That Rainy Day Feeling

Sanity Break #1

SANITY BREAK While everyone was busy focusing on the astronauts on the Crew Dragon spacecraft, SpaceX's drone ship—named ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ (of course, it is)—recovered the rocket booster. Watch the Falcon 9 nail a perfect 10 ! Watch it from the rocket’s perspective .

Headlines that matter

HEADLINES THAT MATTER MARK ZUCKERBERG FACES A REBELLION * The Facebook CEO picked the wrong side in the debate over President Trump’s tweet which said: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” * Twitter tagged that post as “glorifying violence,” but Facebook and Zuckerberg disagreed. * Zuck argued that it was a warning to protesters that the police would start shooting, if they continued to riot. And he has refused to change his mind. * This despite meeting with civil rights activists—who said they were “disappointed and stunned by Mark’s incomprehensible explanations.” * Now, his employees have staged a (since no one is at office), and many have taken to Twitter to express their anger. * Related good read: ‘Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and the fight for social media's soul’. * Not exactly related, but still a great read: convo with Rahul Dubey, the “Absolute Legend” Sheltering Black Lives Matter Protesters. (courtesy Noel Johns) MANU SHARMA GETS OUT OF JAIL The infamous murderer of Jessica Lal has been let out early for good behaviour. Early release is available for any convict who serves 14 years in prison without committing a crime when out on parole or “falling into remission.” The last time Sharma was out on parole, he got into a brawl at a Delhi nightclub. Point to note: Sharma has 16 years, 11 months and 24 days literally behind bars. And he has been out on parole 12 times, and 24 times on furlough. () WHO’S BIGGEST FUNDER: BILL GATES Now that Trump has ended the United States relationship with the World Health organisation, its biggest funder is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation contributes 9.4% of the WHO’s budget compared to the United States’ 15.9%. It marks the first time that a private organisation will be the most powerful player in a UN agency—which may not be any worse given how the US and China have behaved. : A behind the scenes account of WHO’s relationship with Beijing based on recordings of internal meetings. COVID KE SIDE-EFFECTS A domestic violence spike: Thanks to the lockdown, Indian women experienced a terrifying surge in domestic violence. Between March 23 and April 16—roughly the first three weeks of the lockdown—the National commission for Women received 239 complaints of domestic violence. A significant jump from the 123 complaints it received the month before the lockdown. has a must read on the lockdown’s effect on domestic abuse victims. Delhi police gets a makeover: The virus has given the capital’s law enforcement force a golden opportunity to revamp their public image. The pandemic hit a Delhi rocked by scenes of anti-Muslim violence—as the police colluded with rightwing activists to target the community. But in the space of a few months, they are now seen as good samaritans. Watch this where its reporters ride along with the policemen on the pandemic frontline. Akshay Kumar is now PSA king: Akki has emerged as one of the government’s staunchest supporters, and he’s doubled down on that role during the pandemic. First came the announcement of a Rs 25 crore donation to the PM Cares fund. Now, he’s made this short film encouraging everyone (read: migrant workers) to get back to work—taking due precautions, of course. And he’s on a roll: Akki also tweeted explaining how to stay safe when Nisarga hits. CHINA BOYCOTT GATHERS STEAM ‘Remove China Apps’ is an Android app that identifies and deletes Chinese apps on a smartphone. It is currently ranked second on the list of top free apps on Google Play—and has been over 50 lakh times. But it does play favourites. For example, it will delete Tik Tok, but apparently . Also: any app that gets to scan your apps likely has serious privacy issues. What the app definitely can’t delete: your Made in China phone. Also: why do you need an app when you have a Baba Ramdev . THE GOOD/BAD NEWS ABOUT THE ECONOMY The unemployment rate "very high" at 23.5% in May but the country still added 2.1 crore jobs in the same month. The government $6.6 billion in incentives to lure smartphone manufacturers to set up shop in India. And ICYMI, our economy just one notch above a junk bond. JAMES CAMERON ANNOYS THE KIWIS The director and 55 of his crew members landed in Wellington in a privately chartered plane over the weekend. The reason: Cameron is restarting production on the highly anticipated sequel to Avatar. But the locals are very angry. : New Zealand’s borders are still closed to all foreigners—but Cameron and his crew were given a special exemption. That they were their arrival on Insta likely didn’t help.

Sanity Break #2

SANITY BREAK Legendary architect Christo Javacheff liked to wrap stuff up—including enormous buildings, avenues of trees, entire coastlines and island chains. He was more recently famous for installing The Gates in Central Park, New York. He recently passed away at the age of 84. You can read about his art or browse through a lovely gallery .

Smart & Curious

SMART & CURIOUS A LIST OF INTRIGUING THINGS * The are two middle-aged English men with a passion for Sudoku. Yes, people spend hours watching them fill in numbers into small boxes. * A Swedish factory is growing a special that makes cows burp a little less. The reason: Gassy cows emit methane methane, a greenhouse gas that accounts for a major share of global carbon emissions. * The buzziest food item right now is a Portugese pastry called : a small egg-custard tart with a crispy crust. * Can robots ? Yes, but it seems to take a whole lot of effort. Behold! A LIST OF GOOD READS * Sohini Chattopadhyay in offers an excellent takedown of the ‘noble servant’ character in Bollywood movies—from the Ramu kaka of yesterday to Murad in ‘Gully Boy’. * Yeah, the coronavirus fully deserves its bad rap. But according to this piece, it did one thing good: improved our relationship with food. * Should face masks be fashion accessories—especially of the obscenely priced variety? editors debate the line between self-care and flexing. * Here’s a by Arati Kumar-Rao that captures the arrival of monsoon in Kerala. (h/t ) * Last but not least: dolphins which have been eagerly playing games of fetch during the lockdown. explains the science behind the behaviour. Or you can just enjoy the below.

Weekend advisory

LIFE ADVISORY SO YOU WANNA COME BACK TO INDIA… Or have a friend or fam planning to head home? Here’s a detailed first-person guide from someone who flew back on the first repatriation flight from London to Cochin in May. () SO YOU’RE YEARNING TO GO TO THE MOVIES… Here’s some good news: the theatre is a whole lot safer than a bar or gym. According to : > “In a setting where we’re not talking, we’re just passively breathing and wearing masks, it might be a safer bet than a noisy, > crowded bar… At movie theaters, if you’re not eating popcorn, you’re just sitting there with your mask on.” SO YOU SECRETLY ❤️ SUPER-NERDY PODCASTS… Here’s a great list from —and it has everything for every kind of nerd: English language, design or deep space. SO YOU ARE IN THE MOOD FOR SOME SELF-LOVE There’s plenty of sex advice for couples who want to change things up in the bedroom. But what if you want to spice up that very special and time-honoured relationship with yourself? Say hello to very useful guide to hotter, better self-love.

Feel Good Place

THE FEEL GOOD PLACE is a national treasure. If you haven’t discovered why, you might as well start with his latest edition that includes the most priceless line: Black Wife Matters! new acronym: CHAMPIONS. And it stands for Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output and National Strength. Sorry, that just makes us wanna 😂 😂 . Also: this takedown of our PM’s love for acronyms is both very funny and very mean. looks like this: tardigrade is a stunning work of art. This fluorescence image won one of the 2019 Olympus Image of the Year awards.

Reading Habit

READING HABIT WORDS WITH REHANA MUNIR Each month, will bring a short, snappy and fun interview with an author to give you a quick peek into their reading and writing habits. This week, Rehana Munir, author of '' tells us which phrase she wants to remove from her vocabulary, and more. Which fictional character would you like to switch lives with? Bellatrix Lestrange from the '' series. She’s pure devilish delight when she’s on a roll. What’s the one sentence you’re most proud of having written? Can I be cheeky here? Any variation of this sentence: ‘I’m afraid your budget does not meet my expectation.’ A book or line that made you cry? So many, all the time. The last line of Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem ‘Spring And Fall’ always pushes a button: ‘It is Margaret you mourn for.’ And then there’s Theodore Roethke’s poem, ‘My Papa’s Waltz’. So short. So heart-breaking. A book you wish you’d written? Anything by Iris Murdoch. She’s a 20th century Shakespeare, according to me. What is the one word you’d like to erase from your vocabulary? The phrase ‘sort of’. I recently realised I use it a lot. It’s such an annoying filler. TCR’S PICKS FOR THE COMING WEEK Here’s a round-up of some of our favourite literary releases and events taking place this week. We’ve bookmarked the dates and times on our calendars already and think you should as well. Books And Beyond With Bound: Books and Beyond with Bound prides itself on giving its listeners newer insights into the lives of our favourite Indian authors. Their recent guests have included Manu Pillai, Deepanjana Pal, Jane Borges, and others. We’re looking forward to their next episode featuring poet and journalist Suhit Kelkar. Next episode scheduled for June 3, 2020. Tune in . Salman Rushdie: Quichotte: Here’s a chance to watch Salman Rushdie from the comfort of your home, as he talks about Quichotte, his latest book that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction 2019. Tune in to hear him talk about his on the classic Don Quixote – a story that is as unique as the writer himself. Talk scheduled for June 4, 2020. Register to watch it . Dark Mirror by Barton Gellman: Poised to put all other spy novels to shame, this real-life thriller shows us the author’s interactions with Edward Snowden, the process of bringing the dark truth about surveillance to light, and details the vast surveillance network that pervades all aspects of our lives today. Releasing on June 9, 2020. Buy it . The Ickabog: This is J.K. Rowling’s latest offering, presented to us in via weekly instalments. Described as a political fairy tale for children, it introduces us to a world that is completely different from that of Harry Potter. And we can’t wait to read the next instalment! Read it . Brought to you by SMART & CURIOUS A LIST OF INTRIGUING THINGS * The are two middle-aged English men with a passion for Sudoku. Yes, people spend hours watching them fill in numbers into small boxes. * A Swedish factory is growing a special that makes cows burp a little less. The reason: Gassy cows emit methane methane, a greenhouse gas that accounts for a major share of global carbon emissions. * The buzziest food item right now is a Portugese pastry called : a small egg-custard tart with a crispy crust. * Can robots ? Yes, but it seems to take a whole lot of effort. Behold! A LIST OF GOOD READS * Sohini Chattopadhyay in offers an excellent takedown of the ‘noble servant’ character in Bollywood movies—from the Ramu kaka of yesterday to Murad in ‘Gully Boy’. * Yeah, the coronavirus fully deserves its bad rap. But according to this piece, it did one thing good: improved our relationship with food. * Should face masks be fashion accessories—especially of the obscenely priced variety? editors debate the line between self-care and flexing. * Here’s a by Arati Kumar-Rao that captures the arrival of monsoon in Kerala. (h/t ) * Last but not least: dolphins which have been eagerly playing games of fetch during the lockdown. explains the science behind the behaviour. Or you can just enjoy the below. LIFE ADVISORY SO YOU WANNA COME BACK TO INDIA… Or have a friend or fam planning to head home? Here’s a detailed first-person guide from someone who flew back on the first repatriation flight from London to Cochin in May. () SO YOU’RE YEARNING TO GO TO THE MOVIES… Here’s some good news: the theatre is a whole lot safer than a bar or gym. According to : > “In a setting where we’re not talking, we’re just passively breathing and wearing masks, it might be a safer bet than a noisy, > crowded bar… At movie theaters, if you’re not eating popcorn, you’re just sitting there with your mask on.” SO YOU SECRETLY ❤️ SUPER-NERDY PODCASTS… Here’s a great list from —and it has everything for every kind of nerd: English language, design or deep space. SO YOU ARE IN THE MOOD FOR SOME SELF-LOVE There’s plenty of sex advice for couples who want to change things up in the bedroom. But what if you want to spice up that very special and time-honoured relationship with yourself? Say hello to very useful guide to hotter, better self-love. THE FEEL GOOD PLACE is a national treasure. If you haven’t discovered why, you might as well start with his latest edition that includes the most priceless line: Black Wife Matters! new acronym: CHAMPIONS. And it stands for Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output and National Strength. Sorry, that just makes us wanna 😂 😂 . Also: this takedown of our PM’s love for acronyms is both very funny and very mean. looks like this: tardigrade is a stunning work of art. This fluorescence image won one of the 2019 Olympus Image of the Year awards.