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Time of India
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
From shots to chai shots: Rave culture gets a clean makeover
Is 8 am the new 2 am? In the national capital, the answer is yes. Rave parties for millennials and boomers have long been associated with pulsing lights, midnight crowds and the hush-hush presence of alcohol or drugs. But now, a cultural flip is underway, taking the sober movement even further. In Delhi and Mumbai and beyond, a new kind of rave is taking over: chai rave , coffee rave , matcha rave, run rave . No intoxicants, no hangovers—just endorphins, caffeine, community and a steady stream of beats. In Delhi, young professionals lace up their sneakers at 6.45 am for a 5-km jog. On June 15, the Delhi Run Collective hosted its second run rave at the Arun Jaitley Park near Siri Fort. 'People may arrive sleepy, but that changes the moment we begin,' says Bhavya Choudhary, an engineer at an oil and gas firm, who took part in the run. 'By 8 am, there was music, dancing, laughter—it felt less like a fitness event and more like a celebration of movement and community.' Manraj Singh, cofounder of Delhi Run Collective, says, 'Post-Covid, people started valuing cardiovascular health and community in ways they didn't before. You don't need alcohol. A run, music and good company can create the same high— if not better.' Run raves begin early in the morning in a park, followed by team activities like tug-ofwar and finally a cool-down at a cafe—with tea, coffee or smoothie, along with DJ and dancing. 'It's the kind of party where you make real connections. You wake up early, push yourself, dance hard and go home by 10 am, feeling amazing,' says Singh. 'It's a new ritual.' If you thought a chai party couldn't be cool, beauty and wellness brand inde wild would disagree. It had a chai rave, featuring 'Kulhad, Corset and Kundan', for the launch of a lip tint product in masala chai flavour. Says Diipa Büller-Khosla, founder of inde wild: 'The chai rave was a love letter to dual identities. It was about wearing a corset and kundan, drinking masala chai in a kulhad and dancing under a disco ball.' Why chai? 'It's bold, layered and unapologetically complex, just like the women who drink it. We didn't pair chai with rave culture to modernise it, but to celebrate it in a new context. Why not let it live at the heart of a rave?' she says. This is a clean and cost-effective branding exercise. It's also a sign of how Gen Z and young millennials are reclaiming cultural rituals and giving them a new twist. The cafe chain Chaayos , too, held a chai rave in Greater Noida recently. Vaibhav Bhatia, a Delhi-based food vlogger, who attended it, says, 'It had EDM and desi chai—what more do you want? You get the same buzz without the crash. It's clean, social and enjoyable.' It isn't just chai. Starbucks Reserve hosted a coffee rave in Mumbai in May, followed by Araku Coffee's party on June 13. Raashi Mishra, a 24-year-old marketing professional, who attended both events, says, 'The vibe was fun, there was lots of dancing, and most of the crowd was Gen Z. We are seeing more people choosing not to drink. But sober doesn't mean boring anymore.' For brands like Starbucks, it's a bridge to a younger crowd. DJ Aaryan Gala, who played at the coffee rave, says: 'They wanted to draw in Gen Z and introduce new coffees. This was the best way—good beats, good brews. We had kids and pets grooving with us.' Mokai, a cafe in Mumbai, held a coffee and matcha rave. 'The inspiration came from a London space that mixed music with matcha and sugar-free coffee,' says Karreena Bulchandani, founder of Mokai. 'We loved the vibe and added our own signature twists.' What started as a low-key experiment in September last year now has turmeric and ginger shots, matcha lattes and Arab-inspired DJ beats. 'People love trying something fresh and Insta-worthy. But this isn't designed to be a weekly ritual; it is just a feel-good moment worth experiencing,' she adds. NO-TOX PARTY The definition of a rave is being rewritten— its time, space and liquid companion have changed. 'People used to party till 2 am. Now they are partying at 8 am. They are building rituals that feel good, look good and are actually good for one's health,' says Singh of Delhi Run Collective. 'It's a cultural detox .' What ties all these raves together? Music. For Aaryan Gala, who has spun decks across global nightclubs for over 17 years, the shift to caffeine-led raves is anything but conventional. 'Coffee raves are held in cafés, without alcohol or any vices. People are high on caffeine and music only,' he says. Instead of high-octane drops, the mood is groovy and grounded. 'We tailor the vibe to the space—mostly Afro House, Deep House and a touch of Bollytech. It's less about the drop and more about the flow.' He is optimistic about where this is headed. 'With over 20 lakh cafés in India, we are just scratching the surface. This concept will blow up—we are not even prepared for it.' At a recent techno festival in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, ravers made sun salutations under strobes. This was a yoga rave, curated by Art of Living teachers Isha Sharma and Divam Kapoor, and Sarvagya Moondra of the music festival Eden of Sounds. 'We chase a pranic high, not a chemical one,' says Sharma. With breathwork drops, bass-backed Om chants and a crowd that leaves sweaty yet serene, raves like this are redefining what it means to party, says Kapoor. Globally, too, the concept of the rave is being reinvented. At the padel club raves in Europe, for instance. high-energy dance meets sport culture. The new raves are all about cardio over cocktails, caffeine over chaos and joy minus the judgment.
Mint
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Taipei Open 2025: Eight Indian shuttlers bow out in qualifying round
New Delhi [India], May 7 (ANI): Eight Indian shuttlers crashed out of the qualifiers round and failed to make it to the main draw of the Taipei Open 2025 on Tuesday. Four Indian men and as many women shuttlers participated in the opening day's qualifiers at the BWF Super 300 tournament. Only three of them were able to get past the first round; however, they suffered heartbreak in the second round, according to Raghu Mariswamy, ranked 119th in the badminton rankings in the men's singles category, outwitted Macau's Pui Pang Fong 14-21, 21-16, 21-14. However, he bowled out after suffering defeat in straight games by Indonesia's world No. 67 Moh Zaki Ubaidillah 21-16, 21-17. Manraj Singh, ranked 79th, also emerged triumphant in the first round, by overwhelming Chinese Taipei's Cheng Kai 19-21, 21-13, 21-11. However, he fought hard and put up a valiant show, but lost the second-round battle 21-9, 19-21, 20-22 to Malaysia's Tan Jia Jie in a closely contested affair. In the women's category, Mansi Singh was the only Indian to notch a win. She defeated Tsai Hsin-Pei 22-20, 14-21, 21-17. Her run in the tournament was cut short after she lost to Thailand's Pitchamon Opatniputh 21-17, 21-10. Among other players, Aryamann Tandon suffered a defeat against Malaysia's Kok Jing Hong 27-25, 10-21, 8-21, while Mithun Manjunath also lost against Tan Jia Jie in a tight encounter in the second game, 21-17, 19-21, 9-21. In women's singles, Isharani Baruah pushed Pitchamon to the edge but crashed out with a 7-21, 23-21, 22-24 defeat. Ira Sharma lost 7-21, 18-21 to Chen Su Yu of Chinese Taipei, while Shreya Lele lost 14-21, 16-21 against Japan's Sorano Yoshikawa. Men's singles: Kidambi Srikanth, S Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian, Ayush Shetty, Tharun Mannepalli, Meiraba Luwang Maisnam; Qualifiers: Aryamann Tandon, Manraj Singh, Raghu Mariswamy, Mithun Manjunath Women's singles: Anupama Upadhyaya, Unnati Hooda, Anmol Kharb, Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj, Aakarshi Kashyap; Qualifiers - Isharani Baruah, Mansi Singh, Shreya Lele, Ira Sharma Women's Doubles: Rashmi Ganesh/Sania Sikkandar. (ANI)
Hans India
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
Taipei Open: Manraj, Mansi, Raghu crash out in second round as Indian singles hope falters
Taipei: India's young badminton contingent endured a disappointing outing at the Taipei Open Super 300 tournament on Tuesday, as none of the singles players managed to progress beyond the qualification rounds into the main draw. Despite flashes of promise, the Indian challenge in both men's and women's singles fizzled out in the second round of qualifiers. Manraj Singh, Raghu Mariswamy, and Mansi Singh, all of whom began their campaigns with spirited opening-round victories, fell short in their respective next matches. Manraj Singh, Raghu Mariswamy and Mansi Singh showed early promise with opening-round wins in the singles qualification but fell short in their respective second-round matches. Among the closest results came in Manraj Singh's second-round clash against Malaysia's Tan Jia Jie. Manraj looked in control early, taking the first game 21-9. However, he lost his rhythm in a fiercely contested battle that stretched to the wire, eventually losing 21-9, 19-21, 20-22. Raghu Mariswamy, who had started the day with a strong comeback win over Macau's Pui Pang Fong (14-21, 21-16, 21-14), was unable to carry that momentum forward. He fell in straight games to Indonesia's Moh Zaki Ubaidillah, 16-21, 17-21, despite a valiant effort to stay in the rallies. In the women's singles, Mansi Singh began her campaign on a winning note, edging out Chinese Taipei's Tsai Hsin-Pei in a tight three-game affair (22-20, 14-21, 21-17). But her hopes were dashed in the second round, where she was outclassed by Thailand's rising star Pitchamon Opatniputh, going down 17-21, 10-21 in a one-sided encounter. India's woes didn't end there. Aryamann Tandon, who pushed Malaysia's Kok Jing Hong to the limit in the first game (27-25), faded in the next two to lose 27-25, 10-21, 8-21. Mithun Manjunath too couldn't hold on after winning the first game against Tan Jia Jie, eventually falling 21-17, 19-21, 9-21 in a hard-fought three-game match. The women's singles qualifiers saw further setbacks. Isharani Baruah produced one of the more entertaining matches of the day, stretching Thailand's Pitchamon to three games before losing narrowly: 7-21, 23-21, 22-24. It was a match that could have gone either way, but Isharani was unable to close it out in the decider despite a brave fightback. Meanwhile, Ira Sharma was unable to match the pace and placement of local player Chen Su Yu, going down 7-21, 18-21. Shreya Lele, facing Japan's Sorano Yoshikawa, also exited early with a 14-21, 16-21 loss.
