LuxeBook April 2020

Yasmin Karachiwala SOCIAL SOLIDARITY 16 | APRIL 2020 APRIL 2020 | 17 I n the light of the COVID-19 pandemic and a curfew in India, all of us, barring, of course, the medical health professionals and essential service providers, have been willingly or unwillingly locked inside our houses. But as they say that when the going gets tough the tough gets going, many custodians of Indian luxury - influencers, B-Town and international celebrities have devised creative ways to keep themselves and their audiences engaged and their minds busy and healthy. From online French language lessons to makeup classes, craft lessons, food talks and home workout tutorials, there is so much out there. Food adventures Chef Pablo Naranjo of the restaurant chain Le15 in Mumbai is spending the quarantine days with his family in his home country Colombia. An alumnus of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Pablo has created quite a stir on his Instagram page by posting videos of easy-to-make gourmet dishes that he prepares at home. In these videos, he makes simple and fun recipes like the Middle-Eastern Shakshuka, a classic Hummus, Risotto with poached eggs and easy, crunchy Sesame rice. Aditi Dugar, Co-founder of Mumbai’s Masque, has started a blog called Three Peas in a Pod, a chronicler of her home-cooking adventures. From vegan and gluten-free banana bread to stuffed millet tortillas, Aditi describes the entire cooking process in her posts. “Cooking with my kids brings me so much joy. I love that it’s a shared hobby that we all enjoy and that they have such a keen interest in being in the kitchen. My kids actively come up with dish ideas and combinations, and it’s proving to be a great way to get them involved and invested in their own nutrition by making it fun,” says Dugar. Indian luxury leaders, influencers, celebrities and event companies are keeping their audiences engaged during the lockdown by taking to the Internet to conduct food and business talks, workout sessions and full-fledged multi-artists shows and concerts Quarantine Lessons BY TWINKLE DHARMANI 101 The response to her posts, she says, has been good as many friends and family members have been asking for her recipes, especially parents with young kids. French lessons Riaan George dons many hats. He is a journalist, men’s grooming guru and also a certified French language teacher. Having taught the language at Alliance Française de Bombay for over a decade, he has now started conversational French tutorials for his followers online. According to him, the lockdown is a golden opportunity to effectively utilise time. “Use it to the maximum to relax your body, incorporate a healthy, slow lifestyle and, maybe, learn something new.” Home workouts Instagram influencer Shenaz Treasury, despite being unable to travel around the world like she usually does, engages her social media followers with her cooking endeavours and her live home workout sessions. She also urges her followers to share photos or videos of their talents. Celebrity fitness instructor Yasmin Karachiwala, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Bipasha Basu’s trainer, posts videos on pilates workouts. One of her videos stars actress Katrina Kaif practicing a full-body workout routine. Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar has long been an advocate of holistic health and simple food. She is known for her easy-to- follow and life-affirming lifestyle plans that she recommends to her clients and followers. She has been charting out sustainable diet and exercise plans to help her followers become fit, both, mentally and physically. Ellen DeGeneres Riaan George Chef Pablo Naranjo Aditi Dugar