In an Instagram post, Ranveer Singh shared the new song of his upcoming film 83. Titled as 'Lehra Do', it will remind you of the World Cup anthems created previously in India. After a long wait, Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh will be seen in the much awaited film on cricket, 83. Days before the film's release, the actor took to Instagram to share a new song from his film, Lehra Do. The song shares the thrill and enthusiasm with which cricket lovers watch World Cup matches and pray for their team to lift the cup. The song can give you goosebumps as it will remind you of the World Cup anthems created previously in India. Announcing the song's release, Ranveer said, "Gear up for glory! #LehraDo song out now - LINK IN BIO 83 RELEASING IN CINEMAS ON 24TH DEC, 2021, in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Also in 3D. #ThisIs83." The actor will play legendary cricketer Kapil Dev in the film. The film also stars Deepika Padukone, essaying the role of Roma Dev. Besides this, Pankaj Tripathi, Saqib Saleem, Hardy Sandhu, Nishant Dahiya, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Ammy Virk and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, among others, will also be seen in the film.

The annual Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize (RTLP) for this year has been cancelled. It will now merge with RTLP 2022 to take place in New Delhi in October 2022. TagorePrize has announced the merger of RTLP 2021 and 2022. The decision to cancel the RTLP 2021 as a single annual event and to merge it together with RTLP 2022 has been made after a careful consideration and much reluctance. TagorePrize also announced call for entries for both the years together. It will host an annual ceremony in-person in New Delhi in October 2022. The decision of merging the two prizes has not been taken lightly, and the organisation emphasised that it did everything in its power to prevent it, however, the pandemic hadn't spared anybody. Peter Bundalo, Founder, RTLP said, “The disruption has affected not only the publishing and book industry whose participation in the nominations was thus, enormously and regrettably curbed, but also the Tagore Prize organisation, its staff, and its judging board.” “We feel a vast responsibility toward our nominees and Tagore Prize community, and by merging RTLP 2021 with 2022 we are reinforcing our commitment to our primary purpose, to maintain our artistic and literary standards high and uncompromised at any cost,” he added. Every year, the RTLP is hosted with awarding ceremony and shares ideas and aims with TagorePrize community. Over the course of the coming months and with due regard to COVID-19 health and safety regulations, possibility will explored for hosting an annual ceremony in-person in New Delhi in October 2022. TagorePrize was founded and launched in 2018 with a strong vision to be a platform and a vehicle for improving and inspiring World Peace, Literature, Art Education.

After learning that Shershaah’s soundtrack has been the most-streamed album of the year, Karan Johar revealed said, ‘’It makes me immensely happy that the songs have touched 1 billion audio streams’’. Filmmaker Karan Johar is elated to learn about the success of Shershaah's songs becoming the most streamed album of the year. Showing his excitement, he said, “It makes me immensely happy that the songs have touched 1 billion audio streams. It feels good to be on the top of the charts and have audiences groove to our tunes.” The film starring Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani has topped the charts as the biggest album of the year and the fastest one to reach 1 billion audio streams worldwide. It was released by Sony Music and Azeem Dayani supervised the album. The singers who have added their voices to the songs include Tanishk Bagchi, Jubin Nautiyal, Asees Kaur, B Praak, Jasleen Royal, Darshan Raval, Palak Muchhal, among others. Talking about the success of the album, actor Sidharth Malhotra said, “The kind of response Shershaah has received is humbling and I am elated to see the continuous affection. Being my passion project, I was deeply involved in the music selection of the film along with Vishnu, Azeem and Karan," and added, "I am grateful to all the artists and singers for this magical album. We are over the moon, grateful to have reached 1 billion audio streams. All thanks to the audience for their love and support.” Delighted at the success of the album, Apoorva Mehta, CEO of Dharma Productions added, “This is a very special film for all of us and to see it become one of the most loved music albums for this year is a truly extraordinary moment. Every song in the album is heart-touching and the music is awe-inspiring. We hope that the audience continues to support us and encourages us to entertain them in a much grander manner." “The numbers are a testament to the success and the appreciation by the audience of the country. Sony Music in association with Dharma Productions is very proud and content to witness this success,” said Sanujeet Bhujabal, Executive Director, Sony Music Entertainment.

Sweta Das recently showcased her maiden solo exhibition in Delhi at the India Habitat Centre’s The Open Palm Court. We spoke to her to understand more about the show. Excerpts… 1. Tell us about your art show? The show is titled ‘A World of Creation’. I have tried to give people a glimpse of nature through my abstract artworks. It is my take on the varied tones that constitute nature. I have expressed my emotions and imagination through these artworks. These paintings depict colours that one sees while imagining nature. That is why I have not restricted my canvas to only a few colours. If you see carefully, I have used several colours - red, orange, green, yellow and black, to name a few. There are 37 paintings on display. I have used mixed media and added acrylic colours to them. Viewers can relate to these paintings through their emotions and energies. 2. Tell us about the technique that you have used while making these paintings? I have used roller and spatula in these artworks. I have not used any brush strokes. All the works were very spontaneous. It’s the colours that make the painting. The colours were used directly. It’s not that I made a rough image using a pencil or pen and then added colours to them. That is why I call these paintings abstract art works. 3. What inspired you to choose nature as a topic? We are born and raised in nature. Our imagination, feel and perception come from nature. That is why I focussed on nature. There are emotions, energies and natural aspects of environment in these artworks. There are also social observations which I have expressed through in some the pieces titled ‘Warrior’, ‘Femininity’, ‘Damaged’ and ‘Human’. I have captured these emotions by adding distinguished colours to them. I thought that it was essential for people to connect through colours and strokes. 4. When and how did you discover your love for art? Since childhood, I was interested in art. However, I lost some path in the middle due to my curriculum. I have had connection with canvas since my father is an artist. So, I have grown up around colours and canvases. In fact, my mother too is an artist. She practices Rabindra Sangeet. Growing up watching them create some kind of art influenced me to learn music initially and then take up paintings. My parents also encouraged and nurtured my skills in paintings. As a child, I remember my mom narrated stories about different artists. Their journeys motivated me to pursue some kind of art – be it singing, painting or dancing. 6. What made you take up painting? I took up painting because there is independence in this art. It allows me to put my imagination on paper without being upheld by anyone. I found that I was able to express myself freely and independently through drawing and that is why I chose art. 7. When did you made these artworks? I got a lot of time during the pandemic. I created these artworks between June to November 2021.

All muscles and no masala is how we can define Satyameva Jayate 2 for you. The film is loaded with over-the-top action sequences, too much of John Abraham (the actor plays a triple role) and dialogues written by a tenth-grader. But that's not the worst part of the film as the script and its treatment are equally stale. Here's our review... Name: Satyameva Jayate 2 Director: Milap Zaveri Cast: John Abraham, Divya Khosla Kumar, Harsh Chhaya, Gautami Kapoor and Anoop Soni Rating: 1/5 Films are a reflection of the society. But it hurts when a director uses a poorly-written script, loud action sequences and a stale treatment to spread the message of patriotism. Director Milap Zaveri has exactly done the same in Satyameva Jayate 2. The film is packed with 'punches'. But the only ones that viewers will see are the ones hit by muscular John Abraham. Mind you there are not just five or ten of them, but the entire film is loaded with over-the-top action scenes. You will also see cars, tables and people falling all over the place - something that you witness in a South Indian action film. But that isn't the only thing to cringe about. Wait till you hear the characters speak. Most of the dialogues are in the form of rhyming sentences, as if an innocent tenth-grader wrote them to satiate his urge to write poetry. Divya Khosla Kumar who has made her debut as an actress has been unimpressive. Her dialogue delivery is so terrible that it seems that she is simply reading lines without feeling the moment. The film also stars actors Harsh Chhaya and Anup Soni in the supporting roles. Though both the actors have played their part well, one cannot miss Anup saying 'Savdhan Rahe Satark Rahe' in one of the scenes. The story revolves around Dada Saheb Azad, played by John Abraham, who dies while fighting corruption. His twin sons, Satya (a home minister) and Jay (an honest police officer), also played by John Abraham, follow their father's footsteps. They are on a constant run to punish baddies by taking law in their own hands. While the idea of the script is good, it has not been handled with seriousness. Some of the scenes are so unrealistic to digest that you would often ask how is that even possible. Take a cue from the two Johns, Satya and Jay, killing goons without being questioned for their actions, Gautami Kapoor (the twin brothers' mother) waking up from coma, the home minister (Satya) dancing at a random guy's wedding and then killing his father and Jay slapping a fellow police officer in a police station for mocking an innocent victim. I mean why would you a director approach the idea of patriotism in such a non-seriousness manner? If that was not enough, the film's songs have also been given any importance in their placement. The songs are placed inappropriately. In fact, the film could have survived without any songs and their positioning would make you uncomfortable. Overall, the film is bland and there is nothing great that you should expect. If you still want to watch it, enjoy at your own risk.

The fifth edition of the Mahindra Kabira Festival will take place between November 26–28, 2021. Only fully-vaccinated people will be able to watch this cultural extravaganza. The ghats of Varanasi are set to witness a different kind of symphony and fervour. Mahindra Kabira Festival is back after a year of no show to celebrate the wisdom of the 15th century mystic and poet Kabir with music, literature and discourse. The three-day extravaganza promises a treat to cultural enthusiasts in the form of classical and folk music performances, talks, live-art demonstrations, boat rides, local food journeys and the Ganga aarti experience. It will also feature performances of several acclaimed artists. Some of them include folk singer Malini Awasthi; Indian classical vocalists Kalapini Komkali; classical vocalist Nirali Kartik; folk poet Jumme Khan; renowned santoor player Divyansh Harshit Srivastava; Indian sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee and Malayalam playback singer Gayatri Asokan. Besides these, Carnatic vocal and violin duo Ranjani Gayatri; accomplished Dastango and the only artist of his kind to introduce the art forms of Muharram (Soz-Khwani) Askari Naqvi; well-known Hindustani classical musician from the Benares Gharana Pandit Anoop Misra; musician and singer Chinmayi Tripathi; multi-instrumentalist, composer-producer Joell Mukherjii and Delhi-based pianist, composer and producer Anirudh Varma will also set the stage on fire. Talking about his performance, Jumme Khan says, “I will be reciting Kabir Das’ devotional songs. As an artist, I feel that Kabir’s bhajans have thrill and I like singing such songs. That is why I choose to perform at this festival.” The three-day event also includes performances of Raman Iyer, a musician, storyteller, author and filmmaker and Umesh Kabir, an educator, spiritual mentor and researcher of theology. Artists from The Aahvaan Project will present collaborative fusions following Kabir’s ideas. Santoor player Divyansh Harshit Srivastava will play raga bairagi bhairav on November 27 at 6:30 am. Talking about his morning raga performance and its relevance at this festival, Divyansh says, “Raga bairagi bhairav is a very meditative raga and close to the sound of Lord Shiva. Since we are performing in Varanasi, which is a place of Lord Shiva, I think this raga will create positive and meditative atmosphere at the banks of River Ganga early in the morning.” Divyansh’s recital is not directly connected to Kabir but to the latter’s teachings. “Since Kabir’s teachings promote peace, I will try to create peace and meditation through my music. A tabla player and pakhavaj player will accompany me. Pakhavaj is a naad creating sound. This combination of santoor and pakhavaj will sooth listeners’ ears and they will be able to feel meditative. I will try to give whatever I have learnt from my gurus in this performance to match my music with Kabir’s philosophy on peace and tranquillity,” he explains. He is not the only artist to interpret Kabir’s philosophy through his art. A modern version of well-known theatre personality, actor and cultural activist MK Raina’s all-time hit play ‘Kabira Khada Bazaar Mein’, written by Bhisham Sahni will also create modern reinterpretations based on Kabir's poetry. Similarly, artist Umesh Kabir in his talk will familiarise people about Kabir’s philosophy. Explaining about his performance, Umesh says, “On 27 November, I will perform a literature session based on Kabir’s life and philosophy. The talk will highlight the importance of his philosophy and its concept. I would be explaining how Kabir started his life and how people can inculcate these qualities in their lives.” Jay Shah, Vice President, Head – Cultural Outreach, Mahindra Group, describes this year's festival as new beginnings in a changed world. "Our return emphasises resilience and the spirit of Rise, both intrinsic to us at the Mahindra Group. We are delighted to bring back the joy of live performances to Varanasi - a city that is known for its artistry and ancient wisdom - the customary home of Mahindra Kabira,” he says. Mahindra Kabira Festival is a brainchild of the Mahindra Group. It celebrates Kabir and the inherent wisdom of his verses through varied programme offerings.

To keep her parent’s retired life busy, Deepthi Rohith gifted them a business venture involving two of their favourite things – kids and books. Owlets Reading Room delivers imported books from the UK to children between 0-10 years of age. Here’s how this Bangalore-based venture has created a difference in the lives of little learners… When Deepthi Rohith was expecting her second child, she knew that as a new mother, she would keep busy. She also feared that her busy schedule would keep her away from visiting her retired parents often. Due to this, they would feel lonely. She was on a constant look out for business ideas to keep them occupied. But she realised that they weren’t as tech-savvy as her. So, starting a venture where they had to manage a website or a social media page was out of question. It was then she came across a dealer who used to import books from the UK and the US. Without any hesitation, she called and negotiated a deal with him. This gave her the idea to start a venture as it involved two of her parent’s favourite things – books and kids. This led to the birth of Owlets Reading Room. Started as a WhatsApp group, the platform provides upcycled books to children aged 0-10 years. Despite being upcycled, they are good in quality. Deepthi clarifies them as used and discarded books from the UK written by acclaimed foreign authors. In fact, she insists that she and her parents follow a strict protocol in shortlisting the books before they reach end customers. “We have a team of people working with us. When we import books, this team physically visits the location and checks the condition of the books. If there is a tear or scribble in the book, we do not accept them. We ensure that only those books that are in excellent condition reach customers,” she says. Since it is a WhatsApp group, books are sold in a transparent manner. The allocation of books is on a first come first serve basis. Every day at 4pm, Owlets Reading Room brings out a set of 15 books on its WhatsApp group. Deepthi's mother, Jayshree Murli, shares the details of the books, i.e., the author, genre, number of pages, price, synopsis, etc. with a few pictures. Deepthi describes that the allocation works like a bidding process. “Since the number of books are limited, the first parent to send the message on the WhatsApp group showing interest in a book gets it. Sometimes people choose age over content and some parents who like to introduce a slightly more advanced level of reading choose the one that has an advanced vocabulary,” she clarifies. As soon as a parent adds books in his/her cart, he/she receives a bill. It includes details, such as the title of the books, date of delivery and the total amount along with shipping rates. Once the money is paid, the books are delivered to them. A parent can add maximum of five books to his/her cart. The shipment leaves every Monday morning so the entire week is given to parents to choose books. When asked why she calls her venture a reading room, Deepthi reveals that she was not keen to keep a name related to books and knowledge but something that sound cool. “When I was hunting for a name, I was sure that we cannot call it a library, considering we are selling books and not renting them out. I recalled owls are called wise birds. Since we also give knowledge to little ones through these books, I decided to call it ‘Owlets Reading Room’. As our venture is aimed at all owlets to gather up and expand their knowledge through reading, we thought that this name would suffice,” she shares. Owlets Reading Room offers a variety of books, such as single-story books, encyclopaedia, collection of stories, fact, activity and subject-related books, as well as those on mythology, superheroes and quiz. For infants, it provides bath books and thick board books with colourful pictures. Explaining the choice of books, Deepthi says, “Children who are 2-3 months old are in an age where they are trying to explore their surroundings. We offer bath books, some of which also produce colours in water. We also realise that infants are in the habit of chewing everything that they can get their hands on. That’s why we provide thick board books as they cannot be torn easily.” Besides this, textured books are also available for infants. "These books come with different textures, such as mirrors, grass, straw, hard and soft touch, etc. They allow a child to touch and experience different textures," she explains. For toddlers, single or multiple short stories are available along with interactive books with flaps and other such elements. Despite such a variety in offing, all books are priced nominally. Deepthi clarifies that the idea of the venture is to allow children to get exposed to books that she missed reading as a child. “Being a parent, I want every child to have access to those books that have quality content, great pictures and that can improve their vocabulary and knowledge while reading. It is the love for reading that we want children to take home at the end of the day,” she clarifies.

Myntra Beauty has launched cosmetic brand Anastasia Beverly Hills to bolster Myntra’s collection of international beauty brands. Myntra Beauty has launched the global brow and cosmetic brand, Anastasia Beverly Hills to cater to the rising demand for globally-acclaimed premium beauty and personal care brands amongst its growing consumer base. Anastasia Beverly Hills also aims to tap into Myntra’s thriving cohort of Gen Z and millennial consumers. It believes in inclusivity in make-up and works with an array of global beauty experts, such as Patrick Starr and Nicole Guerriero, to create interesting content for their millions of social media followers. The brand's products have an average selling price between INR2000–2500. It is cruelty-free and has four different makeup categories, including eyes, face, brows and lips. The marquee products include brow wiz, brow definer, loose setting powder, clear brow gel, liquid lipsticks, soft glam eyeshadow palette and liquid liner, among others. Describing about the brand, Sharon Pais, Chief Business Officer, Myntra, said, “We are elated to onboard iconic beauty brand, Anastasia Beverly Hills, onto our platform. As an innovator in the global beauty space with its highly celebrated range of products, Anastasia Beverly Hills is poised to create a furore among make-up and beauty enthusiasts across the country. With Myntra’s sharp content offering, product-tech prowess, and strong supply chain network, we hope to build the best synergies.” Myntra’s beauty and personal care portfolio currently has more than 700 domestic and international brands and more than 30,000 styles. In the last six months, Myntra has considerably strengthened its vertical from 400 brands to 700 brands, roughly adding 300 brands and 20,000 stock-keeping units, for their consumers to choose from.

This artist quit his well-paying job to spread social messages through his artworks. He uses videos to educate people about his artworks and the story that inspired him to bring change in the society. Seldom do we come across people who quit their well-paying jobs to raise social awareness. Suraj Kumar Kashi, a Bihar-born artist is one of them. As an art director at Ogilvy & Mather, Suraj felt that working on clients’ inputs was deviating him from art. In 2010, he quit his job to work as an independent artist. Since then, he has used art to raise awareness about social issues. Suraj narrates the story of the cause he wishes to highlight sometimes through paintings, sculptures and installations. He also uses videos as an interactive medium to share his inspiration, and the story behind his artworks. But he insists that medium is not necessary for him. “I decide the medium after looking at the message that I want to spread. That is why, I do not restrict himself to just one medium. Interactive art helps viewers to connect with the artwork and provokes them to realise the issue,” he says. In his upcoming, untitled shows, the artist is working on several such artworks, each propagating different messages. For instance, through ‘Chal Bihar, Kar Bihar’, he plans to spread the message of underdevelopment in Bihar through the hardships of the state's labourers. He explains, “When we think of labourers, we consider that they must have come from Bihar. There are so many of them who work on construction sites. But despite making homes for others in big cities, they have not been able to develop Bihar and build a home for themselves. So, this work is my way of motivating them to build a better Bihar just as they did in other cities.” As an avid observer, Suraj explains that his artworks describe what he sees in the society. He captures the essence of the cause and replicates it in his art. “There is a difference between rural and urban areas and I try to show those differences through my art,” he says. Suraj also takes pride in sharing the stories of Bihar, his home state, with his audiences. In one of his upcoming artworks ‘Bihar v/s Jharkhand’, he has drawn inspiration from India’s partition during independence. The artist, in this work, has connected a plastic pipe, which drips water, between two fibre-moulded rocks. “Just as at the time of independence, India and Pakistan were separated, this work shares the division of Bihar and Jharkhand as separate states. The idea is that despite divided by a border, both India and Pakistan drink the same water. This is exactly what I have tried to show in Bihar v/s Jharkhand. That is the reason that a pipe has been added,” he explains. Besides this, the artist is also working on a sculpture piece ‘NCR’ that is his interpretation on the National Capital Region (NCR). In this piece, he plans to show a five feet concrete structure made of cement and will add several small buildings (two foot each) around it. “I feel this is what the NCR looks like – too many buildings without any green structures,” he says. This is not the first time that Suraj has moved mindsets through his artworks. In his first solo show in 2012, he familiarised art lovers about child labour. For the message, he painted bricks as books and added acrylic colours on their base. He painted the top of the brick to make it look like a cover page of a book. He then painted the width of bricks in white to make them look like inside pages. Similarly, to educate people about the dangers of an open manhole, he added a one Rupee coin on top of the manholes. “I did this artwork in Saket. There was a reoccurring problem of open manholes in the region. I realised that people were picking up coins on the road but ignoring the manhole that was left uncovered for days. The artwork was well-received, as many people came forward to discuss this problem without hesitation,” he shares. So, was working with a purpose always on his mind? Suraj stresses that every art has a purpose and it is on the artist to choose how he plans to share it with the audience. Suraj takes inspiration from Picasso. “Picasso inspired me to study art and lifestyle. I look up to him for modifying his life for art. I also admire the versatility in his works, despite the hardships that he faced in his life. I found that he changed the ‘isms’ in art,” he says. Suraj studied Bachelors in Fine Art from Patna University and completed Masters in Fine Art from the Delhi University. He likes visiting international artists, museums and galleries and learning how art is evolving.

We are all aware about the benefits of drinking adequate water. The winter season reduces people’s urge to drink water. This winter, try drinking home-made infused water for its goodness, nutrition and taste. If you are someone who battles skin problems, take a note that dry skin and mouth, body rash and hair fall, as well as tickling sensation on body and hands, are all signs of dehydration. They tend to aggravate if caffeine-rich products, such as tea and coffee, are considered instead of water. For those of you who prefer taste over simplicity, infused water can be the perfect fit for your taste buds. Infused water is prepared by infusing fruits, vegetables, herbs and seeds in plain water. It can be easily prepared at home. It is a two-step process that involves cutting fruits and vegetables or sprinkling herbs and leaving them overnight. Some of the ingredients that can be used during winters to make this recipe are lemon, chia seeds, orange, strawberry, blueberry, ginger, cilantro, mint, cinnamon, carrom seeds and cucumber. To prepare the drink, keep the infused ingredient in water overnight or for at least 8-10 hours for all its juices to be absorbed in water. Drink it the next day. You can also use an infuser mug or a bottle with an infuser for best results. While the preparation looks like a child’s play, picking the right ingredients isn’t an easy job. It is important not to mix ingredients that have hot properties with the cold ones. For example, cinnamon which helps in easing cough should not be mixed with mint, as the latter leaves a cooling effect on body. Similarly, prior health conditions should be kept in mind before consuming this drink. This also means that though infused water may be beneficial to some, it cannot show results in all cases, considering the consumer’s past history of ailments. For instance, if a person is battling weight loss but has a thyroid deficiency, due to slow metabolism, strawberry or lemon infused water may not show as good results as the one who does not have a deficiency. So, it’s important to take a doctor’s advice before considering infused water as a one-stop solution. Other health benefits