Microgreens and sustainable cuisine
These little delicate seedlings of vegetables and herbs will make our plates greener. The local variety is being used by professionals, as well as home cooks. Chefs like Vikram S Udaygiri from Bangalore is an ardent promoter of these. As the founder of Food Sense, he has invested majourly on microgreens that he responsibly grown.
The location of his farm was chosen carefully so that all hotels he supplies to are within a radius of 15 kms, to reduce the carbon footprint in his own little way. His grows vertically to save space, and doesn’t use borewells for irrigation. He also reuses his plastic trays to grow more greens. Udaygiri believes sustainable cuisine is the future of global gastronomy. Respecting indigenous soil by eating local is the first step. Consuming seasonal is the next. He follows the practise of intercropping, which he feels will be adopted by more farmers and individuals that makes optimal use of environmental processes that would otherwise not have been beneficial for a standalone crop.
Extreme Tourism
The greater the shock the greater the satisfaction. That’s the name of the game for extreme tourism that’s expected to plummet within the global travel industry. The entire gamut of extreme experiences are being offered by destinations all over the world. Swimming in the Devil’s Pool in Victoria Falls, Crocodile dive in Australia, Cliff Base Jumping in Norway, Volcano Bungee in Chile, and others including river trekking, speleology and storm chasing.
“Travellers are ready to ditch conventional itineraries for gut-wrenching, shock tourism. Such vacations increase your threshold for uncertainty and in the last three months, we’ve gotten a lot of queries for such adventure holidays. The travel industry predicts an upward swing in demand for such holidays,” says Prashant Padmakar from a leading travel agency.
Gen Z
Make may for the most technology savvy, entrepreneurially prudent and a constantly challenged cohort—generation Z. They are just about setting foot into the work place and are already being viewed as agents of change. They are realists who have outstripped their predecessors with their problem solving prudence. It’s because of them that Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook is likely to continue to get investment. “Their adaptability ensures that organisations are always at the cusp of innovation. If mentored well, this generation will transform the way companies work,” says Pallavi Jain, Group Manager HR, Mercer Consulting (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Zero Waste Fashion
“DON’T forget what’s in your backyard,” says Divya Kumar, Wardrobe Artisan at Earthistic, Bangalore. People are going to embrace zero waste fashion, she says. In her practise over the last few years she’s observed how positively the idea has been received by the design circle. On her part, she uses things including onion peels, pomegranate and eucalyptus leaves as natural dyes. Not using anything synthetic has been a priority for her. She also refashions every bit of left over scrap. Even the plastic bags in which she brings her yardage, is reused for resist dyeing. 2018 will also see more of anti fit or slouchy clothing, she says. “This draping style will see outfits at least four times your size. It drives home the point about all sizes being beautiful,” she believes.
Monochrome Spaces
In a stark departure from this year’s demand for bright contrasts, the next 365 days are going to be all about single tone aesthetics in decor spaces. Non fussy monochrome interiors are back, making the tone on tone look a sassy statement. “It’s an easy and eloquent way to do up the walls and furniture, although it does take a lot of discipline. The designing needs to be anticipated keeping the entire space in mind,” says Punam Kalra, Creative Director at I’m, The Centre For Applied Arts. Her prediction makes red and fuchsia the popular colour choices. To get a winning look, play with textures, prints, motifs, and gradations. Full bodies decorative pieces, large paintings or anomalously shaped furniture will help break the monotony of colour.
Social Media For Publishing
Social media has evolved as an all-encompassing platform for idea-sharing, business development, stimulating website traffic, facilitating conversation, and now even publishing. LinkedIn set a high precedent by allowing members and influencers to publish articles. Some time back Snapchat and Instagram joined the track. This is expected to grow exponentially in 2018 with linking features becoming further strengthened.
“For the first time in the history of publishing media, you can have a two way conversation. This was contrary to the earlier practice of one sided communication with the radio or television. The person consuming the content couldn’t engage at all,” says Soham Srivastava, a Digital Marketing expert. He says that the ability to work in a field that operates in real time is alluring to professionals. Also, it’s easier now than ever before, to reach the targeted and relevant audience instantaneously.
Geometric Abstractions
In the contours of its myriad abstractions, lie curvilinears of profound meaning that are finding appreciation among the discerning. Geometric abstractions are what the walls are seeking this New Year. When it first began to be envisaged years ago, colours such as red, green and blue were used to evoke the senses. Today you see the most nuanced colours to highlight emotions. “Geometric art is not new in India, it’s only being viewed as significant now. All Tantra art was based on precession, shapes, lines, and purity of colours. Contemporary artists such as G.R.Santosh, Sohan Quadri and Raza have taken it to an exalted space. It’s only the beginning of deciphering its potential. 2018 will be its year,” she says.
Dry January
As revellers ready themselves to bid December adieu with an intoxicating high, a sober first day of the New Year is enticing some. Pledging Dry January is an annual movement through which millions of people promise themselves sobriety for 30 days. “I tried this last year and failed. The withdrawal symptoms were too strong. 2018 will be another chance,” says Aashna Malhotra, a musician from New Jersey.
Lizane Tanya D’souza from Mangalore fears for her health and that’s why she has decided to observe the day. Recently she went to a bar where she was greeted by a poster that read, ‘Trust me, you can dance. Alcohol’. Six pegs of whiskey and 6 shooters later, she was dancing without a care. The rotten hangover the next morning put things into perspective. “We struggle to drink eight glasses of water for the our health but guzzle down alcohol endlessly,” she says. Now she’s decided to treat her body right.
Athleisure
Could you have ever imagined wearing yoga pants to work? Now untill now that athleisure clothing has become so popular. It’s made sportswear such as running shorts, leggings, T-shirts, jackets and sneakers appropriate for the work place or social gatherings. It’s for the first time that business casuals are being amalgamated with gym wear to give a chic and extremely comfortable, sweat-wicking clothing option. The growing demand of athleisure comes from the fast paced life that millennials lead today. It’s a march off from fussy to futuristic dressing.
Potagers And Terrariums
Potagers will seize to be just humble vegetable plots. They will become sanctums for home-grown freshness and nourishment. Kitchen gardens have been around for aeons but it’s only now that they are being valued for their palatable organic produce. “Home gardens are a solution to food security and nutritional diversity,” says kitchen gardening professional Reena Gupta. The other thing that will gain popular consent are terrariums. “You will find them in decor spaces, as accessories for gardens, as well as for gifting,” says Gupta, who is also a terrarium arranger.
Superfoods
According to Food Strategist Swasti Aggarwal, who works at Foodhall, a considerable increase in the demand of superfoods like acai, chia, cacao, spirulina and hemp seed powder will be seen. Probiotic water is another superfood being considered an elixir for gut health. Seaweed is the new kale, or at least Chef Prem K Pogakula, Executive Chef The Imperial New Delhi, thinks so.
Plant-based proteins such as jackfruit are becoming a popular substitute for meat. Instead of smoothies, it’s more about fruit soups. Flavoured butters are catching on, according to chef. At many high end restaurants, he points out, herbal scents are burnt beneath the food offering a new sensory experience. Finally, no sugar sodas are going to be the big beverage highlight.