From stationary to monsoon fashion: Recommendations by Team SMD

Curated by Junisha Dama Arpika Bhosale and Sanjeevni IyerCome rain and monsoon woes are here You have to cover your roof with tarpaulin get a waterproof bag and carry plastic Ziploc baggies to keep your phone earphones and other gadgets protected The folks at Daily Objects saw the tarpaulin and thought why not combine and use its strength to better protect everyday items we carry around too The brandrsquos Tarp Collection is a lifesaver in the monsoon Designed in streetstyle fashion the Tarp Collection has everything from totes to slings and even walletsmdashall made of tarpaulin And donrsquot worry itrsquos not all blue Their sleek designs are cool and urban as do the bright coloursmdashblue orange yellow and even green The tarpaulin material ensures every bag is waterresistant keeping all your items wellprotected from the rainsdailyobjectscomTest your typing skillsTicktack ticktack Some people simply type fast and others donrsquot If you fall in the latter category therersquos a way to improve your typing speed Considering all we do lately is type emails reports and whatnot at work Therersquos no harm in being quick at it no LiveChat allows you to take a free typing test So take a deep breath relax your fingers and type away The key is to focus instead of being annoyed about your speed While the average typing speed is 38 to 40 words per minute therersquos no harm in learning to improve if you are already there This is also a great tool for those looking to join a customer service job or are in industries that require fast typists Once your results are in LiveChat has ample guides that will teach you how to type faster There are tips and hacks to follow that are easy And keep in mind the only way to speed up is to type morelivechatcomSand is ArtYou no longer have to envy the talent of sand artists As they continue to create delightful landscapes and sculpt sand in ways one could only imagine you can do the same digitally Sand is Art is a mobile app that allows you to create landscapes using sand or gravel The latter can be used if you want to make your art more textural The app lets you make sand art in contrasting hues and is easy to use quite like those drawing apps With a steady hand you can paint your imagination in digital sand The light hobby may take time to develop but practice away to create emerald green rolling hills or even simple valleys of flowers Better this than doomscrolling on social media noAvailable on Google PlayArz kia haiAre you a shayar or a poet who enjoys penning down those romantic jitters and the monsoon blues but finds it difficult to find a platform where you can do so YourQuote is an Indian poetry and writing app that offers young and booming writers a platform to express their thoughts and creativity online Started by two IIT hostelrsquos nextdoor neighbours Adarsh and Harsh back in 2007 YourQuote today fosters a community of more than 3 million creators online Levying the option of getting paid for their stories it helps authors publish their books and anthropologies for as little as R1499 What makes them unique is their daily writing prompts expanding across different genres or topics that help writers come out of their writerrsquos block Providing them with an array of background wallpapers for sharing their content online YourQuote is truly the nextgen platform for all the booming writers shayars and poetsyourquoteinIs life that cheapMaran Swasta Hot Aahe Death is Becoming Cheap by the one of the greats Baburao Bagul was translated Manav Kambli recently The book was first published in 1969 But the recent English translation brings to the readers Bagulrsquos forthright storytelling that indulges less in theatrics and more in the crude harsh realities of Maharashtrarsquos caste dynamicsThere are 11 chapters each divided by emotion The book has been rebranded as LootallootPlunder The book starts off with the dynamics of sexworkers and their madam pimp The author uncannily weaves scenes of mutiny and desperationmdasha sexworkerrsquos rebellion against her abuse as opposed to her companion and coworkerrsquos acceptance of fatemdashas the story unfolds We move on the other chapters like Hard Labour Hunger Mother The People in the Field and finally Death is Becoming CheapThe stories of assault poverty helplessness and exploitation is not for the fainthearted Bagulrsquos writing about the Dalit plight is vivid and unapologetic His takes into account both in the urban and rural aspects The anguish of characters like Fernandes brings to the fore the horrors of Indiarsquos disparity The book serves as a grim reminder that very little has changed for the Bahujan community in the last 55years when the book was first published