Author: Sandesh Bhosle

8 useful tools & websites for graphic designers

Art can encourage people to see things from different perspectives, and with the arrival of modern technology, the relationship between these two has evolved. You may be a very talented graphic designer, but without the assistance of a few essential tools, your day wouldn’t sound productive, right?

In the market, there are thousands of tools for web and graphic design professionals; some are paid while others are free. Thanks to the technology that has reshaped the designing world with new inventions and experiments. The following list of tools & websites will surely enhance your graphic designing career.

Artboard Studio

When planning to launch a new product or make a business card, what do clients ask designers? A first look of the product, a sample design of the card or a mockup design of the website/product. We all have tried canva, but what if you want to go beyond the regular mockups and create something extraordinary to get a pat on the back?

Artboard Studio is a cloud-based design tool primarily focused on product mockups, allowing designers to create product presentations right from their browsers. The elements of the timesaving platform are layered like photoshop, and you can export various types of images like JPG, PNG and SVG.

Playbook

Nobody, nobody wants to store files on their devices as it only reduces internal storage, and when talking about graphic designers they create and save hundreds of files every day. The table turns when it comes to looking out for a particular file or a project on the device, as not all of us are organized and have time for creating different folders daily.

The playbook is a cloud storage space created for artists and designers to save their creative files. The platform automatically tags, organizes, and collaborates your creative files based on their types, saving time when you or your team members are looking for them. It offers to save up to 100GB of free data & for the paid version, it goes up to 10TB.

Coolors

Coolors is one of the best colour palette apps in the current market, which offers you to create colour schemes with a super-fast generator. The website has tools like palette generator, explore palettes, image checker, contrast checker and many more options to play with the colour wheel for you to make your designs aesthetically pleasing. The platform is offered on several platforms like iOS, Android, and a chrome extension.

Proofhub

Every designer or perhaps every artist is habitual to getting several feedbacks/changes from clients and making modifications according to the suggestions. The hectic process keeps going until you get the final call from the clients, which takes a lot of time. ProofHub is a platform that helps you manage all your tasks easily and hassle-free as it allows clients to suggest changes right on the platform, ultimately saving the time we spend on mailing.

Brusheezy

Are you looking for free Photoshop brushes? Then, Brusheezy is the best tool for you, as it has a vast collection of unique Photoshop brushes to choose from and that too for free.

DaFont

Have you ever run out of fonts while working on a design or thinking about how to design your next article/banner/project? Well, accept it; we’re not robots to digest one single font for a timeline or lazy designers who don’t want to explore more. DaFont is one of the most popular and widely known font sites in the designer community. The site offers to download fonts you desire for free but make sure to download fonts that are reputable as some of the fonts carry viruses.

Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay – Free high-res images

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a photographer or designer, you must have searched for “free HD desktop wallpapers” at least once in your lifetime. Websites like Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay offer royalty-free images, which you can use for any work. These sites offer most of the images for free, but some of them cost you a one-time charge, which is why they’re called royalty-free images.

PikPng and Pngtree

Being schedule-tight and running on a deadline is not easy; during such times, a designer will not spend a minute removing the image’s background. At such high times, websites like PikPng and Pngtree come forward to help the designer as these two websites offer free download of png images – both raster and vector, saving you the hassle of removing backgrounds.

15 breakthrough Indian inventions that transformed the world

Do you know who invented zero? Well, zero as a ‘digit’ was first introduced by Aryabhata in his place value system, and as an Indian, I’m proud of it cause without zero, everything falls apart. Today, on the event of India’s 75th Independence day, I’m going to oblige you with the top 15 Indian inventions that we’re proud of. Also, I hope you have participated in the “Har Ghar Tiranga” campaign.

Plastic Roads

Let’s start with the trending issue we all face during the monsoon season or perhaps throughout the year. We can buy a car or something, but we couldn’t have a comfortable ride due to potholes and broken roads. To overcome this problem, in 2006, an Indian scientist, Rajagopalan Vasudevan of the Thiagarajar College of Engineering, developed and patented a unique idea of Plastic roads.

The technique involves sprinkling shredded plastic waste to construct better, more durable, and cost-effective roads. The roads made of plastic-coated stones last longer and reduce road-laying maintenance costs by 50%, as plastic doesn’t allow water to saturate the road. The technology of making roads with plastic waste was adopted globally by many countries, including the United Kingdom.

Paper Microscope or Foldscope

Back in the 20th century, buying a microscope was out of the league, but today you can buy a microscope for less than 100₹. Looks like you’re stunned. Thanks to IIT-Kanpur alumnus Manu Prakash who developed a paper microscope, an optical microscope made from a sheet of paper and a lens. The invention was part of the “frugal science” movement and can be used in science education/medical diagnosis in rural areas.

Voice Prosthesis

Each year, tens of millions of people are diagnosed with cancer worldwide, and Laryngeal cancer is one of the topmost cancer categories in the world. In 2015, a Bengaluru-based oncologist, Dr Vishal Rao, invented a tiny voice prosthesis made of silicon to help cancer survivors talk again. The device is priced at a bare minimum cost of 50₹, far less than the other costly devices.

USB

Before the dawn of the USB, connecting your computer with something required a large variety of ports, such as a PS/2 connector, a serial port, a DIN connector or the Apple Desktop Bus. Then, in 1996, Ajay V. Bhatt, an Indian-born American computer architect, defined and developed the USB (Universal Serial Bus), a little removable storage device, making our data-carrying journey easier than ever.

Wireless Communication

The Google search for “wireless communication invented by” will take you to the phrase – Guglielmo Marconi invented wireless radio communication. However, the real credit for demonstrating the use of radio waves for communication belongs to Jagadish Chandra Bose, who is regarded as the father of wireless communication. The technology helped us to communicate quickly and transmit information over a distance without wires.

Diamond Mining

Have you ever thought that if the Koh-i-Noor diamond belongs to India, we must have mined several other diamonds too? Yes, we have! The diamond mining industry originated in India around 5000 years ago when the stones were found along the rivers Penner, Krishna and Godavari banks. India was the only source of diamonds in the world until the 18th century; no wonder our country was known as Sone ki Chidiya.

Pentium Chip

We, Indians are widespread for making our mark everywhere with our multi-tasking skills, be it a sports or in a field of science. Everybody knows the tagline Intel Inside, but nobody knows the name of the person who invented the first Pentium processor. The name is Vinod Dham, popularly known as the Father of the Pentium chip for his contribution to the development of Pentium processors.

Fibre Optics

Today, we have high-speed internet in our homes, office or perhaps, everywhere, thanks to Narinder Singh Kapany, an Indian-American who invented the technology of high-speed internet. The physicist considered the father of fibre optics was regarded as one of the unsung heroes of the 20th century by Forbes magazine for his Nobel Prize-deserving invention.

Hotmail

Being a part of the tech-led world, we can’t imagine our lives without Gmail or Apple Mail, but they’re not the first web-based email services ever invented. The world’s first web-based email service was developed in 1996 by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith. Later on, in 1997, Microsoft acquired Hotmail for an estimated price of $400 million and relaunched it with several new names. Today, we know it as Outlook.com.

Crescograph

Did you know there is a device for measuring growth in plants? Well, most of us aren’t aware of this device called Crescograph, which Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose invented in 1928. Yes, the same person who invented Wireless Communication. Mr Bose used a series of clockwork gears and a smoked glass plate to record the movement of the tip of a plant and proved to everyone that plant has a life too.

Cataract & Cosmetic Surgery

Ayurveda originated in India a long ago, but along with it, we have invented several other inventions in the field of medicine, including Cataract and Cosmetic Surgery. The surgeon who invented cataract surgery was Sushruta, popularly known as the Father of Surgery. He invented and developed surgical procedures, which we can find in Sushruta Samhita, an ancient Sanskrit text on medicine and surgery.

Trigonometry

We all have faced difficulties while understanding the sin-cos-tan table or perhaps everything that comes under the trigonometry belt. The trigonometry sine, cosine and arctangent were discovered by an Indian mathematician and astronomer named Madhava of Sangamagrama. Along with trigonometry, he has pioneered the study of infinite series, calculus, trigonometry, geometry, and algebra.

Shampoo

The word Shampoo is derived from the word chāmpo, which comes from the Sanskrit word Chapayati, meaning massage. Shampoo, comprising of natural oils and herbs, was invented in the eastern parts of the Mughal Empire. 

Buttons

We have a history in civilization, and Indians are the first human beings who added buttons as an ornament on clothes. The buttons were invented in Mohenjo-daro, one of the settlements of Indus civilisation and they were made of shells and had two holes in the middle.

Water on the Moon

Several countries have successfully conducted their Missions to the Moon, but India’s Chandrayaan-1 was the first to discover water on the Moon. And with that, it’s time to say ba-bye! Happy 75th Independence day to you; stay safe, stay healthy.

Time to Change the Game – Why are Celebrities creating their own YouTube channels?

Social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube have completely changed the definition of a so-called celebrity. Nowadays, we’re seeing way too many Instagram influencers and YouTubers being referred to as celebrities by their followers/subscribers. Thanks to these social media platforms, which have offered a platform for content creators to showcase their talent and that too without asking for a single buck.

Over the last few years, these platforms turned from simple video-sharing platforms to a home to a plethora of content creators. Back in the 2000s or even before that, wannabe actors, musicians, artisans, etc., used to struggle for so many years to get noticed by the world. But now, what you need to become an overnight celebrity is viral content, thanks to the supremacy of social media.

I understand the fad where ordinary people shot reels, vlogs, and videos to earn a social status and a little popularity amongst society, but a couple of years ago, while surfing on YouTube, I came across one celebrity channel and asked myself why? However, after a bit of research and work-chat, I realised that it’s not the only celebrity channel on YouTube. Since then, many Hollywood and even Bollywood stars have started their YouTube channels.

Reasons:

To develop a connection on a personal level

What is your first impression of the Hollywood star and former wrestler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson? He must be a harsh, rude and strong-headed person, right? However, in reality, he’s entirely the opposite of what we’re thinking of him. And we got to know about this through his YouTube channel, which has over 6 million subscribers, where he shares his daily life and shredding tips with his fans.

You must have seen content creators who showcase their day-to-day life in their YouTube vlogs or Instagram reels have more number of followers than those who don’t showcase the same. Do you know why? When people take their audience into their daily lives and come ahead on YouTube/Instagram as they are in reality, it helps them to develop a personal connection with fans and strengthen their followings.

To showcase a different or perhaps the real side of their character

We often spot celebrities through the paparazzi’s cameras, where most of the time, they look grumpy, and we judge their character according to their behaviour with the paps and fans who ask for selfies. Now, put yourself in the same spot and imagine how you would treat someone returning from a hectic work day. Being a celebrity is not easy; in reality, they moved to YouTube to prove they’re not like paps show them.

YouTube offers celebrities a platform to showcase their natural character and allows them to have complete control over what they want to share with their fans. Here, they don’t even have to follow the strict editing deadlines like in movies. They can edit their stuff whenever they want, choose any topic and take their fans on a crazy ride just by sharing a few moments they had while shooting a film or anything for that matter. 

To stay in the limelight 

Once a celebrity, always a celebrity doesn’t work anymore as there are way too many celebrities around the world. Be it film stars, Instagram models, Influencers, YouTubers, Gamers, etc. We’ve seen many Bollywood actors or Television actors reaching the stars and falling badly within the next few releases. These stars want to stay in the limelight and regain public attention again, using YouTube as a platform to do the same. No wonder more and more celebrities are creating their own YouTube channels.

10 obscure facts you need to know about time

Time plays mind games with us. How? Just think about a few situations, and you’ll nod yes. Have you ever noticed when you’re hanging out with friends or someone you love, time flies like an arrow, but when you’re in a boring work meeting or reading a book, it moves slower than a three-toed sloth? I know it’s frustrating, but we can’t do much about it as it would be just a waste of time.

You can wear a watch on a wrist but can’t hold time in your hand. Sounds like the saddest truth about time. You know there are some dumb intellectuals who say time doesn’t exist, but every night before sleeping, they set alarm clocks to wake up. However, we can’t argue with them as everyone experiences time differently. Whether they are right or wrong, only time will tell. Let’s look at 10 things you need to know about time.

  • Do you know time is the most common noun in the English language? No wonder we have been obsessed with it for ages. Even man and woman stand 7th and 14th respectively in the list of most used nouns. Shockingly, nouns like play and rest are not even in the list of top 100 most used nouns. 
  • Time is the greatest teacher in the world, but we’re super busy in our lives, and we often ignore it for something else. Always remember, time and experience walk along with each other, and it takes a lot of mistakes to gain experience. Take a chill pill and learn to enjoy the journey but be careful while wandering.
  • You can’t be a master of something unless you’ve spent a considerable amount of time on it. How you spend your time and how much time you spend on something shows how much you’re interested in it. Be wise and selective when you’re walking into somewhere as it’s going to affect you, be it clubbing or a quick gossip.
  • They say you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with. I’ve experienced this one personally. When you live like a lone wolf, you listen to what your mind speaks, but when you’re with a bunch of friends, you end up following the majority more often. Keep in mind your time is limited; learn to spend it wisely.
  • It takes Earth 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.091 seconds to finish the one rotation so that the sun appears in the same position in the sky. Yeah, we have been fooled since school days. You can do a lot in those 3 minutes and 56 seconds. Ask someone who has missed his login time due to a minute-long red light at the traffic signal.
  • At the beginning of the age of dinosaurs (about 230 million years ago), there were 370 days in a year, and the day was just 23 hours long. Over the years, the earth has slowed down due to the tidal friction from the sun and moon, so the days are getting longer by about 1.7 milliseconds per century.
  • On a regular day, we measure time with instruments such as a clock, hourglass, sundial or calendar but do you know there are various measurement tools to measure the time? Forget the rest; the smallest standard scientific measure of time is the Planck time, which is equal to 10−44 seconds.
  • Light takes a significant amount of time to reach earth. As a result, We see the Moon as it was 1.2 seconds ago and the Sun as it was 8 minutes ago because the Moon is 384,400 km away from the earth while the Sun is about 150 million km away.
  • Space and time are fluid, thanks to the gravitational force. Also, as far as physics is concerned, there is no such thing as now. We are either living in the past or somewhere in the future.
  • What do you think? Will the time come to an end? Yes, according to some physicists, time will end within the next four billion years as the universe is on its way to expanding infinitely.

Pomodoro – The art of time management

What is Pomodoro? Well, if you ask an Italian or person who speaks the Italian language, they will say tomato, and they are right on the button. The Pomodoro Technique was invented in the late 1980s by then university student Francesco Cirillo. The technique to break work into 25-minute intervals was named Pomodoro because he used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer to measure his 25-minute sessions.

What is it and how it works?

The Pomodoro Technique is a time-management method which can help you stay focused through distractions and keep you mentally fresh to finish off your work on time without much hustle. The technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo when he was struggling to focus on his studies and when he decided to concentrate on his studies for just 10 minutes by setting a timer with a tomato-shaped kitchen timer.

Currently, it is one of the world’s most famous time management techniques as it helps you stay on top of deadlines by training your brain to focus for short periods. The technique keeps you consistently productive, but at the same time, it allows you to take a rest in between, which also includes longer breaks. Let’s take a look at how it works in the real world, of course, not with the timer as we’re breathing through apps.

  1. Download and install any Pomodoro app (for ex., Focus To-Do: Pomodoro & Tasks) or open a Pomodoro timer website like pomofocus.io / pomodor.app
  2. Break down your work, create a to-do list and decide how many Pomodoros you might need to finish off the task?
  3. Set a timer for 25 minutes and start working on your project/assignment until the timer rings
  4. As soon as the timer rings, write what you’ve worked in those 25 minutes and take a short break of 5 minutes
  5. Enjoy your break and come back to set a new pomodoro of 25 minutes. Follow the same method for 4-times and take a longer break of 15-20 minutes.

Notes:

  1. Even if you’re done with your set tasks before the time, dont use the rest of the time as breaks. Instead, spend it on learning, improving skills and knowledge.
  2. Don’t forget to turn off distractions like checking social media apps, incoming emails, team chats, or WhatsApp messages.

ASUS launches a lineup of new laptops in India – Zenbook 14 Flip OLED, Vivobook S 14 Flip, and Vivobook 15 (touch)

We should learn how to balance elegance and versatility from Asus, the company that always introduces us to something extraordinary every time they launch a product, especially laptops. Recently, the brand launched a lineup of new laptops in the Indian market, Zenbook 14 Flip OLED, Vivobook S 14 Flip, and Vivobook 15 (touch).

Zenbook 14 Flip OLED

The price of the slim, light and ultra-versatile convertible Zenbook 14 Flip OLED starts from Rs 99,990, and it is equipped with a stunning 16:10 2.8K OLED HDR NanoEdge touchscreen. The display of the laptop has 550 nits of brightness with a 4-sided NanoEdge design and an 88% screen-to-body ratio.

The laptop that will shine your productivity anywhere is equipped with the latest gaming-grade intel 12th Gen H-series processors and is paired with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM on all models. It has a 360˚ ErgoLift hinge which supports a 4096-pressure-level stylus,​ while the ASUS NumberPad 2.0​ offers efficient multitasking.

Vivobook S 14 Flip

The super-versatile convertible with a 360° hinge laptop features a 14-inch IPS panel with a Full HD+ resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio. The Vivobook S 14 Flip starts from Rs 66,990 and is available for sale online and offline. The touchscreen panel of the laptop has a brightness of 300 nits and has plenty of ports, including the latest Thunderbolt™ 4. The laptop will be available in both Intel and AMD variants in India.

Vivobook 15 (touch) (X1502)

The laptop is sleek and lighter than its predecessors and is priced at Rs 49,990. It has a 15.6-inch full HD screen with slim bezels and an 82% screen-to-body ratio. The laptop comes with a better screen, a bigger battery, and improved computing capabilities; the company also claims it has better battery life.

August 2022 – Top 10 releases of the month

Darlings

Alia Bhatt never misses a chance to surprise her audience with her choice of roles. She moulds herself into every character she plays, be it a character of a migrant labourer in Udta Punjab or an undercover RAW agent in Raazi. Now, the actress is venturing into a world of movie production with her upcoming dark comedy film, Darlings, which also stars Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma and Roshan Mathew in the lead.

Release Date – 5th August (Netflix)

Directed by – Jasmeet K Reen

Sita Ramam

When was the last time you watched a period romantic drama in theatres?    Bridgerton fans stay back, as I clearly mentioned in theatres beforehand. Sita Ramam is a Telugu-language romantic drama film starring Dulquer Salmaan, Mrunal Thakur, and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead. The period drama movie is set against the backdrop of the 1965 War and depicts the magical tale of Ram and Sita.

Release Date – 5th August (In Theatres)

Directed by – Hanu Raghavapudi

Bullet Train

Since Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, we haven’t seen a good movie of our beloved Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt. No worries, the actor is coming back to visit us through his upcoming action comedy film Bullet Train, based on the Japanese novel Maria Beetle by Kōtarō Isaka. Hope, the action flick will help us to come out of the space trauma caused by his last release Ad Astra.

Release Date – 5th August (In Theatres)

Directed by – David Leitch

Lal Singh Chaddha

We all know no one can play the role of Forrest Gump better than Tom Hanks, but we can always keep our fingers crossed as Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan is playing the lead character in its Hindi remake. The movie Laal Singh Chaddha unfolds India’s history through the perspective of a dim-witted man, played by Aamir Khan. The film also stars Kareena Kapoor, Naga Chaitanya and Mona Singh in the lead.

Release Date – 11th August (In Theatres)

Directed by – Advait Chandan

Raksha Bandhan 

Hello again from Akshay Kumar, an actor who never stops entertaining us with his back-to-back releases and works only on films that are made within time limits and a controlled budget. The Khiladi actor is known for his action-packed movies as well as for his lighthearted comedy movies. The movie Raksha Bandhan is all about one promise made by a son to his dying mother and what he does in order to fulfil it.

Release Date – 11th August (In Theatres)

Directed by – Aanand L. Rai

Cobra

Whenever we’ve seen something experimental in Indian movies, it often leads us to Chiyaan Vikram. The guy never failed to surprise us with his acting skills and out-of-the-box characters, whether in Anniyan (Aparichit) or I. Now, Vikram is coming with another Cobra, in which he is playing 20 different characters. The film marks the debut of former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan in the show business.

Release Date – 11th August (In Theatres)

Directed by – R. Ajay Gnanamuthu

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Created by Jessica Gao, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is an upcoming American television series starring Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk. The eighth television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe follows Jennifer Walters, a lawyer specializing in cases involving superhumans, and how she becomes into She-Hulk. The 9-episodic series also stars Jameela Jamil, Ginger Gongaza, Tim Roth and Mark Ruffalo in pivotal roles.

Release Date – 17th August (Disney+ Hotstar)

Created by – Jessica Gao

Thiruchitrambalam

Hope you’ve seen Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Dhanush starrer action thriller The Gray Man by now. The fight scenes of the Dhanush were awe-inspiring, and now the actor is returning to the regional screens to enlighten our moods with his upcoming comedy-drama movie, Thiruchitrambalam. The film also stars Raashi Khanna, Nithya Menen, and Prakash Raj in titular roles.

Release Date – 18th August (In Theatres)

Directed by – Mithran Jawahar

Beast

What’s better than watching a survival thriller during the monsoon nights? Well, Luther fame Idris Elba is coming up with one, and it has something we have never seen on the screen. The film depicts a story of a recently widowed man who travels to South Africa along with his two teenage daughters, and what follows next is their encounter with a ferocious, man-hunting lion who attacks them.

Release Date – 19th August (In Theatres)

Directed by – Baltasar Kormákur

Liger

The craze of releasing movies in multiple languages like Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi has been at its peak since the release of post-pandemic films like Pushpa: The Rise, RRR and KGF: Chapter 2. The upcoming sports action film Liger marks the debut of Vijay Deverakonda in Bollywood and Ananya Panday in Tollywood (Telugu Movie Industry), which literally feels like a hybridization of stars.

Release Date – 25th August (In Theatres)

Directed by – Puri Jagganadh

Top 5 Apps for Modern-Day Musicians

Gone are the days when budding musicians used to pay money for weekend music classes. The world has changed for the better over the last few years, thanks to the technical revolution. Nowadays, musicians are more inclined toward mobile technology and prefer to learn and create music with the help of their smartphones. Today, there are thousands of apps available in the online market to help you on your way.

Cleartune

Whether you’re a violinist or a guitarist, you will need a chromatic tuner to tune up your work easily. The Cleartune app is perfect for budding musicians as it allows you to create your temperaments and notations. The app features an ultra-responsive 25-cent range fine-tuning display to help you get your pitch spot-on, a note wheel display for easier reading, a Needle Damping option, full support for transposing instruments and many more necessary features. The chromatic tuner app is available for iOS and Android devices, allowing you to find the ideal pitch for various instruments easily.

Hum

A musician is just a person who knows how to play and arrange music; it’s what lyrics that put life into their music. Earlier, artists used to write the verse on scraps of notebook paper in-between classes and hum into a tape recorder. Hum is the app that helps you combine the vocal storage of Voice Memos with your favourite plain-text app and offer a place to note down lyric ideas. The iOS-exclusive app is loaded with features, and perfect for storing audio and notes. It also allows you to sync up with Dropbox to help ensure nothing gets lost and share ideas through iMessage or email.

Garageband

Garageband is one of the most familiar apps among musicians as it’s been ruling in the hearts of modern musicians since its inception. The app lets anyone from an experienced sound engineer to a budding teenage musician cut a professional-sounding track to make it directly onto the radio. The iOS-exclusive app is a popular music-making tool and is used by many renowned artists to produce a demo and sometimes even finalize master recordings. The user-friendly app is a great entry-level music creation app which features various instruments, including keyboards, drums, and guitars.

Band Mule

BandMule is a private band organizer to plan your gigs and rehearsals better with your band members. Whether you’re on the road or anywhere in the world, and an idea hits your mind that you want to share with your band members, then Band Mule is the app for you. The app is designed for musicians to communicate privately with band members, and one can easily share messages, schedules, setlists, gig dates, ideas and comments and more.

Topline

Topline is a free app designed by musicians, and it lets artists save their music ideas instantly and accurately before the thought jumps out of their minds. The app is owned by Abbey Road Studios and is ideal for songwriters to ensure they never forget an idea. The app allows you to import files such as instrumentals or vocal tracks, and along with all the top-notch features, it also allows you to share completed works over WhatsApp.

 

Bombay, Baarish & Bollywood

What brings a smile to every Mumbaikar’s face? Of course, BAARISH – the season of romance. You must have met at least one person (non-Mumbaikar) in your life who has talked about visiting the city of dreams during monsoon season, especially to witness the magic of the iconic curved coastal road, the “Marine Drive”. The famous promenade is lined with palm trees and has vibes that offer a refreshing break from mundane routine, though it is always packed like sardine.

Being one of the most congested cities in the world, over the years, people have adopted the Bombay lifestyle, where they have learned the art of staying within their small worlds even though they’re surrounded by people all the time. The city blooms differently when clouds full of rains hit the seashore. One can not describe the beauty of Bombay in monsoon in words unless you’re Javed Akhtar. Let’s look at some of the memorable Bombay, Baarish & Bollywood happenings.

The Wake Up Sid Legacy

Do you remember the climax of the Wake Up Sid, where Sid (Ranbir Kapoor) realises that he has an intense love for Aisha (Konkana Sen Sharma) while taking a look at the magazine photographs? At the same time, the first rain hit the parched city, and he decides to take a shot and drive towards the marine drive in the hope of seeing his lady love. Since then, people have gone more crazy about marine drive and the song Iktara.

Life in a Metro

The local train has always been and will be the first love and lifeline of the people who live in Mumbai. About 35-lacs people commute through a local train on a daily basis, and a lot can happen over a regular journey. We have seen a few of such amazing stories in Anurag Basu’s Life in a metro, and that’s why you couldn’t resist yourselves from playing In Dino when someone beautiful crosses your path while you are running to catch a train.

Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya

The economic capital of India offers endless opportunities for everyone and, at the same time, teaches you how to deal with failure in life. The city of dreams has witnessed many stories of rags to riches and has become a home to many legends. The city makes sure you live your life with a never give up attitude, but when it gets out of your hands (waterlogging vibes), just take a deep breath and sing Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya and start again.

Taxi No. 9211

Bombay is incomplete without its Kaali Peeli (Taxi), and the people who travel in these taxis regularly at least have one memory to share. Kaali Peeli drivers are full of life, and most of them will not hesitate to share their Bombay stories with you. So, next time you’re stuck in traffic due to baarish, initiate a conversation with them to recreate the Taxi No. 9211 vibes. Warning – Please don’t overdo it, otherwise, you know what a simple-looking Kaali Peeli driver can do!

Ae Dil Hai Aasaan Jeena Yahaan

We all are big fans of the legendary payback singer Mohd. Rafi, who has recorded over 25,000 songs. However, his Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Jeena Yahan from the CID movie has a massive fanbase. The lyrics depict life in Mumbai in a very decent way, even though the city has changed drastically over the last few decades. Sadly, people only remember the lines of Mohd. Rafi, just like they focus on the sad moments instead of Geeta Dutt’s line – Ae Dil Hai Aasaan Jeena Yahaan.

How Big is Indian Music Industry?

Who wakes you up in the morning? Now, don’t say your parents or sibling(s), for heaven’s sake! Yeah, they like turning off the air conditioner, fan and our MOOD every time they see us sleeping after specific hours. Jokes apart, but every morning or perhaps, every afternoon (cheers and more power to night owls), for most of us, an alarm clock does the job of waking us up with a piece of music we have set up beforehand.

Basically, from waking up in the morning with a favourite alarm tone to trying to sleep while listening to your favourite songs, we’re surrounded by the term MUSIC. We live on a planet where music plays a vital role in almost every ceremony, be it a marriage or a funeral; we pursue relief in the presence of music. Being a solitary person, I’ve heard all types of popular music, but my heart only beats for the Indian melodies.

An ode to the Indian music

It is said that the art of music was introduced to Earth by Narada Muni, and since then, music has been an inseparable part of Indian culture and tradition. Back in the days (when the Gharana system was present), the students would spend many years with their guru to learn the music, and over time they used to share a spiritual bond and principles with their teachers, which further shaped their life.

Originated in South Asia and the identity of the Indian subcontinent, Indian classical music is one of the oldest music forms in history. It is divided into two major traditions – the North Indian classical music known as Hindustani and the South Indian classical music known as Carnatic. It was formed 6,000 years ago from sacred Vedic scriptures and is closely connected to nature.

Note: Hope you’ve heard the stories of Megh Malhar Raag, which has the power to bring out rains in the area where it is sung.

Bollywood Music Vs Classical Music

We all love (or used to love, thanks to the remixers) Bollywood music even though it doesn’t have a specific style. In comparison, Indian classical music has a rich history and numerous types as it is influenced by the natural elements of the earth. Indian classical music is the primary vocal training genre of Indian music, while Bollywood music is just a type of music we hear in the Bollywood movies.

Bollywood music or songs consists of different types of music and has every element of music from traditional to folk, classical to western. The primary and most noticeable difference between these two music genres is that Bollywood is commercially very profitable, while Indian classical music helps enlighten the soul. Classical music has a limited audience, while we can see all age groups grooving to Bollywood music.

Why are Indian Musicians still struggling to have a global presence?

We have about 22 major languages and 19,500 dialects in India as mother tongues, which obviously creates a linguistic barrier. However, in India, most artists write lyrics for the music/song in Hindi or respective major/regional languages. The language barrier among the people creates a downpour into the popularity, and that’s the sole reason Indian music reaches the outside world but fails to make a mark.

In western countries, musicians usually produce their records/albums and are open to exploring the art form. Whereas, in India, musicians are more into being a part of Bollywood and singing a song or two for a particular movie. Independent musicians from western countries gain recognition under their name, which helps them to have a worldwide audience. Also, they do frequent concerts making them popular among the youth.

Top 5 instruments used in Indian Music Industry

  • Sitar – The instrument has a long neck with twenty metal frets and seven cords.

Renowned Sitar Players – Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Abdul Halim Zaffar Khan

  • Flute – A cylindrical instrument which provides vitality to the mind and soul.

Renowned Flute Players – Pt Pannalal Ghosh and Pt Hari Prashad Chaurasia

  • Shehnai – A double-reed instrument with a tapering bore progressively increases towards the lower side.

Renowned Shehnai Players – Ustad Bismillah Khan

  • Tabla – Everyone knows what is Tabla? A pair of drums – one is called Tabla and the other one is called Bayan.

Renowned Tabla Players – Zakir Husain

  • Harmonium – The harmonium is also called Reed Organ. It has a free-reed keyboard of over two and one-half octaves and works on a bellows system.

Renowned Harmonium Players – Late R. K. Bijapure

Top 5 Music Companies in India

T-Series 

T-Series is an Indian music record label and film production company run by Bhushan Kumar, son of the founder and music producer Gulshan Kumar. On YouTube, it has a multi-channel network of over 29 channels and over 390+ million subscribers.

Saregama India Limited

Saregama India Limited is an Indian music company, formerly known as the Gramophone Company of India. The company was founded in 1901 and is India’s oldest music label, currently owned by the RP – Sanjiv Goenka Group of companies.

Universal Music India

Launched in 1999, Universal Music India is a part of the Universal Music Group, an American-based, Dutch-listed multinational music corporation. The worldwide revenue of the Universal Music Group is over $6 billion, and it is one of the youngest music companies in India.

Tips Industries Limited

Tips Industries is one of the renowned film production and film distribution company. The company was founded by Kumar S. Taurani and Ramesh S. Taurani in 1975, and over the 3 decades, it has grown to become a leading entertainment company.

Times Music

Times Music is the number 1 music label in the spiritual music genre. The company started operations in 1998, and since then, it has produced over 60,000 tracks in all languages and genres. In India, the company is more famous for its spiritual music releases.

Valuation

After engineering, medical and MBA, music is the only career or perhaps the only acceptable art form in the society in which Indian parents believe. Otherwise, parents are very precise about their children’s career choices, especially in our country. Once called “The Global Music Industry’s Sleeping Giant”, – The Indian music industry has topped the charts for the third time in a row with annual revenue of over ₹1,500 crores.

The pandemic caused a big hole in the earnings of the Indian music industry as 70% of recorded music in India is film-based. However, many people bought memberships and paid the charges on several apps, which helped the industry stay intact. Currently, the Indian music industry is ranked 17th in the world, and it is valued at around 19 billion Indian rupees at the end of 2021 and is expected to cross 28 billion rupees by the end of 2024.

Musical Records

  • Aap Kaa Surroor, a debut album by Himesh Reshammiya, released in 2006, is the highest-selling album ever released in India, with over 55 million copies sold.
  • Asha Bhosle is the most recorded artist in music history. She has recorded up to 11,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs in over 20 Indian languages since 1947.
  • Rahul Dev (RD) Burman is known as the King of Bollywood Music and is one of the influential music directors in the Indian film industry.
  • Shree Hanuman Chalisa by Hariharan is India’s most viewed music video, with over 2,486,720,895 views. The video is on the T-Series Bhakti Sagar channel.
  • Lut Gaye, a song starring Emraan Hashmi, composed by Tanishk Bagchi and sung by Jubin Nautiyal, has become the fastest Indian single to reach 1 Billion views on YouTube.
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