A Series of Unfortunate Events
SANITY BREAK The very engaging and erudite William Dalrymple curated a stunning collection of ‘Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company’. These were paintings commissioned by gora East India Company types from Indian painters. for the collection is no less gorgeous. But if you want more, browse the —and watch an explanatory video (the voiceover is a convo with Dalrymple). Or if you want to own a piece of this beauty, buy the .
HEADLINES THAT MATTER FIRST, THE INDIA NUMBERS * We added in a single day—the largest ever jump. The total now: 366,000. * Total number of deaths: 12,237. We a whopping 2,003 new fatalities on Monday—the most in a day, which now makes us #8 in the world. * The reason for this sudden spike: delayed reporting from Maharashtra and Delhi. Their numbers increased overnight to 5,537 and 1,837 respectively. Our death rate: 3.4%. * Unlock 2.0: In a meeting with 21 chief ministers and heads of Union territories, the PM definitively another national lockdown—and moved into “phase 2” of opening up the country. * So how does the government plan to achieve this at a time of soaring numbers? A track, trace and treat strategy. * Also: ramping up Covid treatment facilities. A spiritual centre—the size of 22 football fields—is being as a care facility. It will have over 10,000 beds. * Also converting its sports stadiums and exhibition centres: —which will add 20,000 beds. * Last but not least: 503 in special isolation trains. Check out the . NEW ZEALAND CALLS IN THE ARMY PM Jacinda Ardern has called the detection of two new cases of Covid an “unacceptable failure”—and has asked the country’s defence forces to oversee the quarantine of international travellers. Reminder: Two women who returned from the UK were not tested for Covid, and got an early release from quarantine—sparking fears of a new outbreak. () BOLLYWOOD FALLOUT FROM RAJPUT’S DEATH CONTD. Case filed against KJo, Ekta: An advocate has in Bihar accusing them and five other people for abetting Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide: “In the complaint, I have that Sushant Singh Rajput was removed from around seven films and some of his films were not released. Such a situation was created which forced him to take the extreme step.” Arbaaz Khan strikes back: Salman’s brother his family will take legal action against Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap—who of “gaslighting, exploitation and bullying” in a Facebook post. Abhinav’s more famous brother, Anurag Kashyap’s response: “More than two years ago, Abhinav had told me clearly to stay out of his business and it’s not my place to comment on anything he says or does.” More bad news for KJo: His past is coming back to haunt him in the form of from Ayushmann Khurrana’s autobiography, ‘Cracking the Code’—which recounts this encounter when Khurrana was an unknown rookie: > “Karan gave me the landline number to his office when I met him. I should have taken a hint there and then. But I was so > excited! I even planned exactly when I would make the call: sometime around 11:30 am, so he’d be done with breakfast and > available to talk..The next day I dialled the number they’d given me. They said Karan wasn’t in office. The day after that I > called again. They said he was busy. And finally, my bubble burst when, the subsequent day, they told me bluntly ‘We only work > with stars, and can’t work with you’.” Point to note: When Khurrana later recounted the incident on ‘Koffee with Karan’, KJo merrily replied, “I gave you the right number. That was very sweet of me! I must’ve thought that you have potential.” THE LATEST COVID GYAAN IS HERE A new Covid blood test: is being advertised as a "game-changer"—and claims to detect , including those without symptoms. Also, it sounds easier to endure than a nasty throat or nasal swab: "Patients would be asked to prick their finger at home. After which, they would send a dried blood spot card to a laboratory for testing." Mixed news about antibodies: looked at blood plasma samples of recovered Covid patients. This is what it found: > “Overall, around 88% of the people generated varying levels of antibodies to the virus. But only about 10% of them had high > levels that were able to neutralize the lab-based version of the COVID-19 virus—and, on the other side of the spectrum, 17% had > almost no antibody response to their infection.” This wide deviation in the human body’s response to the virus suggests that immunity in Covid recoveries is not a done deal—and many may not produce enough antibodies to achieve immunity. A new chargeable face mask: Israelis a reusable self-disinfecting face mask. It kills the virus with heat by drawing power from a mobile phone charger. What it’s solving for: Disposable masks are not economical or environmentally friendly. GETTING BACK ON PRE-COVID TRACK which will go ahead as scheduled in August but with zero spectators. And the TV soap ‘Bold and the Beautiful’, which will on Wednesday. Not getting back on track: airlines—many of whom will alcohol, even on long-haul flights. A RECIPE FOR TIK TOK SUCCESS Gushing over President Xi will get you mucho love on Tik Tok. One Texas songwriter’s follower account skyrocketed from 2,000 to 90,000 in just one month. The reason: he made an adoring vid that called Xi ‘my president’. The company called the idea of rewarding pro-China content “ridiculous”—but that hasn’t stopped hordes of users to make fawning vids in hopes of getting followers. ()
SANITY BREAK How do you tell your partner that —right in the middle of raging Black Lives Matter protests. Ok, this would not have been our choice, but it’s pretty darn sweet.
SMART & CURIOUS A LIST OF CURIOUS FACTS 10 amazing facts about gharials includes this: “When male gharials reach sexual maturity, they develop a bulbous, fleshy growth on the tip of their snout. It is from this ‘ghara’, the Hindi word for a type of round pot, that gharials came to have their name.” is travelling all the way from the Sahara desert—right across the Atlantic—to the United States. And this happens every year! > “This phenomenon is the result of tiny sand and mineral particles being swept up off the surface of the Sahara Desert by winds. > These particles are then carried by updrafts into an extremely dry and hot air mass known as the Saharan Air Layer, which forms > above the desert between late spring and early fall.” says the ban on using saliva to help that ball swing isn’t a biggie. A little cotton towel works just as well. are now a colouring book thanks to an artist who has turned his drivel into art. Yes, she is a fangirl. is written in gold on Ming Dynasty-era Chinese paper—and is on the auction block for $1.2 million. This is brimming with fascinating facts about this treasure. But to truly appreciate its beauty, watch this . A LIST OF GOOD READS * dissects the modus operandi of the peddler of misinformation. Their favourite line: ‘The mainstream media won’t tell you this…’ (h/t Samarth Bansal) * Piyasree Dasgupta in opens with a lovely ode to childhood khana—and how the lockdown changed her relationship with food. But then she expands the story in unexpected directions. * explains why Vogue—more specifically, Anna Wintour—has a race problem. * Also in : an excellent takedown of Netflix’s ‘watch next’ bullying.
LIFE ADVISORY SO YOU’RE MISSING YOUR FRIENDS… The instant messaging app Hike is rolling out a new feature today: Hikeland. The virtual space has two options. ‘Home’ lets you watch YouTube videos with your friends. ‘Big Screen’ lets you watch videos with others in a virtual theatre (with friends or perfect strangers who you ping). () SO YOU WANNA GO TO THE MALL… This that takes you on a tour of an NCR mall shows you exactly what to expect. SO YOU REALLY, REALLY WANT A PET... But you don’t have room in your teeny flat or your overbusy life? You can now virtually adopt one—and do some good! Indians who are lonely due to the lockdown are turning to adoption shelters—and paying them to take care of their pets. The owner can visit their pet any time they like, and even arrange a daily Skype date in some cases. You can even shell out Rs 10K to board them in a farmhouse with a pool (?!). () SO YOU’RE WONDERING ABOUT DEXAMETHASONE… A proved that this cheap steroid treatment can save the lives of seriously ill Covid patients. has a very good just-the-facts guide to the drug—please share it with anyone who needs to know. Also important to know: Indian government to include the drug as part of its Covid treatment protocol. So it will be important to ask your doctor about its use.
THE FEEL GOOD PLACE shares a gem of a story about a banana seller in Pakistan. , add David Attenborough voice over. And voila: comedy gold! have an ‘ugly duckling’ problem
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