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Cooking hacks to save supplies during the 21-day coronavirus lock down

<ul><li>Many people are looking for ways to make their supplies last as long as possible during the 21-day nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in India.</li><li>Others who haven’t cooked a day in their life and are now looking for simple tips to tide over this time.</li><li>Here’s a list of simple hacks that will let you cook muffins in a mug and make tadka without fresh vegetables even if you’re not a masterchef.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=coronavirus&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Follow the comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact, and other useful resources that can help you in the fight on Business Insider India.</a></li></ul>Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement to put the entire country under a 21-day lockdown caught many off guard. Some hadn’t stocked up on essential supplies, and for others, ordering in has been the main source of nourishment. Regardless, these trying times will place restrictions on the amount of perishable food they can keep at home. Even though the government promised to keep the supply of essential goods and services flowing, it’s recommended that you stay indoors as much as possible to avoid infection. Thankfully, there are always substitutes that you can use to keep up the same level of flavour even without the real thing. It’s also important to use what you have available judiciously during the 21-day lockdown so that you can make your supplies last for as long as possible. Only cook as much as you know you’re going to consume and keep it as healthy as possible, given the circumstances. Here are some easy cooking hacks tailored for the Indian recipes to keep in mind as you enter the nationwide 21-day lock down:

Cooking hacks to save supplies during the 21-day Coronavirus lock down

<ul><li>With the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging several parts of the country, Indians have grown restless and are searching for how to make coronavirus vaccine at home.</li><li>As a result of this, several rumours and fake news are being spread on social media and WhatsApp, misleading people and being potentially harmful.</li><li>Home remedies against coronavirus have also gone viral on social media, misleading people into believing that they are a cure or prevent COVID-19.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/">Check out the latest news and updates on Business Insider.</a></li></ul>The COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging several parts of India after the nationwide lockdown was partially lifted in June. The fear around the pandemic is increasing and with no proven vaccine readily available, people are now looking to make the COVID-19 vaccine at home. Over the past few days, the searches for how to make COVID-19 vaccine at home have been off the charts. <div type="image" title="how to make coronavirus vaccine at home" msid="76893845" hostid="261"></div> The lack of a cure for COVID-19 has also allowed pranksters and scammers to capitalize on the people’s fears by pedding fake cures and recipes, spreading rumors and fake news on social media, including things like COVID-19 vaccine being ready, or that tuberculosis vaccine can prevent coronavirus, and more. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75591805" title="Don’t hold your breath ⁠— Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw says India's Covid-19 vaccine will enter clinical trials in 9 months" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Why are Indians searching for how to make coronavirus vaccine at home The continuous rise in COVID-19 cases has caused panic amongst people, <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/health/dont-panic-its-not-coronavirus/cid/1785580">causing anxiety</a> and a rush to clinics and hospitals. In some cases, these remedies are being touted as a coronavirus vaccine, misleading people into believing that a cure for COVID-19 has been found. The most prominent case is that of Ramdev’s Patanjali, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/ramdevs-patanjali-claims-to-have-covid-19-medicine-100-recovery-in-7-days/articleshow/76530185.cms">touted that its Coronil and Swasari products were cure for coronavirus</a>, and not just immunity boosters. Soon after, an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/jaipur-fir-lodged-against-ramdev-patanjali-md-over-companys-covid-19-cure/articleshow/76667088.cms">FIR was lodged</a> against the company and it had to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/didnt-promote-covid-19-cure-just-shared-trial-results-patanjali/articleshow/76714300.cms">retract its claims</a>. Home remedies against coronavirus go viral on social media Due to the absence of a coronavirus vaccine and the existing panic amongst people, home remedies against coronavirus have gone viral on social media and WhatsApp. Ayurvedic recipes involving spices like ginger, clove, black pepper, caraway (ajwain) have become popular. However, these home remedies might not be effective against the infection, or even boost immunity, according to a fact-check by IFCN-accredited fact-checker <a href="https://www.altnews.in/home-remedies-by-ayurved-parameshwar-arora-are-they-effective-in-treating-coronavirus/">Alt News</a>. Why does it take so long to develop a vaccine? Vaccine development takes a long time as there are several stages involved in testing and getting the vaccine approved by government regulators. Kiran Mazumdar, founder, Biocon, and Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, founder and director of Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy explain how it takes a long time to make a vaccine and it is not something that you can make at home. <div type="Youtube" id="pjGNff2vjuc" title="Covid Vaccine: Here's why it takes so long to make a vaccine." thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pjGNff2vjuc/mqdefault.jpg"></div> SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/hyderabad-nizams-institute-of-medical-science-begins-the-human-clinical-trial-of-covid-19-vaccine/articleshow/76833471.cms">Hyderabad's Nizam's Institute of Medical Science begins the human clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccine</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/an-indian-covid-19-vaccine-made-by-bharat-biotech-is-set-to-enter-human-trials/articleshow/76702286.cms">An Indian COVID-19 vaccine made by Bharat Biotech is set to enter human trials</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/icmr-aims-to-launch-covaxin-covid-19-vaccine-by-august-15/articleshow/76765732.cms">India wants a COVID-19 vaccine by August 15 at the risk of rushing trials and approvals</a>

Here's why Indians are searching on Google for how to make coronavirus vaccines at home

<ul><li><keyword id="123121" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IBM-India">IBM India</keyword> and South Asia’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) forecasts are <keyword id="107950" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="20" keywordseo="artificial-intelligence">artificial intelligence</keyword> (AI) use cases that were lurking in the shadows will now come into the mainstream for businesses to survive. </li><li>Grocery shops, the fashion industry, banking, telecom — everyone will be using AI in order to reach customers without them having to step out of their homes. </li><li>Not all the solutions are ‘sexy’, according to Natarajan, but they’re just as important provided they put money in the pocket. </li></ul>Grocery shopping will be more need-driven, virtual mirrors are going to be mainstream, and masks won’t hide your face. IBM India and South Asia’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Subram Natarajan forecasts that more artificial intelligence (AI) use cases are going to come out from the woodwork into the mainstream and the world settles into the ‘new normal’ of the post-COVID world. One such example is of retail shops turning into green stores using AI, where the light and air-conditioning usage operates automatically depending on footfall density. “It may not be a very ‘sexy’ solution, but at the end of the day, it puts money in the pocket,” he said during an interview with Business Insider. Other solutions include banking, telecom, distribution with AI coming into the picture without it being obvious. However, here are some use cases that will be out in plain sight as they completely revamp how you go about your daily life. Virtual mirrors for finding the perfect outfit When you normally go to a store, you try on a shirt, you see if its fit, you check in the mirror and then you decide whether or not you want to buy it. However, people may be wary of putting on clothes that others have tried in an era where everything has to be contactless. <div type="image" title="shoppingcorona_edited" msid="76275433" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Customers selecting clothes at a shopping mall in Patna on Monday after malls reopened&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “The experience of shopping, the experience of what you used to do while shopping, in a retail outlet — is now going to be enhanced using AI in the virtual world,” Natarajan told Business Insider. One of those changes may be virtual mirrors. “It’s essentially when you can stand in front of a mirror pretending that you’re wearing that particular attire that you chose. It allows you to see what you would look like wearing those clothes without actually being in the shop,” he explained. <div type="image" title="patnashopping_edited" msid="76275463" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Husband helping mother and daughter shop virtually through video conferencing as shopping centres reopen during Unlock 1.0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Shopping for ingredients by recipe Even grocery shopping may see a revamp with brick-and-mortar stores seeing less footfall and being open for shorter amounts of time. In a normal grocery outlet, you shop as you walk down the aisles, spotting what you need — and what you remember. With AI, the app will do the remembering for you, and maybe even offer substitutes. <div type="image" title="groceryshop_edited" msid="76275534" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Almost empty grocery shop at Jadubabu&amp;#39;s Bazar in Kolkata during the lockdown&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “For example, I’m in the mood for pizza, what do I do? So, I can actually go to a grocer and ask them that if I’m the mood for pizza — what are the ingredients that I need? The AI will become a part of that entire decision-making process,” said Natarajan. He explains that “the whole aspect of adjacency will come into play”. Instead of thinking about what you may need, the app or grocer will suggest what you can buy and what other ingredients you can try. “Something we tend to forget ingredients. The AI will help remind you. If you’re grocery shopping, physically, you tend to forget because it's not there in front of you. You’ll have to go looking for that ingredient in some aisle, on some shelf. In a virtual world, all those things are now broken down,” Natarajan explained. <div type="image" title="groceryshop2_edited" msid="76275584" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Limited people seen buying groceries at Big Bazaar considering coronavirus threat&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Masks with your face on it One example of how AI is already being used is masks with your face on it. Using face masks is one of the primary ways of exercising caution advocated by health agencies, even the World Health Organisation (WHO). Photo studios in Kerala are using the opportunity to print masks with partial faces on them so that people can still recognise you as you go about town. “This is a classical case of very low hanging fruit of use of AI — facial recognition, take an image and put in on a mask,” said Natarajan. “You see a new business for that operator — an MSME. They differentiated among other mask producers in the market,” he added. IBM’s AI technology — its Watson Assistant — has been helping <keyword id="9369584" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-indian-center-of-medical-research">the Indian Center of Medical Research</keyword> (ICMR) to diagnose and report coronavirus tests all over the country. Its supercomputer, s being used to try and find a cure. And, according to Natarajan — AI is here to stay. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="74725396" title="The world's fastest supercomputer joins the battle against coronavirus — and it's speeding up the hunt for a cure" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Enterprises are going to use it to ensure that working from home is more secure and that operations don’t bear the brunt of social distancing. MSMEs will use it to differentiate themselves from the crowd. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/india-wants-to-be-on-the-cusp-of-artificial-intelligence-but-lacks-the-laws-to-back-it-up/articleshow/72349825.cms">India wants to be on the cusp of artificial intelligence but lacks the laws to back it up</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/artificial-intelligence-in-2020-needs-to-be-about-ethics-in-india/articleshow/72935214.cms">Rise of the machines: 2020 will be a good year for India to teach AI some ethics</a>

IBM India CTO pitches grocery shopping by recipes, virtual mirrors and green stores — here's what AI can provide in the post-COVID world

<ul><li><keyword id="6788586" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bcci-president">BCCI president</keyword> <keyword id="6359039" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sourav-ganguly">Sourav Ganguly</keyword> confirmed that the <keyword id="6354312" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword> will go ahead as scheduled.</li><li>He stated that necessary precautions will be taken to ensure the safety of spectators.</li><li>Rescheduling or cancelling the IPL this year could result in a massive hit in advertising revenues, even though all the matches are insured.</li></ul>Indian Premier League (IPL) will go on despite fear of a <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> outbreak in the country. The annual T20 cricket league is all set to begin on March 29, but with the ongoing coronavirus scare in multiple Indian cities, IPL could be overshadowed by the pandemic. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly confirmed to <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/28844037/ipl-go-ahead-all-precautions-coronavirus">ESPNCricinfo</a> that the IPL will go ahead as scheduled. Ganguly further said that “BCCI will take all protection” against coronavirus. These measures could likely include directions to the players to avoid physical contact with spectators, including shaking hands. However, that may not be enough, especially because IPL matches attract huge crowds. Several sporting events across the world have either been cancelled, delayed or are being played without crowds. In such a scenario, it seems rather unwise on BCCI’s part to move forward with its IPL plans. Massive crowds in closely packed places could spell disaster One of the reasons the coronavirus outbreak is so dangerous is that it is extremely contagious and there is no sure shot cure yet. This, combined with the fact that IPL attracts massive crowds could be a recipe for disaster. At the moment, India has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/coronavirus-infected-cases-rise-to-30-delhi-shuts-primary-schools-and-mumbai-isolates-9-suspects/articleshow/74495096.cms">30 confirmed cases</a> of coronavirus, which includes 16 Italian tourists. Medical experts around the world are anxious about how India would handle the situation, especially since India’s population density is far higher than China and Italy -- the two countries most affected by the outbreak. Thousands of crores at stake for broadcasters One of the major reasons that makes it difficult to reschedule or cancel <keyword id="7463791" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ipl-2020">IPL 2020</keyword> is the fact that Star India has poured in ₹16,348 crore to acquire advertising rights for the next five years. If BCCI tinkers with the IPL schedule, it could end up clashing with the Indian national team’s calendar. If the league is cancelled this year, Star Sports will end up taking a massive hit in terms of advertising revenues. Essentially, the BCCI is caught between a rock and a hard place. “IPL can’t be rescheduled” “Each and every match is also separately insured. So neither the BCCI nor the franchises will lose anything. But cancellation means scrapped for the year as this is the window. It can't be rescheduled," a senior BCCI official told PTI. Another reason that gives BCCI the confidence to go ahead with IPL as planned is that none of the 60 foreign players from Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand and West Indies have expressed any concerns yet. Further, the International Olympic Committee has also <a>stated</a> that the Tokyo Olympics scheduled between July and August this year will go ahead as planned. A BCCI official used this as a justification for the decision to go ahead with the IPL. “If the Olympics can be held, there's no reason why IPL can't be held,” the official told PTI. It remains to be seen if the BCCI changes its stance as we draw closer to March 29, the date of the first IPL match. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/coronavirus-infected-cases-rise-to-30-delhi-shuts-primary-schools-and-mumbai-isolates-9-suspects/articleshow/74495096.cms">Coronavirus: Infected cases rise to 30, Delhi shuts primary schools and Mumbai isolates 9 suspects</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/coronavirus-panic-grips-india-face-mask-prices-surge-by-twenty-times-hand-sanitizers-go-out-of-stock-on-amazon/articleshow/74489614.cms">Coronavirus panic grips India, face mask prices surge by twenty times, hand sanitizers go out of stock on Amazon</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/coronavirus-myths-and-facts-here-are-some-rumours-about-covid-19-that-arent-true/articleshow/74487962.cms">Coronavirus myths and facts: here are 10 rumours about COVID-19 that aren’t true</a>

IPL will go on says BCCI president Sourav Ganguly even as coronavirus threat looms large

Stories from the pandemic

<ul><li>Our confessions series is a platform where young professionals from the advertising, marketing and media world will get to pour their hearts out on how the outbreak of <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> has affected their daily routines, the good, bad and ugly sides of working while under house arrest and talk about if it's even possible to balance work and personal life in a situation like this. </li><li>In today’s column, Archit Gadiyar, Associate Executive Creative Director, <keyword id="131262" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Leo-Burnett">Leo Burnett</keyword> India answers how creatives, if this life of ours is the new ordinary, can seek the new extraordinary?’ </li></ul>It’s been over 24 days since WFH became the new normal for us at Leo Burnett. One thing that has been on my mind is the amount of 'me time' I have on my hands right now. On one pensive evening, right around sunset, I stood in my balcony with a nice cuppa joe. There was a weird epiphany -- when I realized that there’s no one around and so of course, I started talking to myself and instead of vanilla questions like “I wonder what’s for dinner,” my brain raked up existential ones like “What is the difference between a mouse and rat?” You experienced the same? No? Just me, is it? Alright. Anywho, after I steered clear of those pesky questions and was on my last drop of coffee, there was a brief moment of clarity where I started picking up on certain things. Things that are seemingly obvious but maybe I hadn’t thought about it till now. If this life of ours is the new ordinary, how do we, as creatives, seek the new extraordinary? So here are 5 seemingly obvious things: <ol><li>Short term isn’t a bad thing: </li></ol>I think it’s an Indian way of looking at life. In this country, you could walk up to any 7-year-old kid and ask him or her about their future plans, and there’s a high chance that a squeaky voice replies, “astronaut”. It’s ingrained in us that we are supposed to know what our distant future has in store for us. However, this lockdown has shown us how sometimes even a tiny hiccup can result in a butterfly effect and shove all your plans out the window. Don’t get me wrong. Long term plans are essential for brand building, but then again, why do short term plans have to be reduced to tactical and merely sales-driving? To chart a path out of these choppy waters, we, at Leo Burnett, have devised the 0-3-6 model. This model seeks answers as to what a brand or the comms agency should do right now at stage zero, but at the same time, be agile enough to prepare for month 3 and month 6 too. Ergo, the long-term thinking for a brand can be seen evolving through multiple, successive short terms strategic thinking. This blueprint allows us to be nimble and spectacular. 2. Be a pirate: A side-effect of being alone means you eventually end up thinking about yourself. Which I don’t see as a bad thing. Putting yourself ahead of everything else is a trait designed by nature. In which case, embrace it. I’ll talk more about this point from a personal POV later but for now, focus on the work aspect. I firmly believe a good creative must be a pirate or exhibit pirate tendencies. A pirate thinks of everything as rightfully theirs. So, must you. Being alone on most days now, I understand how important that has become. To constantly stay hungry and keep attacking briefs with the same vociferousness. To hoard all kinds of knowledge, wisdom and information. To not wait for a good brief but instead find one that deserves a good idea. And most importantly, prioritizing your ideas ahead of everything else. This isn’t a time to be pleasant, people. Be a pirate. 3. The first thing to rust is a creative’s brain: A creative’s mind is constantly sharpening, even when it isn’t at work. As the lockdown extends day after day, we find ourselves with more time on our hands. No need to travel, no need to dilly-dally, no need to wait for the others. Question: what do we do with the extra time? We spend it on ourselves. A creative’s mind is the first thing to start showing signs of rust. Complacency isn’t a great bedfellow. Neither is stagnancy. In which case, spend time on the things you love. (Which may or may not include Tiger King.) Spend time on things that will nurture creativity. Cook a dish without knowing the recipe. (If you burn the kitchen, that’s on you.) Create inappropriate playlists for future weddings. Write poems that have “blazing inferno” and “singed eyebrows” in the same sentence. (I think that burning kitchen visual is going to stay with me for some time.) Oh, well. 4. Facetime is not just an app. We are a people business. And year after year, the statement just keeps becoming truer. For me, a great idea has always been borne out of banter. The usual back and forth is a good churn when it comes to the ideation process. And more often than not, the different people in the room just add their own juicy bits to it. Refining and polishing it along the way. And making it into this masterpiece. Or maybe a shortlist. I don’t know. But I do know that spending time face to face does help. The next time there’s a work call, make it a video call. Skype, WebEx, Zoom, Teams, Duo. It really doesn’t matter which app it is, as long as you’re face to face. Just helps me feel like I’m still in office and with my people. Also, helps me preserve the last shred of sanity. The other day, I even invited them onto a call where we just had our evening coffee together. That Dalgona doesn’t taste bad if you put a shot of Jameson in it. 5. Health comes first. A close second is Vada Pav. This lockdown might extend for a few more weeks. But there is no certain exit date for the pandemic. In times like these, and this has been my biggest learning of all, is there’s nothing greater than your health. I dream of the day we can laugh about this as we walk out of our front doors, but until then, all I can think of and preach is staying indoors and staying safe. I also started following some home workout routines on YouTube. Discovered that it helps with the lethargy and this overwhelming sloth personality that’s oddly reminiscent of something I saw on NatGeo. I wait for the day I can walk out and eat everything in sight. Remember the end of Shawshank Redemption? That will be me. Happily back in the offices of Leo Burnett Mumbai. With a luscious Vada pav in my hand. God, I miss Vada pav. - By Archit Gadiyar, Associate Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett India

Confessions: 5 seemingly obvious things that I shrugged my shoulders at before the lockdown

<ul><li>4X more people trust ads on news sites than social media in the current pandemic.</li><li>291% increase in pageview traffic for articles around home, business and personal loans.</li></ul>Taboola has released latest readership trends for most read topics in the past seven weeks (53 days) in India. As the lockdown got extended in many parts of the country, there has been a significant change in peoples’ reading patterns. The Taboola network sees a surge in traffic around subjects related to automotive, home loans, security of video conferencing applications, and remote learning for students stuck at home. Here are some of the key insights revealed from the readership trends released for the period between 23 March 2020 – 14 May 2020: Readership Trends &amp; Insights for advertisers: <ul><li>The entertainment vertical has seen a 56% month-on-month rise in terms of ad spend from March to April</li><li>People have clicked more on ads, from March to April, in many categories such as Entertainment (13%), Finance (7%), Home (5%), and Travel (34%)</li><li>Interestingly, when the data for the past one month (20 April 2020 – 10 May 2020) was analyzed, remote learning for adults and kids saw a 75% increase in attention in India during COVID. There is a steady increase in engagement (+29%) and Ad spend (+23%), projecting an immediate opportunity for Indian education advertisers</li></ul><keyword id="7197697" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="What-is-India-reading">What is India reading</keyword>? Taboola Publishers network in India shows an increase in traffic about topics such as health insurance and bank loans in the past few weeks in India as people’s finances have been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus situation. The long period of staying home has also opened opportunities for shopping online, these indicators offer deeper insights to brands seeking opportunities to reach out to products and services related to indicated trends. Following trending topics from the past 53 days from Taboola Newsroom reveals what people are reading most about: <ul><li>Automotive: Interestingly, people are still reading about new car models during this time even though it is unclear whether they will commit to purchasing a vehicle. </li><li>Security issues with Zoom: Pageview traffic to articles about Zoom’s security issues increased 161% during this period. </li><li>Online Learning: Pageview traffic to articles about online learning for students increased 38% during this period especially as schools are closed and students are doing classes at home. </li><li>Taxes: Income tax filing season has been extended until 31 July this year due to COVID-19. There has been an increase in traffic related to articles about income tax, and the Taboola Network recorded 2.6M page views on this topic.</li><li>Finance: Articles about loans recorded 1.2M pageviews across the Taboola Network. Articles about home loans, personal loans and business loans have seen a 291% increase in pageview traffic this month.</li><li>Technology: In the last month, pageview traffic to articles about the Apple iPhone increased 25% The Taboola Network recorded 8.3M pageviews about stories related to this topic.</li><li>Immunity Boosting Foods: Pageview traffic to articles about how to boost immunity, and recipes involving turmeric have seen a 39% increase in pageview traffic. The Taboola Network recorded 5.6M pageviews about stories related to health benefits of turmeric and recipes for immunity-boosting foods.</li></ul>The latest data shared by Taboola relates to COVID-19, revealing shifts in how readers are consuming content during the lockdown which also impact various brand strategies and how advertisers plan their future budget spend during and post pandemic. This enables advertisers to get a view of opportunities where they can get the maximum output for their advertising dollar. Data from Taboola <a href="https://www.taboola.com/newsroom">Newsroom</a> identifies topics and news categories which have seen an increase in pageview traffic for the past 53 days. This data comes from the wide network of Indian news publishers Taboola works with.

The entertainment verticals see a 56% rise in ad spend from March to April: Taboola Report

Somdyuti Datta RayThe author's Kolkata neighborhood.<ul class="summary-list"><li>Somdyuti Datta Ray is a freelance journalist living in Kolkata, India amid the 21-day lockdown onset amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.</li><li>She says the pandemic has caused panic in her town, raising concerns of food security and putting many people out of work.</li><li>Local grocers and fresh fruit, vegetable, and fish markets are shut or selling food at higher prices, and many online sellers have stalled deliveries.</li><li>It's eerily quiet apart from the time when residents clang pans and cheer in appreciation of health workers at 5 p.m.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>My Kolkata neighborhood has never been this quiet before.I don't want to admit that I'm scared. Maybe the word I'm actually looking for is restless. On edge. Uncertain.This week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/pm-narendra-modi-24th-march-speech-highlights-and-updates/articleshow/74796963.cms">announced a countrywide lockdown for 21 days</a> from midnight. As of yesterday, March 25, India had<a href="https://www.mohfw.gov.in/"> 553 active COVID-19 cases</a>, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data, and the death toll stood at 10.I asked my friends if I'm allowed to feel fear. Can I still be a journalist - a writer - if I'm not brave enough? We're supposed to be fearless, unbiased, undeterred by risks. We're meant to reassure and maintain calm. So, what do I do when the worst finally begins to chip away at my will?I told this to a friend, who replied: You are human.I've been a freelance writer for almost a year. I work from home and telecommunicate with my sources. A pandemic and lockdown haven't changed that - I'm still speaking to individuals across the globe. But my 'City of Joy'- the cacophony outside my window - is anything but joyful. My neighbors aren't watching their regular Bengali TV shows too loud anymore. I'm assuming they're huddled around the screen, watching the updates roll in like us.<h1>On day one of a national lockdown, people were panic-buying vegetables and groceries. </h1>Somewhere in my city, <a href="https://youtu.be/nqipmfXnBm0">people surrounded and queued behind a van</a> unloading cooking gas cylinders, lest theirs aren't delivered at home. Elsewhere across my state, I watched <a href="https://youtu.be/_Vf0X09AF8A">footage</a> of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/those-who-violate-coronavirus-lockdown-could-be-jailed-for-2-years-and-fined/articleshow/74807160.cms">police charging their batons to disperse crowds</a>; they ordered a group of men to <a href="https://youtu.be/wU_q8TeaJGI">perform sit-ups while holding their ears</a> and drew Lakshman Rekha (a circle marked by chalk) in front of shops for individuals to maintain social distancing.There is a slum near our house, and for once the boys aren't swinging their cricket bats and the ball isn't rattling against our iron gates. The streets are quiet, the trains aren't whistling past, and the man who irons clothes in front of our house hasn't opened the stall's shutters in five days.Somdyuti Datta RayThe author's empty neighborhood from her balcony.Last week, Modi announced what he called a Janta Curfew to be held on Sunday, March 22 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. to tackle coronavirus. "During this curfew, we shall neither leave our homes, nor get onto the streets or roam about our localities," <a href="https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/pms-address-to-the-nation-on-comabting-covid-19/?comment=disable">he said in his speech</a>. "Only those associated with emergency and essential services will leave their homes."He asked us to gather at our balconies, doors, and windows at 5 p.m. to "clap our hands, beat our plates, ring our bells" for five minutes as a sign of gratitude to our healthcare workers, airline staff, police, media, and government personnel, and essential service workers.I woke up from my afternoon nap to the noise of crackers bursting. My neighbors were still clanging their plates and blowing conch shells. It was well past 5 p.m. Friends and acquaintances on social media were sharing videos of residents clapping, ringing bells, and even singing "Amra Korbo Joy" (the Bengali translation of "We Shall Overcome") in harmony with the chirping of birds. We were connected and disconnected even a thousand miles apart. And then surfaced the videos of large crowds on the streets across India - <a href="https://twitter.com/Raghuchilukoori/status/1241748688591970304?s=20">walking together</a>, cheering, beating utensils, or <a href="https://twitter.com/thisisjignesh/status/1241775814573789186?s=20">dancing to the beat of dhols</a> - defeating the very purpose of social distancing.Later that day, the government of West Bengal announced a lockdown in several areas across my state, including my city, starting Monday at 5 p.m. until March 27 at midnight. All public transport, offices, commercial establishments, and factories were to be closed. Only essential services like banks, hospitals, groceries, markets, and medical shops, among others, would remain open.Naturally, my family's first thought was: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/people-fight-for-grocery-as-india-goes-into-a-21-day-lockdown-pm-modi-urges-people-to-stay-calm/articleshow/74798839.cms">We don't have enough groceries at home</a> to last us more than two days. There is something about the word 'lockdown' - even when notified as <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/kolkata-several-areas-across-west-bengal-to-be-under-lockdown-816454.html">"complete safety restrictions"</a> - that sends us into a tizzy. It shakes our conscience to really, truly, take note of our circumstances. Since Monday evening, our state went from being under lockdown for almost a week to one that <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/entire-west-bengal-brought-under-lockdown-till-march-31/articleshow/74792486.cms">extended until March 31</a>, and eventually a nationwide <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-will-be-under-complete-lockdown-starting-midnight-narendra-modi/articleshow/74796908.cms">lockdown until April 14</a>.<h1>Our local fish and vegetable market is mostly shut; grocery shops are closed and the ones that are open are selling goods at a higher price. </h1>A neighbor informed us that eggs are being sold at INR 7 each. Until a few days ago, we had bought them at INR 5 each. Online grocery stores that are supposed to be open have run out of food items or <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/amazon-delays-orders-flipkart-suspends-services-a-medicine-delivery-agent-gets-beaten-up-by-the-police-day-1-of-lockdown/articleshow/74804781.cms">suspended home delivery temporarily</a>.We learned that the police were patrolling our neighborhood and questioning loiterers. Like most average Indian families, we have a domestic help who cooks and cleans our home. She told me that she snuck away for work when the police weren't looking. There was a rumor that a resident of the nearby slum was diagnosed with coronavirus. One of the families dismissed her temporarily as a precaution. She called me in the evening and said, "There are police everywhere. The local boys are causing trouble." She will be staying indoors for a few days.I haven't stepped out of the house in five days. My father and I barely discuss anything but COVID-19 these days. Then again, I'm privileged; I can afford to stay quarantined. I can survive a few more days without groceries. I worry for those who can't do so. Reporting on coronavirus has begun to take a toll on my mental health. A few days ago, I broke down in the middle of multiple deadlines, overwhelmed and exhausted. There are triggers all over the news that I can't escape. So, I borrow my strength from the healthcare workers who are healing round the clock. I borrow strength from my peers in the media, and those in essential services on their feet. And I borrow my strength from those who are lifting the spirits online: a friend singing "O Je Mane Na Mana"; my journalism professor playing "Oh! Pretty Woman" on the guitar; a classmate posting step-by-step recipes.A lockdown makes the familiar seem strange. The next 20 days will test our patience and kindness as a community. We all fear what will come next. I know that I do - but I may not admit it.Get the latest <a href="/coronavirus-covid19">coronavirus analysis and research</a> from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses. <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-anxiety-therapy-advice-self-care-2020-3">Why you shouldn't judge yourself for having coronavirus anxiety, according to a therapist</a></h3>

I'm one of the 1.3 billion people on lockdown in India, where food is running scarce, police patrol the streets, and chalk is used to mark social distancing lines. Here's what it's like in my neighborhood.

<ul><li>In our latest interview series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.</li><li><keyword id="3390832" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sagar-Boke">Sagar Boke</keyword>, Head - Marketing, <keyword id="9348746" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-consumer-products-foods">Tata Consumer Products – Foods</keyword> shares how the last few months have been for the brand and how things are slowly getting back on track with each passing day.</li><li>He also tells us all that the brand is doing to stay connected with its consumers.</li></ul>More than 2 months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the nation-wide lockdown to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, we have now entered its fourth phase. However, this fourth phase has come with some relaxations wherein e-commerce firms have been allowed to deliver essential and non-essential products in red zones along with orange and green zones. While things are slowly getting better with delivery platforms also getting used to this new normal, the initial few weeks turned out to be pretty challenging. While issues around supply chains are slowly getting smoothened, there is now a stronger adoption of digital across the value chain, higher efficiency in utilising the resources, and stronger collaboration across partners – be it logistics, distributors, MT chains, etc, shares Sagar Boke, Head - Marketing, Tata Consumer Products – Foods. The products under Boke’s portfolio that include <keyword id="482230" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tata-salt">Tata Salt</keyword> and <keyword id="3101945" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tata-Sampann">Tata Sampann</keyword> are all essential items and therefore as a marketer, he had an interesting experience and a few important learnings in the last few months. He shares with us all that the brand is doing not only to ensure there is no disruption in supply chain but also to make sure they are connected with their consumers. In terms of communication, the brand’s focus has been to create educative and engaging content rather than on advertising and hard sell. Excepts: Q) Products under your portfolio are essential items. However, how challenging has it been to maintain the supply chain during the last few weeks of the lockdown? It has been quite a task to ensure supplies during the lockdown. Just like the police, medical professionals &amp; bank employees, the people involved in the supplies of essential items have done a commendable job. It’s a truly heroic effort.After the initial lockdown where everything was slower, the situation now is improving each day. However, it has definitely altered how marketers sell and consumers buy across the nation.There is a stronger adoption of digital across the value chain, higher efficiency in utilising the resources, and stronger collaboration across partners – be it logistics, distributors, MT chains, etc. Q) As a marketer, what has been your priority in these days of lockdown? Staying connected to the changes in the Indian consumer landscape and their buying patterns is a top priority for us during as well as post the national lockdown. In addition to this, there are a few more things which are critical- The Relevance of Advertising: Post COVID-19, the question that every marketer was having – whether to advertise or not; if yes, what should be the communication.Our stance is to advertise only if we are able to add relevant value to the consumers’ lives. Being in the middle of a global health and economic crisis, empathy with consumers is more important than ever. The brands which have forged meaningful relationships with consumers would seldom hard sell and instead look at offering genuine solutions that add value to their life. We have shifted our focus towards more content-driven communication and acts vis-à-vis the regular advertising during this time. Innovations to meetemerging Consumer Asks:This global health crisis haspushed every business to rethink their offering to the customers. There is a definitive change in the way consumers buy and the way companies sell. We too are focused on creating offerings that address this new shift and new consumer needs. Our focus currently is to innovate our product offerings, channel strategy and go-to-consumer models to become a truly customer-centric organisation. Q) What kind of communications have you been putting out? How have you been ensuring that whatever you put out is relevant to the times we're living in right now? Our communication strategy during this time has been to partner the consumers during these hard times. For Tata Sampann, Indian nutrition backed by science is at the core of the brand. We always aim to provide ‘Sarvagunn Sampann’ i.e. wholesome nutrition to our consumers. The conversations around physical, mental, and emotional well-being during the on-going lockdown are critical to helping consumers remain unscathed. With digital becoming a primary medium to connect with consumers, we launched two digital-first communications for our consumers during the lockdown. The first, ‘Beat the Lockdown’ was aimed at helping consumers stay fit and nourished throughout the lockdown help of a nutritionist, yoga coach, and psychologist. This was a three-week digital forward campaign for us, with expert lives almost everyday around issues people are facing during lockdown related to nutrition, mental and physical health,and giving out simple remedies to it. Our second campaign was ‘Har Din Haldi, HarGhar Healthy’ that focused on helping consumers building Immunity through the everyday Indian spice- Turmeric.We created cool, new ways of using turmeric every day. This was followed by around 375+ recipes curated from user- generated content. We also sampled Tata Sampann Turmeric with Pride of Cows mil in Mumbai. Idea was to stress the importance of haldi-doodh for immunity. The response has been terrific- with over 6.7 crore engagements on various social media platforms for Tata Sampann. In these changing times, we understand that parents are constantly looking for interesting ways to keep their children engaged and productive at home. Hence being ‘DeshkaNamak’, we launched Tata Salt IQL (India Quizzing League) - a daily format quiz to keep kids mentally active and helping them learn more about ‘Bharat’ positively. This initiative met with success as we on-boarded 350,000 participants in a span of just seven days. While these campaigns were our mainstay communications during the lockdown, we will also be launching further communications for Tata Salt and Tata Sampann alike in the coming months. Also with sanitation being one of the key focus across, we have amplified conversations on products like Tata I-Shakti Cooking Soda that helps in cleaning fruits and vegetables thus aiding hygiene. Our focus is to create educative and engaging content than on advertising and hard sell. Q) Have you witnessed any interesting consumer trends during this period? With the growing concerns over food safety and quality, there is a revival in the traditional Indian food wisdom. Be it haldi doodh, home- cooked meals, etc.There is a higher awareness about food safety and hygiene. We are also witnessing a consumer shift towards products that are not just convenient and easy to store but also healthy and nutritious. Q) Did you tweak your media mix during the lockdown? Have your digital investments gone substantially up during this time? The proportion of investments on digital has significantly gone up during this time. Digital plays a key role in Tata Sampann specifically, as it is an important growth medium for us. Post COVID-19, our focus will continue to be able to connect with our consumers across digital platforms but in newer and more experimental ways. Tata Nutikorner is our nutrition platform that talks about Indian ingredients and their nutritional value through expert voices in the food and health arena. Television again is a platform that is making a strong comeback during this time and is a definite watch out when it comes to the consumption of brand communications. Q) How are you preparing yourself as a brand to function efficiently in the new world? Adapt and Adopt: With the situation changing almost every day, the ability to be agile and adapt will be crucial for a brand. Hygiene and safety above everything: As for the consumer’s safety, nutrition, health, hygiene, and value for money will be a deciding factor when making any purchase. Rethink the Go-to-market strategy:Though E-commerce has become the preferred choice for buying even your essential items, your neighbourhood retail stores will still play an important role. Hence, collaborating with the Government to train the neighbourhoodkirana stores to improve the level of sanitization is going to be equally important. Q)Will the way you market your offerings change in the future? Definitely, the trends and learning during the times of pandemic cannot be ignored and will continue to impact for the next couple of years. We think, given the current market scenario and the fear of this pandemic, the products that focus on nutrition and immunity will be in high demand over regular offerings. Demand for products built on traditional Indian wisdom will increase and as said earlier consumers will take to more of home-cooked meals. In the last two months, e-commerce has grown to the level it would have otherwise taken at least five years, in many markets. India will be no exception. E-commerce and direct to home distribution models will get more prominence over the traditional retail stories due to deep-rooted safety concerns. New-age options, such as selling through AI bots/teleselling, will get more prominence. Human intervention would be encouraged only where it is indispensable. Many of these things were unthinkable in the past, but will become the new normal for many brands. Q) What have your key learnings from this experience been so far? Declutter and focus on what matters:One of the starkest but obvious revelations for us has been how consumers have begun de-cluttering their lives and focusing on only what matters. I think even when it comes to information, consumption of information might be high but I believe they are retaining only those information that matters to them. Safety and Hygiene ruling the roost:In terms of the way they consume products in the post-lockdown era, we expect safety, hygiene &amp; immunity to rule the roost as social distancing has made these factors almost a part of everyone’s daily lives. Acing the digital life: We also are seeing stronger &amp; faster adoption of digital in our lives be it for work or personal needs. Digital will continue to play a critical role for us in the coming days and months. Q) What kind of impact did you see in sales during this time? Any interesting stats to share? Sales have been influenced by how consumer consumption patterns have shifted in the past eight weeks or so. Consumers want to move to the brands that they can trust. We have also seen a significant spike in demand for both Tata Sampann and Tata Salt. Tata Sampann Products like Turmeric and pulses which are high on nutrition and essential in nature have seen a very significant spike during this phase. There is also a stronger demand for nutritious ready -to -cook products too and we have seen sales for those from our portfolio increase in accordance as well.

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