A list of good reads
- If you’ve been feeling lazy about getting some exercise, this Conversation piece—on the effects of exercise on your brain—offers the best motivation.
- Speaking of the brain, Quanta has a fascinating deep dive into the latest research—which challenges the idea that our neurological functions are neatly separated into different parts of our brain.
- Philosopher David Benatar argues in the New Yorker that it would be best if none of us ever had children ever again—and it would be an act of compassion.
- Richard Gilbert in Long Reads pens a delightful essay on his rescue dog titled ‘Why I Hate My Dog’.
- Songwriter Ryan Tedder in BBC News explains why there is way too much music due to streaming platforms—and how evergreen classics are killing new songs.
- Tina Das in The Print has a great piece on her experience teaching Mahasweta Devi’s ‘Draupadi’ at Delhi University—which has now dropped the short story from its syllabus.
- The Wire has a fascinating report on how Punjabi women with English language skills are entering into contract marriages with less-literate men—to help them emigrate to Canada and the US.
- Manu Pillai in The Hindu has a must read on the competing narratives surrounding the Malabar Rebellion.
- Also in The Hindu: an eye-opening piece on why our greatest pieces of cinematic work are literally disappearing because no one is preserving the films.
- For Bengali food lovers: The Telegraph’s tribute to the genius of transforming the bitter shutko (shukto?) into a true delicacy.
- Food52 explains the rising popularity of ‘ungardening’—the art of rewilding the common house garden.
- Collagen supplements are all the rage-to help fight falling hair and revive aging skin. But do they really work? The Guardian looks for answers.
- Scroll has an excellent op-ed urging us to build a sports culture that isn’t obsessively focused at the top tier-i.e. Olympic athletes.
- HBO is giving the Scooby-Doo character Velma Dinkley her own TV series—but she’s now reimagined as a South Asian and voiced by Mindy Kaling. New Yorker has a very funny piece detailing all the cultural microaggressions poor Velma will now be tormented with.
- IIT-Guwahati was in the news for a high court ruling that gave bail to a student accused of raping a fellow student—saying he was a “future asset.” BehanBox has a must read on the culture of sexual harassment on the IIT campus.
