A list of weekend reads
- Caravan offers a must-read about the death of a domestic worker in Delhi’s Model Town neighbourhood—and a reminder that there is a Hathras right in everyone’s backyard.
- Article 14 has an excellent feature on the fight to legalise gay marriage in India. Also read: The Print’s interview with the couple that is leading the fight.
- Laurie Santos teaches the wildly popular Yale course on happiness. In this New York Times interview, she explains why self-care isn’t about self-indulgence—i.e. bubble baths, spa trips etc.
- Tanmoy Goswami in The Correspondent turns the mental health spotlight on researchers—who are more likely to be depressed, anxious and burnt out.
- The Wall Street Journal (via Mint) goes inside the first narco-submarine—used to haul tons of drugs across the world—caught by the police.
- New Yorker offers a delightful review of the best cookbooks of the century (so far).
- Scroll has an excerpt from Udayan Mukherjee’s collection of short stories set in the pandemic—titled ‘Essential Items: And Other Tales From A Land In Lockdown’.
- Ignore the click-baity Modi reference in the headline and read Rama Lakshmi’s thought-provoking essay in The Print on the growing gap between how we see ourselves and how we present ourselves to the world.
- Bloomberg News offers a deep dive into why PM Modi remains as popular as ever.
Want to visit a museum?
This week, we have something a little different for you… in case you want to change up that Netflix and chill routine. Our newest splainer team member, Disha Verma, offers her fave virtual museum tours below:
The Anne Frank House Galleries
The AFH website has created an immersive digital touring experience—featuring an exclusive fifteen-part YouTube “video-diary” series, interactive explainers, a 360 Degree Tour, and if you own an Oculus Go or Gear VR, the most breathtaking Virtual Reality tour through the House and Museums—all free of cost!
The Vatican Museum Virtual Tour
All corners of the Vatican museum have been elaborately archived and annotated here—with short video guides and plenty of collections to browse through.
Smithsonian Natural History Museum Virtual Tour
No better use of an internet connection in quarantine than to check out every Smithsonian tour or gallery one can find online. On this list, this tour is the closest experience to IRL museum wandering. Start here: Permanent Exhibits; Narrated Tours.
Museum of Modern Art (New York) Galleries
MoMA New York archives all its present and past exhibits here—each accompanied by a short history of the piece, a note on the artist, and audio-guides for a few popular exhibits. Don’t miss: The Starry Night, Monet collections.
NASA Langley Research Centre Virtual Tour
An IRL tour of research centres is designed to give tourists a detailed insight into how stuff works at NASA—and the Langley virtual tour nails that to the T. The website features cool intro videos, elaborate guided tours and interactive diagrams for each unit on the premise. Fit for the curious. Do check out the subsonic tunnels and simulated flight tours.
The Met 360 Degree Tour and Exhibitions
It’s almost impossible to tour the sprawling premises of the Met on foot—which makes these virtual guides very popular among art aficionados. Older exhibits (including Met Gala favourite Heavenly Bodies) can be accessed here.
Museum of Broken Relationships Online
An archive of memorabilia from some of the most heartbreaking, wholesome, hilarious and… often creepy love stories ever told. I recommend a visit on a cosy night, lights dimmed, coffee in hand! Great place to start: Watch, Stupid Frisbee, A 3-Volume Proust.
Dali Theatre-Museum Virtual Tour
A painstakingly designed, easy to navigate virtual tour which is a must-visit for anyone interested in surrealist art or quirky artists in general. The hovering taxi exhibit in the central compound is breathtaking- even from behind a screen!
