Category: Offbeat

A Polish woman, who has been living in India for some time, is winning hearts online with her video on India’s transformation. Dominika Patalas-Kalra shared a video listing the changes she has seen over the years. In her caption, she wrote, “I’m from Poland, and when I first came to India 10 years ago, I could never have imagined how much this country would transform. And the most fascinating part? I’ve been here to witness it all, step by step.”

Her video focuses on five key areas.

On Digital India, she said the country has moved from cash being king to QR codes being everywhere. “Today, even a small chai stall or street vendor can accept a digital payment in seconds,” she wrote.

On airports, she highlighted new airports and modern terminals. She said that with more flight connections, she can now fly directly to Poland in just seven hours.

She also spoke about infrastructure. “New expressways, highways, flyovers, and metro lines have changed the way people move around. Journeys that once felt endless can now be much quicker,” she said.

She pointed out that food delivery has become part of everyday life in India, with meals and groceries available at the doorstep with just a few taps.

She also talked about Indian Railways and said modern trains, upgraded railway stations and better digital services have improved the experience for passengers.

Social media users have praised her video, with many saying her observations reflect the real change on the ground.

The growing popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs could bring major changes to businesses across the world, affecting everything from food and beverages to healthcare, fitness and travel, according to industrialist Harsh Goenka. In a post on X, Mr Goenka highlighted how the growing use of these medicines could create new business opportunities while putting pressure on industries that depend on food consumption and changing lifestyle habits.

GLP-1 drugs, which are increasingly being used to manage obesity and support weight loss, work by regulating appetite and helping people feel full for longer. Their growing popularity could gradually influence what consumers eat, drink and spend money on.

Which Industries Could Benefit?

According to Mr Goenka, pharmaceutical companies could be among the biggest beneficiaries of the trend. Drugmakers developing GLP-1 medicines and other treatments for obesity and metabolic disorders could see growing demand.

The healthcare sector could also gain, particularly obesity clinics, diagnostic services and businesses focused on metabolic health.

The fitness and wellness industry may benefit as more people look for personalised exercise programmes, training and lifestyle support.

The apparel sector could also see changes in consumer demand, with shifting body sizes potentially influencing clothing preferences, fashion trends and the demand for different sizes.

Interestingly, Mr Goenka also pointed to the travel and aviation sectors as potential beneficiaries. Lower average passenger weight could, in theory, help airlines reduce fuel consumption and operating costs, although the actual impact would depend on several factors.

Which Industries Could Face Challenges?

On the other hand, businesses that rely heavily on impulse purchases and high-calorie consumption could face challenges if eating habits change significantly.

Packaged food companies, particularly those selling snacks, confectionery and calorie-dense products, may need to rethink their offerings.

Fast-food chains and restaurants could also face pressure if consumers begin choosing smaller portions or eating out less frequently.

The alcohol industry, including beer and spirits manufacturers, could see changes in demand if drinking habits shift among people using these medicines.

Grocery retailers may also have to adapt to changing shopping baskets, particularly if purchases of sugary drinks, snacks and other impulse-buy products decline.

Food delivery platforms could be affected too, especially if customers order fewer indulgent meals.

A Bigger Shift In Consumer Behaviour

Mr Goenka’s observations point to a wider economic question: What happens when a medical development begins changing everyday consumer behaviour?

The impact of GLP-1 medicines may extend well beyond healthcare. Businesses across sectors could have to rethink their products, pricing strategies, marketing and understanding of customer preferences.

However, the scale of this disruption remains uncertain. The long-term effects will depend on how widely these medicines are adopted, their affordability, access to treatment and whether changes in eating habits continue over time.

For businesses, the message is clear: the growing weight-loss market could become more than a healthcare trend. It could emerge as a major force shaping the future of consumer spending.

November 2026 has several important festivals lined up, including Dhanteras, Diwali, Govardhan Puja, Bhai Dooj and Chhath Puja. Diwali will be celebrated on November 8, followed by Govardhan Puja on November 10 and Bhai Dooj on November 11. Soon after, Chhath Puja will be observed over four days, from November 13 to November 16.

Each festival has its own religious and cultural importance. While Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil and light over darkness, Chhath Puja is dedicated to the worship of the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya.

Here’s the complete festival calendar for November 2026, with important dates and details.

November 2026 Festival Calendar: Important Dates

November 6, Friday – Dhanteras: Dhanteras marks the beginning of Diwali celebrations. The festival is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Kubera and Lord Dhanvantari. Buying gold, silver, jewellery and new utensils is considered auspicious on this day.

November 7, Saturday – Chhoti Diwali: Also known as Naraka Chaturdashi, Chhoti Diwali commemorates Lord Krishna’s victory over the demon Narakasura. People light diyas, decorate their homes and perform traditional rituals to celebrate the victory of good over evil.

November 8, Sunday – Diwali and Lakshmi Puja: Diwali is the main day of the five-day celebration. Devotees worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha to seek blessings for wealth, prosperity and well-being.

People decorate their homes with diyas and rangolis, exchange sweets and gifts, and perform religious rituals. The festival also marks Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile.

November 10, Tuesday – Govardhan Puja: This festival commemorates the occasion when Lord Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to protect the people of Vrindavan from heavy rainfall. Devotees worship Lord Krishna and prepare Annakut, a special offering consisting of different food items. The day is also observed as Bali Pratipada and marks the Gujarati New Year in several regions.

November 11, Wednesday – Bhai Dooj: The festival celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. Sisters apply tilak on their brothers’ foreheads and pray for their long life and well-being, while brothers give gifts to their sisters.

Chhath Puja 2026: Full Four-Day Schedule

After the Diwali celebrations, Chhath Puja will be observed from November 13 to November 16. It is an important festival dedicated to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya. The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm, especially in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

The four-day festival involves prayers, rituals and difficult fasts. Women observe the fast to pray for the long life and bright future of their children, along with the happiness and prosperity of their families.

Here is the complete schedule of Chhath Puja 2026.

November 13, Friday – Nahay Khay: Nahay Khay marks the beginning of Chhath Puja. On this day, devotees clean their homes and prepare for the festival. Those observing the fast wake up before sunrise and take a bath, often in a holy river. They then prepare prasad, which usually includes chana dal, pumpkin curry and rice, using new earthen utensils.

November 14, Saturday – Kharna: The second day is known as Kharna. Devotees observe a fast throughout the day without drinking water. In the evening, they prepare prasad, which usually includes jaggery kheer and roti. The food is prepared on an earthen stove using mango wood. Other offerings include roti or puri made from wheat flour and thekua. After performing the puja, devotees eat the prasad and begin the difficult fast, which continues until the final day of Chhath Puja.

November 15, Sunday – Sandhya Arghya: On the third day, devotees visit Chhath ghats with their families to offer arghya to the setting Sun God. Water and milk are offered as part of the ritual. Thekua, fruits and other prasad are also offered during the prayers. Devotees pray for the happiness and prosperity of their families and the long life of their children.

November 16, Monday – Usha Arghya: Usha Arghya marks the final day of Chhath Puja. Devotees offer arghya to the rising Sun God in the morning. After completing the prayers, they eat prasad and break their fast. With this ritual, the four-day Chhath Puja celebrations come to an end.

According to religious beliefs, devotees who observe the fast with true devotion receive the blessings of Chhathi Maiya for the long life of their children and the happiness and prosperity of their families.

Diwali is a time when families come together to celebrate, share happiness and create special memories. However, for parents whose daughters have moved to their in-laws’ homes after marriage, the festival can also bring a sense of missing their children. Highlighting this emotion, a woman named Jayati Roy Sharma has shared a heartfelt message, urging women to visit their parents before celebrating Diwali at their in-laws’ homes.

In her post, Sharma encouraged women to take some time out to visit their parents, even if it is only for a few hours.

She pointed out that while daughters may now celebrate the festival in a new home, follow different traditions and make new memories, their parents still miss the moments they once shared with them.

She reminded women that their parents may miss having them around to decorate the house, choose sweets, laugh together and fill their home with happiness.

While Diwali celebrations may have shifted to a new home for daughters, the festival can feel incomplete for parents without them.

Sharma also urged women to hug their parents, spend time with them and share a meal. She highlighted that parents grow older with time, and what they often wish for is simply to spend a little time with their daughters.

Sharma said that women should not just take gifts when visiting their parents during Diwali but should also bring themselves along, as their presence is the most precious gift their parents could receive.

As Delhi prepares to celebrate Diwali, the festive spirit has also reached the Embassy of Switzerland in India, where Ambassador Maya Tissafi joined her team in celebrating the festival. The embassy was decorated with colourful rangolis and glowing diyas, while the celebrations also featured traditional Indian delicacies.

Ambassador of Switzerland to India Maya Tissafi shared a glimpse of the celebrations in a post, highlighting how the festive atmosphere in the city had made its way into the embassy as well.

She said celebrating with her team amid colourful rangolis, glowing diyas and delicious Indian food was a lovely way to embrace India’s festive spirit and traditions. The celebrations offered an opportunity for the team to enjoy the festive atmosphere together.

Wishing people a week filled with celebrations, Tissafi also expressed her hope that everyone would have an exciting week full of Diwali festivities.

Casting a vote usually means visiting a polling booth. For NASA astronauts, it means floating in microgravity 400 kilometres above the planet.

Indian-origin astronaut Anil Menon and two other American crew members aboard the International Space Station have successfully voted in the ongoing US midterm elections from space.

The process is entirely digital. The astronauts receive a secure electronic ballot on board, fill it out on a laptop inside the station and transmit it back to election officials on Earth through NASA’s secure communication system.

Menon gave a peek into this unique voting process in a video posted on X on Tuesday. In the clip, he is seen inside his crew quarters, which doubled as a voting booth that day. He said he was voting in the Texas midterm polls.

Explaining the experience, Menon said, “Yes, you can even vote from space! All three US crew members had the privilege of voting from space station. We filled out an electronic ballot and sent it securely to the election officials.”

The video has gone viral on social media, with many users expressing amazement at the astronauts’ ability to vote from orbit. Reacting to the clip, one user joked, “Three astronauts managed to vote from space. Yesterday I spent 40 minutes trying to get my printer to acknowledge a laptop sitting three feet away. I’m applying to NASA. Their technology seems more reliable.” Another quipped that it was the “most extreme ‘I voted’ sticker ever,” while a third wrote, “What? I did not know this. How cool.”

Voting From Space Isn’t New. NASA Has Enabled Orbital Voting Since 1997

Voting from orbit is not new. NASA has had a system in place since 1997, after the Texas Legislature passed a bill allowing astronauts to cast ballots from space, and that same year NASA astronaut David Wolf became the first American to vote from orbit while aboard the Mir Space Station, ensuring crew members on long-duration missions do not miss out on elections.

Imagine if iconic Bollywood beauties from the golden era suddenly went live on Instagram. That is exactly what a viral AI video is showing, and social media cannot get enough of it.

The video imagines vintage actresses in today’s world, interacting with fans just like modern influencers do. In the clip, Asha Parekh is seen eating a burger while live on Instagram, while Madhubala appears talking to fans on a live chat. The video also shows Nanda buying a teddy bear for a girl during a live stream, Meena Kumari going live from a bookshop, Nargis helping a pantry worker fill a tiffin, and Simi Garewal appearing on a podcast with a host.

The video features many more actresses and has taken the imagination of viewers to the next level. It has already crossed 35,000 views, with many users praising the concept and the editing.

It was shared with a caption that reads, “Imagine vintage Bollywood beauties suddenly appearing in today’s world and going live with their fans… Social media would go absolutely crazy”.

The video left many social media users feeling nostalgic, with several saying they wished they could have interacted with these iconic personalities online.

One user wrote in Hindi, “The magic of that era still lives on. Social media would have gone crazy for them!” Another commented that their charm and elegance remain timeless, adding that seeing them live would have brought back a flood of old memories. Many also praised the stars’ enduring appeal, with one user calling Simi Garewal “the original OG podcaster,” while another simply described them as “evergreen beauties.” The comments reflected both admiration for the legends and nostalgia for a bygone era.

A Delhi-based company has surprised its employees with iPhone 16 smartphones as Diwali gifts, earning widespread attention on social media.

The company, based in Rohini, New Delhi, shared a video of the celebrations on its official Instagram account. The short clip shows iPhone 16 handsets placed on employees’ desks, each decorated with a ribbon as part of the festive celebrations.

The gesture has caught the attention of social media users, particularly as many companies traditionally give employees sweets, gift hampers or everyday utility items during Diwali.

Employees Delighted With Diwali Surprise

The 15-second video shows iPhones in different colours, including white, green, blue and black, placed in front of computers on employees’ desks.

Towards the end of the clip, several women employees can be seen reacting happily to their gifts.

Sharing the video, the company captioned the post, “No competition. Aapko kya mila? (What did you get?) The post quickly went viral, with many users praising the company’s generous gesture and flooding the comments section with appreciation.

Social Media Users React to the Gifts

The video also sparked a lively discussion in the comments section. Some users initially questioned whether the clip was genuine, with a few suggesting that it could have been created using artificial intelligence.

Responding to one such comment, the company laughed off the suggestion and asked the user to watch the video again, insisting that it was not AI-generated.

One user joked about wanting to join the company and asked whether there were any job vacancies. Another said that they might have to stop using Instagram during Diwali to avoid feeling jealous after watching such gift videos.

One comment humorously suggested that while female employees received iPhones, male employees had been given gold coins. Another user joked that they had not even received a box of soan papdi from their employer.

A trip to the hills turned into a clean-up drive after an Indian creator and his Taiwanese friend found a popular viewpoint in Mussoorie covered in litter.

The incident took place at Dalai Hills, a scenic spot in Happy Valley known for its Buddha statue, prayer flags and views of the Himalayas. The place is also considered sacred as it is close to a Buddhist temple.

Digital creator Anant M, who goes by @onroadindian on Instagram, said he had brought his friend from Taiwan to show her around his hometown. When they reached Dalai Hills, they were shocked to see plastic bottles, food wrappers and other waste thrown all over the area.

In a video shared on Instagram, the duo can be seen picking up the trash with their hands. Anant said in the video that he was disappointed that a foreign tourist had to help clean an Indian tourist spot. He also pointed out that many tourists were present there, but no one came forward to help.

His friend continued to collect the rubbish even when he asked her to stop and went to look for a bag to put the waste in.

The video has now gone viral on social media. Many internet users reacted strongly and called the behaviour shameful. Users criticised the lack of civic sense among visitors and praised the two for taking initiative. Some said hill stations like Mussoorie, often called the Queen of Hills, are losing their beauty due to careless littering by tourists.

Social media can be ruthless, especially when it comes to political setbacks. As the results of the 2026 US midterm elections poured in, President Donald Trump became the target of a fresh wave of online trolling, with social media awash with memes, AI-generated videos and resurfaced images mocking the Republican Party’s defeat. The backlash followed a major Democratic victory, with the party wresting control of the Senate by flipping key Republican-held seats and appearing on track to reclaim the House of Representatives in what many have described as a sweeping “blue wave.”

Voters in the US midterm elections have handed Democrats the keys to Congress for the rest of Donald Trump’s term. The party took the Senate and then the House, giving it unified control of Capitol Hill. The result is a sharp setback for the Trump administration and for the Republicans who have run Washington. Trump said he would accept the outcome of the midterms and was open to working with the Democrats.

And with the results, the meme fest began. The hashtag #BlueTsunami started trending on X, Instagram and other platforms.

Another viral post joked, “Looks like America is trying to deport Trump’s majority”, taking a dig at his hardline immigration policies.

One user wrote, “That was not a Blue Wave, that is a Blue TSUNAMI.” Another post said, “BLUENAMI incoming, MAGA RIP.”