As the country parades the tricolour in every house and at every corner, it is time for us to pay tribute to some of the brands whose endeavours truly make the nation proud with their little and big contributions to the tech world. We’ve created a list of some things that deserve your attention for the work they are doing.
Celebrating 75 years of Independence: 8 Made in India products you need in your life
Because the things that truly last are often Made in India…
Sonodyne Bandish
Over the past 50 years not many Indian hi-fi brands, have made an impact as sustained as the Kolkata-based audio company Sonodyne has. Not only has the home-grown tech reached some of the foremost studios in the world, but it has also wiggled its way into the homes and hearts of the Indian market, with custom-installed speakers active and passive monitors, dedicated home-cinema systems, wireless headphones and now, a move into the wireless speaker category.
The Sonodyne Bandish sports a pair of 4in woofers with dual 0.5in tweeters placed far out towards the corners of the cabinet and all powered by a 120W Class D amplifier. It has a clean and no-nonsense design, focussing more on audio quality with a warm tonality, a quality neutral and balanced sound and stereo separation from a single chassis. It has a good build quality and finish and comes with AUX, optical, USB and Bluetooth support. It is definitely worth the ₹25,000 it costs. Be sure to check out our full review to get into the details as well.
Thaely Y2K Pro
Not only is this brand doing its part for the country but it is also doing its part for the environment. An incredible initiative and a business idea that creates shoes out of recycled plastic bags and bottles. Each shoe is made and packaged using a combination of ThaelyTex that’s made using 10 upcycled waste plastic bags, recycled rubber for the sole, rPET canvas made out of 12 upcycled bottles and printable recycled paper (which can be planted to grow into a basil tree!). This impressive product costs just ₹7,953 and is pretty stylish too. So next time you are out to buy shoes, think about doing your bit for the environment too by getting a pair of Thaelys.
DailyObjects
This homegrown brand has several products to improve your daily life as the name suggests. From themed phone cases to organizers for your desk like the Cirque Phone and Pen Stand (₹2,499) that is designed for your work desk. It securely holds your phone while the pen stand does its job. It is space-saving and convenient. The Mesa Monitor Stand (₹4999) helps with productivity thanks to its ergonomic design. It’s not too shabby either with a slender, clean structure and the use of durable, matte-finish aluminium to complement your device. It comes with a wooden pull-out tray to store your stationery and other smaller desk essentials. The Arete Laptop Stand (₹2,499) offers improved posture and comfort and adds character to your desk. It provides the necessary elevation, to give you an ergonomic position while working on your laptop.
Ather 450X Gen 3
The new Ather 450X Gen 3 comes with an improved true range of 105km (certified range of 146km), a top speed of 80km/h, peak power of 6.2 kW and 26 Nm torque. It can go 0-40km/h in 3.3 seconds and comes with impressive tech features. The7in TFT LED-backlit touchscreen looks absolutely crisp and to the point, running on a 1.3GHz Snapdragon 212 quad-core chipset. Ather has increased the RAM capacity to 2GB, which translates to a smoother and less buggy experience. There’s also a 16GB storage update but Ather claims that this has been introduced for future features such as offline maps. The screen connects to your phone, making it safer and easier to look at maps and decline calls while riding.
It comes with three charging options, a home grid, a portable charger and the Ather grid of existing chargers. You can get a 10% charge in just 10 minutes. The bike is priced at ₹1,55,657 ex-showroom and is available in a range of exciting bright colours. You can head over to our full review for more information.
Urbn Black Edition
When it comes to keeping your devices well juiced, Urbn has got you. The Black Edition range will ensure your devices are always well-juiced and good to go. The lineup comes with five products including the 10,000 mAh Nano power bank priced at ₹1,500, and a 10,000 mAh wireless power bank (₹2,000) which is capable of delivering both 15W fast wireless charging and 22.5W super-fast wired charging. Additionally, the range has a 20,000 mAh ultra-compact power bank (₹2,000) is perfect for high drain devices as it allows you to charge your phone four to five times on a single charge. Lastly, is the 4-in-1 cable (₹2,000) and the 33W Adapter. The cable is designed to be compatible with all devices universally charging up to 100W speeds with 4 different ports.
Vu Masterpiece Glo 55
If you are looking for a good-quality high-end Indian TV, the Vu Masterpiece Glo 55 is just what you need in your life. The 55in telly oozes luxury with its Armani Gold finish, bezel-less design and chicken-leg stand (it's sexier than it sounds!). The display itself comes with a 3840x2160 pixels resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and 800nits of peak brightness. It runs on a quad-core processor and has 3GB RAM and 16GB storage. For connectivity, you can use the four HDMI ports, USB port, Optical out or Bluetooth 5.0. It comes with Dolby Atmos and the Google Assistant of course. Like all tech products on this list, we’ve reviewed this too and you can read that right here.
Raji: An Ancient Epic
Nodding Heads Games based in Pune have developed a videogame called Raji: An Ancient Epic. It won our Best Indie Game of the Year 2020 and you should absolutely jump in for a second serving. The new edition gets Ray Tracing and even a Hindi voiceover for a more authentic experience. The upgrade also features graphical tweaks and bug fixes with rebalanced combat. Safe to say, this is a quality game and is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox and PlayStation.
The game derives its inspiration from Indian mythology and the action-packed adventure of Raji takes place in ancient India. The main story campaign follows Raji, a young girl who wants to rescue her younger brother and must defeat demons and demon lords to get to him. Needless to say, she’ll need the help of all the deities.
Acoustic Portrait
They won the What Hi-Fi? Show award for 'Best Sound' a few years back and now Acoustic Portrait has done it again at the What Hi-Fi? Show 2022. For the uninitiated, Stuff and What Hi-Fi? share the same talented writers so don’t be alarmed if we point you to a Hi-Fi brand that has its roots in India. We, in fact, got to experience the Naadam stand mounters paired with the Thiyaga V2 DAC, Thiyaga V2 Power amplifier and a newly launched Thiyaga V2 Tube preamplifier. With impeccable woodwork and a sound that was soul-stirring, you’ll be impressed by what this Indian brand could achieve at a relatively low overall cost.