Saying goodbye to Dhoni and a week of tricolor pride all over Instagram

No surprises that ‘tricolour’ was the theme across social media this week, with everyone choosing to pay their Independence Day tribute in different ways. From the simpler food images to the more complicated performance style videos, it was great to see everyone’s creativity coupled with national pride. Falling into the latter category are Samyuktha Nair and Bhavna Balakrishnan who posted a special Independence Day dance choreography, the latest in their lockdown dance series. The duo have been responsible for keeping us entertained during these tough past few months but in a recent chat with Bhavna she revealed that she’ll soon be heading off to Mumbai to be part of the anchoring team for the upcoming IPL.

This of course leads me to the other main topic this week, MS Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket. Not only has it served to increase the excitement for team CSK this season but has allowed for every single human being to pull out and display their ‘Dhoni throwback’ photos. I will admit that my favourite part of the ‘Yellove’ madness is the fan art, from cars decked out in team colours, to beautifully done paintings. While we won’t be seeing any action at the  MA Chidambaram Stadium this season, the fans are all set to prove that their loyalty is as strong as ever.

This week also included another online event by FICCI FLO Chennai, a hands-on workshop on how to spot fake news on WhatsApp. Conducted by Shreya Bajaj, the co-founder of EasyHai.com, the session was practical and informative, helping us navigate through the deluge of information we receive these days. Shreya recommended one starts with a ‘gut check’, if that fails ‘just Google it’, and most importantly, use the words ‘fact check’ when you do so. Another helpful pointer was to take a closer look at the URL and check to see if it’s a misspelling or spinoff of other news sites.

I shall end with a funny story, my outing for the week, a visit to the salon after nearly four months. With many of my friends heading back to the gym, I thought a salon visit was surely pretty harmless in comparison. While I was armed with all the safety essentials, I later learned that it’s not really possible to have your hair cut and coloured (and most certainly not washed) while wearing a mask. Even more hilarious was the stylist trying to explain, and me trying to decipher, what shade of blonde my hair was about to be streaked with. Thankfully, by the end of it, we managed to get on the same page, and I didn’t walk out of the salon with blue hair. Phew!