Best of Weekender: From a candid chat with cricketer Anjum Chopra to the complex flavour of Negroni cocktails

The star-studded commentary panel for IPL 2020 includes Anjum Chopra, former skipper of the Indian women’s cricket team.

Despite the pandemic, these are thrilling times for everyone involved in the game, and the excitement never ends for Anjum, who has always been passionate about cricket. Even current restrictions like bio-bubbles, social distancing, and the fact that no one will be allowed in the stadium have not diminished the fervour that accompanies the sport.

Apart from representing India at six World Cups, Anjum is the first woman player to appear in 100 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and score an ODI century. A Padma Shri recipient in 2014 and an Arjuna Award winner in 2007, Anjum has also co-authored a coffee table book, Women's Cricket World- a Journey from 1745-2013, and acted in a docu-drama, Poor Cousins of Million Dollar Babies.

Ahead of the Indian Premier League in the UAE this weekend, Anjum talks about how she began playing the sport, her successful innings, and her varied interests.

Raveena Mehta is an Indian-British artist and singer-songwriter who grew up in Belgium and the UK, and currently lives and works out of Mumbai.

From the age of six, Raveena has worked with vocal coaches and learnt Indian classical and Western contemporary music to discover the depth and breadth of her vocal range. This effort culminated in the launch of her first commercial music album, ‘From Deep Within’ at the age of 12.

She recently collaborated with Avitesh Shrivastava for the single Yaadein, which was released mid-April this year.

Don’t miss our interview Raveena as she talks about her musical journey, the artists who inspire her, collaborating with leading singers, and her upcoming singles that have been slated for release.

Negroni is a popular Italian cocktail that was invented in 1919 by Count Camillo Negroni in Florence, Italy.

Negroni Week, which is celebrated this week, began as a charity event started by Imbibe Magazine in 2013. Since then, it has been adopted across the globe as the week to celebrate the classic cocktail and raise money for a good cause while doing so.

Things are a little bit different in 2020. Instead of heading to your favourite bar, Negroni Week has hit the digital sphere this year. Many people are celebrating the cocktail that they love and raising money for a very important cause. When you join in the celebrations, there is also the added benefit of being able to learn to make this iconic cocktail yourself.

Read all about this aperitif made of gin, vermouth, and Campari, and garnished with orange peel and enjoy a classic cocktail recipe too.

It isn't often that you meet a person who embodies the spirit of "If you don't go after what you want, you will never have it". The 56-year-old artist, interior designer, mosaicist, sculptor, and stained-glass artist, Sonia Sareen is just the right cheerleader for the adage.

Just before the COVID-19-induced lockdown commenced, Sonia returned from Turkey armed with her newly learnt skill set, the ancient art of micro mosaics, which dates back to the Renaissance period.

Sareen went to Turkey to learn the art of micro mosaics from the Italian master in mosaic art, Dino Maccini. During her time there, she learnt the ancient method of creating 3d micro-mosaic artworks in natural stones.

Read all about how Sonia is taking up many projects for homes, luxury spaces, and offices, and helping artisans.

Indian online fantasy sports platforms have witnessed a surge in users in the last five years. Fantasy sports is gaining prominence mainly due to the fact that it allows users to experience the feel of a real sporting arena, through the comfort of their screens. They also learn all about the rules of games like cricket, football, basketball and kabaddi amongst other sports. These platforms allow users to feel the adrenaline rush that their own sporting icons and stars experience while playing these games.

When the founder of Fantasy Akhada, Amit Purohit noticed that a lot of other operators focused on quizzes and alternate real money gaming options, he decided that their platform would be based solely on fantasy sport.

Harsha Bhogle, India’s much-loved cricket commentator who has vast knowledge in sports, has recently joined as the brand ambassador of Fantasy Akhada as he wanted to empower young people and help them take their talent to the next level. 

Read all about the trend of fantasy sports, the launch of Fantasy Akhada, and how the game requires both skill and expertise.

Are Mark Twain and Yuval Noah Harari your favourite authors? Is your favourite hero of fiction Iron Man without his Iron Suit? Is your greatest regret not learning to code? If yes, meet Abhijit Sonagara, Founder of Adosphere, a digital marketing company who feels the same way.

He also founded ISAAC Education, an education initiative focused on teachers’ training and capacity building for educators. Abhijit received the ‘Young Achievers’ Award’ by Whistling Woods in the year 2013 for his innovative ideas. He is also a two-time recipient of the Gujarat government’s ‘Purushartha Gaurav Award’.

Don’t miss Abhijeet's responses to our Proust questionnaire where he talks about his greatest loves, heroes, treasures and much more.