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Hello,

What’s a voice worth? Millions, if you ask Meta. 

The company is in talks with several Hollywood celebrities for the right to record and use their voices for AI projects. 

A successful deal may just see the next Meta chatbot have the sardonic tone of Awkwafina or the gravitas of Dame Judi Dench. Neat!

However, for AI investors, proposals and promises may not be enough anymore. They want results, and they want them now. 

T-Hub, which has supported over 2,000 tech startups over the last nine years, is aiming to push that number to over 6,000 in the next five years, CEO Srinivas Rao Mahankali detailed during a fireside chat at YourStory‘s DevSparks Hyderabad 2024. 

Meanwhile, Zaggle CTO Srikanth Gaddam believes there’s no one correct way to approach computing for real-time data processing, especially as devices get more powerful with each generation.

Want more insights like these from the ones who drive the startup scene? Don’t forget to grab your tickets here for the 15th edition of TechSparks Bengaluru, to be held on September 26-28!

Lastly, we’re one step closer to explaining the cause behind the moon’s atmosphere.

Soil samples brought back by the first NASA astronauts to land on the moon are now revealing the main physical process driving this atmosphere: meteorite strikes!

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Conversations on authenticity
• A culinary pilgrimage through India
• Making the most of meditation

Here’s your trivia for today: What’s the modern name of the ‘Spice Islands’ that Christopher Columbus was trying to reach during his voyages?

Interview

Conversations on authenticity with Diipa Khosla

As the Indian marketing industry is poised to touch Rs 2,500 crore by next year, according to a report by global decision-making B2B platform KlugKlug, and every other person is an influencer online, how do we know who to trust?

The answer, according to global influencer and entrepreneur Diipa Khosla, lies in being authentic. In fact, authenticity and inclusivity are guiding principles for her skincare and beauty brand Inde Wild, which has roots based in Ayurveda.

Real beauty:

• Inde Wild has over 60 focus groups across India, the UK and the US, to give power back to the people who are actually the customers—a key USP for the brand.
• The turning point was when Khosla shared photos of her acne-prone skin to her Instagram followers. This gave her an edge over other celebrity brands that promote the culture of looking perfect round the clock. 
• Khosla is presently focusing on family growth and the growth of her business, with Inde Wild launching in Sephora UK and USA soon.

Wine and Food

A culinary pilgrimage through India

Imagine sitting in the country’s Silicon Valley and relishing a Calcutta Club fish fry with kashundi; or breaking into a Kashmiri naan kebab and bursting into flavours of kebab chini—that’s the true Bombay Brasserie experience.

First launched in November 2013, in Coimbatore, Bombay Brasserie has been a pioneer in contemporary Indian cuisine, much before the influx of fusion Indian cuisine restaurants across the country. 

India on a table:

• The restaurant uses regionally sourced ingredients—aam papad from Amritsar, kashundi and panch phoran from West Bengal, shikaar masala from Rajasthan, doon chetin from Kashmir, and malwani masala from the Konkan belt, to give customers as authentic an experience as possible. 
• Beyond its food, Bombay Brasserie goes the extra mile with its decor to recreate the experience of ‘one India’, from colourful kites to the restaurant’s signature handcrafted wooden dolls.
• The highlight, however, is the hot plates and street grills segment that features street kebabs flashed on the humble tawa or open charcoal grills. Definitely don’t miss the Kashmiri naan kebab.

Mindfulness and Spirituality

Making the most of meditation

While some meditation practices are aimed at promoting sleep, others are targeted at mindfulness, stress relief, or dealing with anxiety. 

If meditation puts you to sleep every time, there’s a chance you may be missing out on some of its benefits, especially wakefulness and improved concentration. 

Attentive mindfulness:

• If drowsiness is a pattern you observe every time, your body wants you to know how tired it feels from mechanically pushing ourselves to a point of mental and physical exhaustion, says Khushbu Mehta, a meditation expert from Delhi.
• Occasionally, it may also be the case that some people believe they fell asleep while meditating when they’ve only been in a state of restful alertness. 
• Some key things to follow to stay alert should be getting adequate sleep, staying hydrated and meditating in a room with enough fresh air, among others, says Radhika Sarin, a meditation practitioner based in Chennai. 

News & updates

• Recession fears: Worries over tech earnings and a slowing US economy slammed the Nasdaq Composite index on Friday as it extended recent declines to fall 10% below its record high, confirming it was in correction territory.
• Production delay: Nvidia Corp’s upcoming AI chips will be delayed by three months or more due to design flaws, which could affect Nvidia’s customers including Meta Platforms Inc, Google LLC, and Microsoft Corp. 
• Cash collector: Berkshire Hathaway’s cash pile swelled to a record $276.9 billion last quarter as Warren Buffett sold big chunks in stock holdings, including Apple.

What’s the modern name of the ‘Spice Islands’ that Christopher Columbus was trying to reach during his voyages?

Answer: The Maluku Islands, in Indonesia.

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