A list of good reads

• Vivek Kaul in Deccan Herald offers a sharp analysis of what Paytm’s listing tells us about IPO successes. 
• Ranjona Banerji’s perceptive column in Deccan Chronicle that takes on the cultural obsession with “preventing” aging—and what we really need to “fix” about growing old.
• The Atlantic makes a powerful case for never lying to yourself—and why self-delusion is not a good recipe for happiness.
• The Slate charts the great fall of Justin Timberlake—a star who survived all kinds of controversy until the return of Britney Spears to the spotlight.
• Sandip Roy in Times of India offers an excellent take on the appointment of India’s first openly gay judge, Saurabh Kirpal—and why it won’t do much for the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community.
• The Wire looks at the latest anti-Muslim campaign that focuses on “thook jihad”.
• Weird subcultures often make for fascinating reading. Here’s Input magazine’s first hand account of attending a meeting of the bizarre Bored Ape Yacht Club—a club of very rich crypto types who all own NFTs of, well, apes.
• This Scroll book review offers a lovely peek into the private lives of Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad.
• Also in Scroll: Harshavardhana Yadumurthy decided to investigate two portraits of Tipu Sultan—and made a surprising discovery.
• Speaking of history, Anuradha Kumar in The India Forum uncovers the strange story of a self-proclaimed guru of Hindu spiritualism Orloff N Orlow—who may have been an Austro-Hungarian Archduke.
• You may not care about some super-rich Texas socialite, but we promise you this Texas Monthly long read on the “Notorious Mrs Mossler”—who was accused of killing her husband, and sleeping with her nephew—is a wild, nutty ride.
• Mint Lounge has an interesting read on traumedy—the mix of trauma and humour—as an antidote to ‘toxic positivity’ in pop culture.
• Irina Dumitrescu’s beautifully written essay in LongReads is a meditation on the trickiest of all relationships—between a powerful, charismatic professor and his bright female student.
• Aeon looks at the creepy new trend in advertising: “dream hacking” that uses subliminal suggestions to sell products.
• Quartz makes a strong case against reference letters—which have become ubiquitous whether you are applying for college or a job.
• Indian Express argues that Vicky Kaushal—of ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike' fame—is the most “dependable” of the current crop of young actors.
• The Hindu reports on how a part of the Western Ghats in Kanyakumari is being plundered to build a port.
• A good read for stock market nerds: The Generalist offers a closer look at the investment mega-fund Tiger Global.
• The Telegraph profiles Rahul Dravid the coach—and what we can expect from him.