one point in his life.

But his firm determination and endless hard work gave him many box-office hits, and great success on the OTT platforms.

Devas will soon be seen in Avinash Arun’s Amazon Prime Show Tryst with Destiny, which stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Ashish Vidyarthi in lead roles. He will also star in the movie See you in Court, which will be released this year.

Don’t miss our exclusive interview with Kanpur-boy Devas as he tells us about his Bollywood journey, and what lies ahead for him once the lockdown is lifted.

How do you react when a mouse runs by you in your house? What would you say to your house painters or electricians when you don’t know a word of Hindi?

Comedian Praveen Kumar has endless stories like this, and he narrates them with great verve and style on his comedy show Mr Family Man. This BITS Pilani graduate has been in the comedy sphere from 2009 onwards, and has performed in over 1,400 shows globally to date. He is known to leave his audience in splits with his simple experiences, and relatable stories from day-to-day life.

Read our interview with Praveen as he talks about how he got into the standup space, how he creates content and the most memorable moments in his career.

Did you know that Mandala art is used as an aid to meditation? The Mandala is known for its deep spiritual significance and its representation of wholeness.

Meet Mayank Aggarwal who has been propagating Mandala art for a long time now, and has taken his art to wider audiences and bigger platforms over the years. During the lockdown, Mayank has been conducting webinars on Zoom to break down the complex art of the Mandala, and teach his audience the intricacies of the art.

Don’t miss reading all about this creative artist, and what Mandala art can do for you.

A miniature shipbuilding project or an hour of yoga? A musical recital or a baking frenzy? A quiet time of yoga or a round of Monopoly? Which will it be?

The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent global lockdown has had a few benefits for people who have discovered a new hobby or leisure activity to spend their days. Many have revived the habit of reading, while others are rustling up gourmet meals in the kitchen. Some have discovered many other new hobbies and have been enjoying them to the fullest.

Practising a hobby gives you a sense of mastery. According to psychology experts, 'a hobby can enrich your days as you are developing new skills, new thought processes, and really challenging yourself to learn something new and develop your skill set.'

Check out some of the hobbies that well-known entrepreneurs have discovered during the lockdown.

As lockdown 4.0 continues in India, it is safe to say that the Indian government has eased restrictions in non-red zones as per the Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines.

And now, with workplaces, restaurant delivery, grocery stores, and domestic flights, opening up slowly and steadily most people are extremely apprehensive about what the future of work will hold.

It is important to know the new protocol in your workplace and the steps you need to take if you plan to head back to the workplace soon. From social distancing to sanitising office surfaces to taking the stairs instead of the lift, and limiting in-person meetings, there are many ways life is going to change in the office.

Don’t miss reading about all the preventive measures that may come into place in offices once the lockdown is over.

Are your favourite authors Ramachandra Guha and George R R Martin? Are your real-life heroes the people who pledge their lives to serve others selflessly? Is your greatest extravagance your PS4 game?

If yes, meet Shivjeet Ghatge, CEO, StepSetGo, who feels the same way.

Shivjeet has around 10 years of experience in advertising. While working on a few projects and consulting for various medium-sized family businesses on their branding and advertising needs, he collaborated with his partners to develop an app called StepSetGo.

Shivjeet believes that perseverance is the key to success and it is the only way to reach the pinnacle of success at work, and in life.

Read all about his greatest heroes, his loves, his most treasured possessions, and more, in his responses to our Proust questionnaire.