London’s Indian mind reader Girish Tailor on his magical lockdown birthday

During lockdown, North London Indian mind reader Girish Tailor took his shows online. He launched ‘Living Room Mind Reading’ with the help of his giant teddy bear to provide smiles and a safe space where he could entertain online, in his home cinema room. He also ran a competition for an NHS Worker to win a complimentary booking. He wanted to do something to help others, also being concerned about people’s mental health.

For his own recent birthday during lockdown, Girish decided to take inspiration from lockdown – by learning something, supporting hospitality and having something that he desired. Oh, and of course he had to take a photo again with the same giant teddy bear!

Girish’s online shows have been warmly received, with ‘Celebrity Chef’ and ‘MasterChef UK’ Semi-Finalist Nisha Parmar saying (after Girish performed to her and her family for her Son Sai’s Birthday) that it was “the best Zoom entertainment we’ve had all lockdown! We felt like we had a night out, it was so special. This guy is phenomenal”.

In learning something new, Girish says, “During lockdown Nisha has been uploading recipe videos to her Instagram page to share knowledge. One caught my eye which I wanted to learn and make – a cheesy nachos meal that she made with her Son Sai. I was honoured to have brought magic to Nisha and her family for her Son Sai’s Birthday and it was lovely that on my Birthday, Nisha and Sai were able to give magic back to me and my family via their recipe.”

In supporting hospitality, Girish says “I had planned to take my family to Nisha’s café (Nourish by Nisha) for my Birthday but then the second lockdown was announced so I had to have my Birthday at home. I decided to support a local restaurant who were offering collections, so ordered Indian cuisine from Sea Rock (an Indian bar & restaurant in North Finchley). I wanted to do something for my Birthday to support the hospitality industry, which has been badly affected by the lockdown.”

In having something that he desired, Girish says, “I love dessert, though I’ve had it less during my body transformation via the gym. I came across the company Bad Brownie after seeing them pitch on Dragons’ Den. They had good reviews and I wanted to buy a box of brownies to conclude my Birthday meal. I decided to purchase the Limited Edition Chef’s Selection Brownie Box (The Rose Box).”

Girish says, “I enjoyed my Birthday during lockdown at home. Rather than venturing to and having all of my Birthday meals in a single restaurant, this experience gave me the opportunity to try cuisines from a variety of places and it was great to be able to do something to help the hospitality industry in the current times, as well as to support a local business in the process. Dining at home for my Birthday in this manner is certainly something that I’m interested in doing again.

I was also kindly given a Christian Louboutin book for my Birthday present and I feel that the resonance of this brand sums up what lockdown has been like for me in terms of wanting to give back to others.

During lockdown I also launched Series 1 of ‘Gusto With Girish’ – where I interviewed various businesses about a range of topics, which helped to share knowledge and inspire people. The interviews included conversations about fashion, mental health, offering a bespoke service, skin care, finding your identity, social media vs real life, achieving a growth mindset (flow state), breathwork, meditation, growing a business, fasting and masculine and feminine energy in the modern world.

In terms of the Christian Louboutin book, I love the fact that Christian wanted to empower women with his designs and that he has given life to the bottom of footwear – he chose to love an area of footwear that most people don’t even notice. It’s a magical story that changes lives, just like my shows do.”