smart & curious
A list of good reads
- Open Magazine has a fascinating read that argues Veer Savarkar was deliberately let off the hook for his involvement in Gandhi-ji’s assassination—with the collusion of the nation’s top leaders who feared a communal backlash.
- Eater looks at white chefs and critics who have taken previously “exotic” ingredients like turmeric and tahini, mainstream in the West—and are repackaging curries as ‘stews.’
- The Guardian has a trend piece on top Michelin-starred chefs who have turned to takeaway food and catering to survive the pandemic.
- This LongReads essay from its archive is a lovely and honest meditation on what it feels like to be a ‘woman writer’.
- Paris Review offers an engaging read on drawing (literally) the coronavirus—and the big role of artistic license deployed by its illustrators.
- Last but not least: The powerful animation below created by Debjyoti Saha captures the wide chasm that separates Bharat from India.
Birth of a planet
This is humanity’s first ever image of the creation of a baby planet—the process by which cosmic matter rearranges itself into a new world soon to orbit around a star. (NBC News)
A list of intriguing masks
Take your pick, ladies and gentlemen! Would you like a robotic face mask that makes you look like Bane? The upside: it automatically opens up to let in fresh air when no one is close by. Or would you prefer an Israeli contraption that allows you to eat without taking off your mask? Last but not least: a very chic leather mask that won’t let you eat or breathe! Fashion is indeed a pain.