Life & Style

On a recent rainy Friday evening in New Delhi, a BJP MP was spotted chatting to a Congress MP about how the latest monsoon session of Parliament was a washout, while a former CPI(M) MP passing by them stopped to say hello. Besides Parliament, there is only one place in New Delhi that encourages such a crossover: Khan Market.

Khan Market is not just India’s most expensive and upscale shopping district; it is a market that trades in power and capital as its goods — a symbol of the kind of power brokering that is now synonymous with statecraft. So when image guru Dilip Cherian talked about the iconic market and its proximity to power on Yasmin Kidwai’s RedFM podcast, A Delhi Love, the clip went viral. 

Khan Market has come to denote a certain kind of exclusivity and elitism that is out of reach to the average Indian, with the term ‘Khan Market gang’ entering political parlance after Prime Minister Narendra Modi began using it as a jibe against India’s liberal elite. But, like Cherian said, the idea that Delhi has moved on from Khan Market is a myth: it is still very much the informal centre of power in the nation’s capital because of the powerful visitors it draws.  

A view of the Khan Market in New Delhi on Monday
| Photo Credit:
Hunafa KP

“Khan Market, in the last 25 years has emerged as one of the social lungs of Delhi,” says Dilip to The Hindu. “You breathe it in, and you suddenly feel the power, you breathe it out, and you know it matters. It is absolutely integral to Delhi’s functioning.”

And there is a fairly easy explanation for why: its location. The market’s tightly coiled layout unfurls into a neat maze in the heart of central Delhi — Khan Market is immediately accessible from Parliament, the Ring Road, the city’s diplomatic enclave and its foreign residents, and the poshest pincode in the city, Amrita Shergill Marg. Over the years, its location has made it a symbol of stratification — anyone who visits can see that political ideology might not be a common denominator, but wealth is. Members of the BJP are just as likely to be seen at Khan Market as a Congress leader or a Supreme Court lawyer or a newspaper editor. 

“Governments have changed, but the politicians keep coming to Khan Market — that won’t change,” says Sanjeev Mehta, president, Khan Market Traders Association. “All of Delhi is essentially part of the Khan Market gang then. There’s something here for everybody.” 

The market’s elite reputation is offset by its aspirational appeal to regular passers-by. Young students have taken to posing for photographs outside Faqir Chand Booksellers as a social media trend, while tourists make it a point to stop by. Here, the very British concept of a high street yields to Delhi’s chaotic charm: located between uneven cobbled streets and a mass of tangled wires overhead are some of India’s most luxurious brands and gourmet restaurants. It now houses 156 shops — not counting the neatly organised street hawkers selling clothes and magazines in the market’s connecting alleyways — and around 35 restaurants across a variety of global cuisines. It used to be one of the few markets in the city that sold imported groceries and provisions, which earned it a loyal customer base amongst bureaucrats, expats, and diplomats. 

A view of the Khan Market in New Delhi on Monday
| Photo Credit:
Hunafa KP

“Khan Market continues to retain its position as Delhi’s prime retail destination due to its strategic central location, affluent catchment, and a carefully curated tenant mix of luxury retail, fine dining, and lifestyle brands,” says Anshuman Magazine, chairman, and CEO of real estate group, CBRE. 

Somehow, despite its acquired reputation for elitism, Khan Market continues to receive extremely heavy footfall. It is less about luxury and more about business: real estate properties like Khan Market are a “retail hotspot,” says Anshuman, and mirrors the broader transformation of attractive retail spaces in India. 

This inextricable link to shopping cuts through the idea that only a certain kind of person visits Khan Market. Both Cherian and Delhi historian Narayani Gupta say India is a nation of shoppers. But there is something about a market that is quintessential to the Indian public sphere, as theorised by philosopher Jurgen Habermas. Whether it is drinking tea at a roadside stall and buying vegetables off the street, or eating kimchi eggs benedict after a designer boutique shopping spree, Khan Market offers itself up as one of New Delhi’s modern public spheres — and perhaps the most influential.

Khan Market is one of independent India’s watering holes, where diplomats, politicians, businessmen, lobbyists, lawyers, and journalists have always met. Only in the past two decades has its conversations become framed by sourdough and sauvignon blanc. 

A view of the Khan Market in New Delhi
| Photo Credit:
Hunafa KP

But the sheen of its clientele has not stripped the market of more typical aspects: there are the usual street hawkers, tea and cigarette stalls, and old-school stationers and toy stores. Dogs (who wear sweaters in the winter) lounge about on its footpaths. A temple on the market’s outer perimeter serves as a handy landmark for customers calling Ubers. Roadside carts line the market’s exit alley, which culminates in a metro station. Khan Market’s vendors are not as starstruck by it as those who frequent it — to them their customers justify its real estate value. Nor should one forget its auto stand’s unflappable drivers and their baseline disinterest in everyone who alights from big cars with glazed windows or diplomatic number plates. 

Narayani is similarly less enamoured of the market and its elite ubiquity. “All the shades of snobbery clip-clop along its narrow paths. They do not seem to fret at the lack of external elegance and of green areas — which Connaught Place still has — or the village mela vitality of Dilli Haat,” she said. 

Renting a store in Khan Market can cost a minimum of ₹12 lakhs a month, and can go up to ₹16 lakhs, said Sanjeev. Street hawkers do not pay anything: one of the market’s most popular tea sellers has grown up in the area, and his father works as a guard. A cup of tea here might cost ₹15, but it is impossible to get a similar cup for less than at least ₹250 inside the market’s hallowed halls. Eating a full meal will burn a hole in one’s pocket, which might explain why the market is so packed between mealtimes — at least snacks are more affordable. The only thing that is really cheap is browsing.  

A view of the Khan Market in New Delhi
| Photo Credit:
Hunafa KP

Khan Market was set up as a refugee colony by the Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation in 1951 for those displaced by the Partition in 1947. A handful of original residents remain, while most of the real estate has been taken over by shops, restaurants, and cafes. Mehta said that the market became both popular and posh in the 1980s, after foreign officials and expats began to visit it over Connaught Place. It became home to some of India’s first department stores, like Empire Stores and Sovereign Dairies, and popular ice-cream parlours helped bring in a younger clientele. It graduated from simply a market to a meeting place when cafe culture reached Delhi in the 1990s. And as of 2025, what started as a refugee colony now averages a rental value between ₹1,600-1,900 per sq ft, according to CBRE. 

Yasmin, whose podcast explores various aspects of the city of New Delhi, sums up the market as a “vibe.” “You can love it, you can hate it, but you can’t ignore it,” she says. She points to how Khan Market’s bookstores, like the inimitable Bahrisons Booksellers, became a focal point — adding an entirely new layer of social and cultural capital to an otherwise normal high street. “Book culture and coffee culture foster community,” said Yasmin . “But honestly, the openness of Khan Market is not just material — it translates in welcoming all kinds of people.” 

The English bookstores and its famous patrons — from writers, students, and activists to celebrity faces — might have contributed to the idea of the market being elite and snobbish. But they have also served as an intellectual anchor to the market. They have fostered a sense of fierce loyalty and commitment to an erstwhile public space, especially with the dwindling of physical intellectual spaces in the day and age of Digital India. Regular book launches and talks keeps the market grounded as its consumerism skyrockets. 

“From mantri (minister) to santri (sentry) — all kinds make their purchases here,” said Sanjeev. 

As monsoon clouds darken Kolkata, towards late evening, something magical happens. The skies turn inky blue, and iconic, British-era buildings are swathed in mellow, yellow LED lights. After sleeping through years of soot, rain and crumbling plaster, the clock tower of Magen David Synagogue, domes and minarets of Burhani Masjid, and the wind-whirled angel of victory atop Victoria Memorial, amongst several other buildings, are learning to speak again. Their language being the madeleine-soft yellow luminescence. 

The Angel of Victory is a 4.9-meter tall, 3.5-tonne bronze statue at the Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

The notion of draping the city’s British-era facades in light came to heritage conservationist Mudar Patherya almost by accident. Driving down Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road one day, he saw the dome of Maniktala Market and was dismayed. The crumbling structure wore a giant advertisement like a scar. Mudar got the building freshly painted, only to find its renewed beauty enveloped by the night. Illumination, he decided, was the answer.

 Burhani Masjid
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

The first lighting revealed an unexpected magic, and it sowed the seed of a larger idea — to highlight more of the city’s sleeping landmarks. “I passed the hat among friends and industrialists who funded my illumination project,” Mudar recalls. “We needed a name that captured both, the city and the action we were taking, so I called it Kolkata Restorers. And that’s how the movement began. Kolkata Restorers is not an organisation. It’s a WhatsApp group. No president, no chairman emeritus, no functionaries. Just a broadcast thread. That’s how simple, functional, effective, and relevant we have kept it.”

The General Post Office, Kolkata 
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

In a year and 10 months since its inception, Kolkata Restorers has illumined as many as 95 buildings which include independent homes, General Post Office, Raj Bhavan, Queen’s Mansion, Central Methodist Episcopal Church, New Market’s Clock tower, Geological Survey of India, Standard Life Assurance Building, Burhani Masjid, Ishwar Kalachand Jiu temple,Returned Letter Office and many more. 

Raj Bhavan is the official residence of the Governor of West Bengal
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Light designer of the illumination project, Suyash Narsaria, founder of Optiluxx Electricals LLP , says, “The structures guide us. We don’t force light onto them, we highlight what the architect imagined a century ago. When the illumination feels natural, almost as if the building has always glowed that way, we know we’ve done justice. The idea is to respect the heritage, not drown it.”

Kalachand Temple
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Cost efficient LED technology has been the lighting team’s ally. “With smart controls, timers, and dimming options, we make sure the building looks stunning while consuming minimal power,” says Suyash. Describing the temperature of the colours, he explains, “For heritage structures, we lean towards warmer tones because they bring out the richness of stone and brick, and give the building a timeless aura. Cooler tones are used sparingly, usually to create contrast or add depth.”

Palmars Bridge Pumping Station Office
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

The biggest challenge, says Suyash, was to ensure that the lights don’t leave a permanent mark. “We use non-invasive mounting techniques, avoid drilling wherever possible, and work closely with conservation experts. It’s like working on a priceless painting — you illuminate it without ever touching the canvas,” he says.  

Speaking of the structure closest to his heart, Suyash mentions lighting up the angel on top of the Victoria Memorial. “But the building that truly surprised me was the Office of the Director General of Audit near Eden Gardens. Now, when you pass it at night, it feels like the entire road is illuminated,” recalls the designer. 

Good samaritan

Mudar calls Kolkata Restorers an ecosystem — loose, generous, and constantly expanding. He explains, “If you want to extend it, my colleague who manages the accounts, you can count him too. He’s the back end, I’m the front end. Then come donors — nearly 250 of them.”

The Maniktala Market Clock Tower, officially known as Maniktala Ghori Bari
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Talking about citizen crowdfunding for the project, he elaborates, “I am collecting amounts ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹40 lakh. So, anybody, with a sense of pride in the city, who is keen on restoration and resurgence, is my market.”

Hindu Mutual Building near Hindustan Building on Chittaranjan Avenue
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Mudar explains that maintenance cost is not high. He says, “We work backwards. We understand the location, paying capacity of the person owning the building, and we design lights accordingly. The light replacement comes from my pocket, the electricity cost comes from the pocket of the person who owns the building.” He adds, “Out of 95 buildings we have illumined, I had only one major refusal — the concerned people went bankrupt, so I picked up the tab for the electricity of that building.”

Lit and how!

Church of Our Lady of Dolours
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Mudar recalls the earliest reactions from those closest to the project. “The owners of the buildings are the first to recognise that there has been a change in pride,” he says. On Harish Mukherjee Road, barrister Pradeep Ghosh’s private residence was illuminated by the conservationist. Soon after, neighbours began stopping the barrister on the street. “Ki korecho, Pradeep? Khub e bhalo lagche (What have you done, Pradeep? It looks wonderful),” they said. 

The Returned Letter Office (RLO) in Kolkata, also known as the Dead Letter Office
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

A lot of night tours have emerged. Sujoy Sen, who runs tour company Travel Together Everywhere, conducts night tours that take visitors around the illumined buildings. Mudar believes that in the coming months, more such tours will feature every alternate Saturday.

Future perfect

Mudar says, “Some event organisers are also thinking along the lines of having neighbourhood festivals around my illuminated structures. One needs to go beyond illumination, otherwise, the place will only remain as an illuminated structure. We need to have illumination plus performances, or even night cuisine.”

St. Paul’s Cathedral, Kolkata
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

His wish list is ambitious. The building he wants to light up next is the Writers’ Building. “Writers’ Building would be defining. I have got the provision to light up the Indian Museum and Howrah Station. The feasibility of these buildings has to be explored,” explains Mudar, whose vision is to touch 200 structures.

As the streets thin out, the LED lights keep their nightly watch. What the day hides in smog and haste, the night reveals in wattage. Look closely, the soul of the old city treads softly at night.

When H&M first opened its doors in India in 2015, it wasn’t just another international brand entering the market — it was a cultural moment. The queues that wound around the Select Citywalk mall in Delhi signalled a new generation ready to embrace global trends. Ten years later, with more than 65 stores across 29 cities and a strong online presence, H&M has become part of everyday fashion in India.

H&M’s primary appeal has been its ability to bridge the gap between aspirational fashion and affordability. For urban youth in India, it offered a chance to buy into trends without the designer price tag. Their clothes, for both men and women, have been seen as a step up from local, unbranded options, providing more contemporary designs.

As Helena Kuylenstierna, director, H&M India puts it: “Our purpose has always been to democratise style, to liberate fashion for the many, not just the few. In India, this means breaking down the old walls between high fashion and everyday wear, making global trends accessible right here, right now, for everyone.”

Now, as it marks a decade in the country, the brand is extending its offering beyond clothes and accessories to launch H&M Beauty, which goes live on October 2 across stores in India and hm.com.

Inside an H&M store
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

For years, the retail giant has offered beauty across global markets, even opening dedicated stores in Oslo and Stockholm, but this is the first time the concept arrives on Indian shores.

The line-up is wide: over 200 products spanning make-up, fragrance and beauty tools. Think Satin Icon Lipstick with its creamy finish, Mad for Matte Liquid Lipstick, the lash-defining Never Ending Mascara, and the handy Do-it-All Stick Blush that works across cheeks, lips and lids. For those who lean towards fragrance, the Eau de Parfum collection brings vegan formulations and longer-lasting wear. Interestingly, some products have been created locally to better suit Indian climates and skin tones — a move that feels both thoughtful and strategic.

From the new H&M Beauty line

“This launch is a milestone in our journey, made even more special as we celebrate 10 years of H&M India. It reflects our commitment to making fashion and beauty more accessible and reaching more fashion aspirers across the country,” says Helena

Fashion collaborations

A major part of H&M’s India playbook has been its headline-grabbing collaborations with homegrown designers, and these have been as polarising as they have been profitable. The most talked-about was in 2021, when Sabyasachi Mukherjee unveiled his ‘Wanderlust’ collection with the brand. It sold out globally within minutes, underscoring the appetite for his aesthetic at an accessible price point. But it also drew sharp criticism. Many felt the collaboration betrayed Sabyasachi’s long-standing commitment to slow, handcrafted luxury, reducing it to a mass-produced template and diluting the exclusivity that his brand had built.

The 2024 tie-up with Anamika Khanna drew less heat, but it did not entirely escape scrutiny. Anamika’s brand too is rooted in couture-level detailing and artisanal craft, which inevitably raises the same questions: does translating that into fast fashion undermine the very value these designers stand for? Still, the collaboration was seen as more in sync with H&M’s aesthetic, perhaps because it leaned into a fusion of global and Indian design rather than attempting to replicate couture at scale.

Helena maintains that these ventures are central to the brand’s cultural positioning: “Collaborations are about taking an unexpected step together. Our partnership with Sabyasachi was a moment of true magic, it proved the incredible demand for a blend of Indian luxury and accessibility. It was a cultural flashpoint. The collection with Anamika Khanna was a beautiful evolution of our approach. It highlighted that our best collaborations happen when we truly harmonise global vision with local craft, delivering collections that feel genuinely rooted and relevant to the modern Indian consumer.”

Localisation and festive wear

From the new festive collection
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

From the new festive collection
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

H&M Home
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

H&M has also made strides in localising its product range beyond just designer collaborations. The launch of its festive collections is a prime example. The first festive collection was launched in 2019, marking a crucial step towards country-specific designs. Characterised by vibrant colours like deep reds, golds, and emerald greens, and fabrics like satin and sequins, these collections have become a go-to for affordable, modern festive wear. The ‘Brighter Than Ever’ campaign, often used for these collections, focuses on a sense of hope, celebration, and joy, positioning H&M as a destination for contemporary celebratory wear. The inclusion of H&M Home products in these festive offerings has also allowed customers to extend the brand’s modern aesthetic to their living spaces.

The arc of H&M’s journey has been defined by adaptation — from offering trend-led fashion at accessible prices, to collaborating with Indian designers, to launching festive collections that speak directly to local sensibilities. With the arrival of H&M Beauty, the brand is signalling that its ambitions go beyond clothing, into lifestyle and cross-category retail. Yet the question remains: in a market that is both price-sensitive and increasingly conscious of sustainability, can H&M balance its fast-fashion DNA with the deeper cultural and environmental responsibilities that come with being a mainstream global brand in India?

Published – September 25, 2025 01:16 pm IST

Fishing out an anchovy from the nets; Harris Karishma, a palm tree climber and speaker
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A touch of Madhubani

Member of Uttarayan Bangiya Samiti
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

It has been more than 45 days since a house in Manikonda was converted into an art studio. A team of nine — professionals and students from Uttarayan Bangiya Samiti, a socio-cultural Bengali organisation — have been meeting here after work to transform the Durga Puja pandal (The organisation has been making pandals for six years now) into an immersive work of art featuring Madhubani and Lippan styles. While Madhubani is a traditional art form of Bihar significant for bright colours and intricate line drawings, Lippan, a traditional mid-mirror artwork from dessert regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan. .

“According to our panjika (Bengali astrological calendar), an elephant is the vehicle of Maa Durga this year. So we decided to create a toran (gate) of elephants using thermacol with vibrant artwork,” says Kuntal, an art teacher.

Elephant crafted out of thermacol and painted with Madhubani art
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The structure, made from recycled wood sourced from Hafeezpet, will feature colourful acrylic murals in Madhubani style. The pandal, to be installed at Sri KVMR Pride Gardens in Narsingi, carries an eco-friendly message. “Nothing is wasted, as we use only sustainable materials. These artworks can be repurposed as home décor after the festivities,” explains Kuntal, citing last year’s celebrations, when panels were taken by members to create aesthetic wall art in their homes. “The 20 plants we used last year were planted in the garden and have grown significantly over the past year.”

Of art, tradition and social responsibility

Tirthankar Chattopadhyay (creative design) and Shwetanuj Saha of The Cyberabad Bangali Association
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The Cyberabad Bangali Association’s (CBA) Durga Puja pandal in Miyapur steps into the 18th year of Durga puja celebrations with renewed enthusiasm and creativity. CBA’s pandal built using bamboo and jute cloth and mandap has the theme to showcase the centuries-old Bengal pattachitra — a vibrant folk art form renowned for its intricate storytelling through hand-painted scrolls. With a theme that blends tradition, art, and social responsibility, this year’s Durga idol is crafted from bamboo, jute, and clay, informs Subhro Mukherjee, general secretary of CBA. “Even the saree, other garments of the dieties and the ornaments are made from clay. By using biodegradable, locally sourced materials, the Association ensures that the goddess’ form remains pure and returns gently to the earth at the end of the festivities.”

“By bringing Bengal pattachitra to the forefront, CBA hopes to revive interest in this fading art form and introduce it to younger generations,” he adds.

Executive committee members Tirthankar Chattopadhyaya and Shwetanuj Saha merge “cultural revival with contemporary relevance” in designing this year’s Durga idol and mandap. The idol is crafted in the form of shanti rupini , portraying the Goddess without the conventional ten-armed depiction.

Mandap in the making
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“Instead, she will be envisioned as Uma — a young girl symbolising innocence, purity, and resilience. By highlighting this form, CBA seeks to draw attention to the urgent issue of girl child safety, making a powerful social statement through the festival,” says Subhro.

By combining art, devotion, and a social message, the team demonstrates that the celebration is not just about tradition, but also a festival of thought and responsibility. “Our puja pandal has always been about community, culture, and consciousness. This year, through patachitra and the shanti rupini idol, we want to celebrate heritage while also raising awareness about issues that touch every family,” adds Subhro.

Evolving designs

Located in Gachibowli, the first pandal of the Utsab Cultural Association was a simple structure made of bamboo and cloth. Over the years, the team has experimented with increasingly complex designs.

Instead of professional artists, the organisation’s members — who are passionate about art — take on the task of creating the designs , says the association’s vice president, Krishendu Roy, while overseeing preparations at the Gachibowli Stadium Recreation Park.

This year, members Sulagna Das and Sabari Chakravarty have planned an eco-friendly pandal measuring 40 feet in width, 80 feet in length, and 16 feet in height, using bamboo, alpona motifs on cloth, and earthen lamps and have began working on the pandal only a week ago. . “While the alpona motifs represent auspiciousness, prosperity, and fertility, the lamps signify the triumph of light over darkness and the divine guidance we seek from Maa Durga,” explain Sulagna and Sabari.

Published – September 25, 2025 12:50 pm IST

Bonsai from T George’s collection
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

David Guetta performing
| Photo Credit: Courtesy davidguetta/Instagram

Hank Green has always worn many hats — author, YouTuber, entrepreneur, educator. Recently, he added another project to his sprawling portfolio: the launch of Focus Friend, an app that tackles the problem of dwindling attention spans brought on by constant screen time.

The premise of the app is straightforward. Users are given a bean-shaped character they can name. Each time they put their phone aside and enable focus mode, the bean begins to knit. The scarves and socks it produces can be exchanged for room decor, gradually furnishing the bean’s space. The more time you spend focussed, the more progress the bean makes.

Another app, Forest, that has been around for years, gamifies focus by growing trees whenever users stay off their phones, creating a forest over time. Phone makers have also attempted similar interventions. OnePlus has Zen Mode, while Google’s Digital Wellbeing dashboard tracks usage and offers ways to disconnect.

Skye productivity tool
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Yet the limitation is evident across these solutions: they remain tied to the very device that is at the heart of the problem. As Barath M S, co-founder of productivity tool Skye, puts it, “The problem is that all the solutions still live inside the phone, which is the source of our addiction.” Along with his fellow co-founders, Akash S and Veeramani Viswanathan B, he set out to design a device that works outside the phone entirely.

And thus was born Skye. A small, tactile timer designed to pull focus back without the lure of screens. Built in aluminium, it fits in your hand or pocket and can be set to intervals of five, 15, 30 or 60 minutes. At the chosen interval, it vibrates gently, reminding you of the time that has passed. Nothing more, nothing less.

On the surface, it might sound almost simple, but that is precisely what makes it effective. There is nothing to set up, nothing to track, nothing to distract. “We don’t want it to mimic a phone. No Bluetooth, no voice recording. Nothing. Just a simple device that is a tangible reminder of the passage of time. A gentle nudge to let you know that time is passing,” Barath says. 

And that simplicity opens the door to a surprisingly wide range of uses. What is pitched as a productivity tool can find its way into classrooms, offices, and even exam halls. “Kids who are used to screens can find it useful to realise how their time is being spent,” Barath says. “For UPSC students or anyone preparing for competitive exams, it can remind them they have another 15 minutes left, so they can spend it wisely.” He points to unexpected cases as well. “One IT employee told me he wasn’t using it for productivity but as a reminder to change his posture or drink water. That was an interesting use we didn’t design it for.”

Barath MS and his team
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

For Barath and his team, though, Skye is less about pushing a product and more about building something genuinely useful. He recalls mailing out dozens of 3D-printed prototypes to professionals across industries in the early stages, just to see how people responded. “We wanted feedback before anything else,” he says. 

That thinking extends to design decisions. The device is made of anodised aluminium, with the same grade of vibration motor used in iPhones. Although the current cost of production is far higher, Skye is set to retail at ₹4,900.

At first glance, Skye can seem underwhelming. It does not track, gamify, or dazzle with features. But that restraint is intentional. What it offers instead is a quiet, consistent presence. A small device that slowly chips away at habits of distraction and helps rebuild patterns of concentration. Whether that is enough will depend on the person using it, but in an age of constant notifications, there is value in a tool that simply stays out of the way and lets you focus.

Skye is now available for pre-ordering on skyedevices.com at ₹4,900. 

Published – September 24, 2025 04:22 pm IST

A pickleball enthusiast at play
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Illustration
| Photo Credit: Saai