Best of Weekender: From the travels of Indian Matchmaking’s Aparna Shewakramani to the flavour of sourdough bread

Whether it means jetting off to the coast to Cartagena or strolling through the cobblestoned streets of Quito or walking into a cloud forest in Ecuador, Aparna Shewakramani believes in enjoying every experience a country has to offer.

The Houston-based lawyer and luxury travel consultant, one of the stars on Netflix’s Indian Matchmaking, was known for her outspoken and feisty views and was described as an insatiable traveller on the show.

She has journeyed to over 43 countries to date and has also co-founded a luxury travel company called My Golden Balloon (MBG). From travelling through cloud forests to glaciers to cathedrals, her trips have proved to be exhilarating in more ways than one.

Don’t miss our interaction with Aparna as talks about her love for travel and her favourite vacation destinations across the world.

Author Sudeep Nagarkar started writing books after he suffered heartbreak over a decade ago. Thirteen books later, Sudeep is one of India’s best-selling authors, appealing to readers with his tales of romance, heartbreak, relationships, and lessons of life.

“Heartbreak is an odd kind of pain. Writing gave me closure. I have always believed in myself and that kept me going,” says the author who holds both engineering and MBA degrees. His latest book, A Second Chance, is all about second chances in life and how love and life can take different turns.

Don’t miss our conversation with Sudeep as he talks about his new book, being a best-selling author and writing during the lockdown.

Do you like to Molly Bop or do the Dougie? If so, you are one among the many who love to do dance routines.

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world and led to a shutdown of fitness clubs, gyms, and dance institutes, people have turned to interactive online solutions to maintain their fitness levels. AI-based virtual dance platform Verb Studio is tapping the opportunity by stepping up its online dance class modules.

Founded in 2018 by Bharath Kumar J and Ilangovan KS, two NIT Trichy graduates, the company offers many live classes free of cost and has a unique step-by-step approach to learning how to dance.

Don’t miss reading all about Verb Studio in our interview with Bharat where he talks about the different forms of dance that are popular now and why dance is one of the best forms of fitness.

Sustainability is the buzzword in Indian fashion these days, both globally as well as in India. Today, we see a gamut of initiatives under the umbrella of sustainable fashion.

Some homegrown brands are working exclusively on sustainable collections, whereas large international fashion houses are launching ‘green’ collections as a subset of their overall product offerings.  

Sustainable fashion refers to a fundamental shift in the way our society perceives production and consumption— by moving away from a linear mindset of use and throw, to a circular one that leads to regeneration of resources.

Read all about the challenges of sustainable fashion, how to promote it, and why the need of the hour is slow fashion.

Bread is often linked to our best food memories. Many countries include bread as an integral part of their daily meals, and it is over bread that a community comes together. For some of us, bread is and - always will be - the ultimate comfort food.

But, is bread harmful? Is it causing more health problems than ever before?

Check our nutritionist's advice on bread, different kinds of healthy bread like sourdough and whole wheat, and why you need to understand the ingredients in a loaf of bread before buying it.

Do you admire Elon Musk the most among business magnates? Are the greatest extravagances your holidays to Goa? Do you wish you had the talent for languages?

If so, meet Leo Shastri, Director, Operations and Strategy, who feels the same way. After studying filmmaking and working on various small projects in different industries like education and entertainment, he decided to go back to his roots and join Usha Exim Private Limited, with the aim of creating work opportunities for the economically disadvantaged section of the society.

As for his motto, he believes “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up” as it is the only way to press forward and achieve great success in life.

Don’t miss Leo’s responses to our Proust questionnaire where he talks about his greatest loves, hates, regrets, treasures, and much more.