ATTEND VIRTUAL PARTIES & MEET-UPS
Online belly dance and hip hop classes: How about learning some cool dance moves for the time you go clubbing again? TheVerb Studio is holding live virtual dance classes to teach waacking (it’s a street dance from the ’70s), belly dancing, freestyle and hip-hop, on their website. All classes are free
Shaam ki Chaai: Positive news website ChaaiPani started these virtual meet-ups last year, with the idea that no one should have to have chai alone. So you fill out a profile, and they match you with another user and you could log on and have chai and chat together if, say, you live alone or freelance. It is ǧ100 per meetup and the chat is limited to 25 minutes — they say that’s so that people don’t drone on. The only other rule is: Don’t talk about work. “The aim is to help strangers become friends. Initially, it does become uncomfortable to open up to a stranger but that’s the best part, I say,” says founder Shruti Chaturvedi. “You step out of your comfort zone and explore new thoughts, new personalities.” Shaam Ki Chaai is available across 50 cities in India. Go to allevents.in/online/shaam-ki-chaai-virtual to register
Virtual shore walk: Marine Life of Mumbai, a citizen-driven initiative to explore biodiversity, will be conducting virtual shores walks every week. They will share archival footage on their Instagram stories and take you through earlier walk. Expect to see starfish, octopi, and gorgeous sunsets. Follow them on Instagram for the schedule
Let's discuss the Meh: Hosted by Bengaluru-based mental health startup the Mithra Trust, this is a live group discussion where people talk about anxiety and stress. “The idea is to remind people that they are not alone,” says founder Bhairavi Prakash They also have a Meh Kit, a self-discovery quiz that helps you learn how to navigate your lows, and ‘what to say cards’ to help with how to respond to a person suffering from anxiety, stress of depression. Sessions are two-and-a-half hours long, limited to 10 participants per session and cost ~50 per head.