Is it just me or is time speeding up? How is it that there are only 102 days left in 2024? Where did the time go?
If you've ever asked yourself any of these questions, you are not alone. This is something I've been wondering about a lot this week, and fortunately, I may have some answers for you. Turns out, how a clock measures time and how we perceive it are quite different. When we are young, it feels as though we have all the time in the world. But as we grow older, it can often feel like time is passing by faster and faster. The speeding up of subjective time is a well-documented phenomenon.
According to Professor Adrian Bejan, this happens because the rate at which our brains process visual information slows down over time. As we age, the good professor argues, the size and complexity of the neural networks in our brains increase, and electrical signals must traverse greater distances, resulting in our perception of time slowing down.
And just like that, another week has passed at Homegrown, seemingly, in the blink of an eye. From a deep dive into the history of Bombay’s Prohibition-era Aunty Bars to the family recipe for a sweet and sour Bengali fish stew for the summer, and a homegrown independent film that explores modern love through an absurdist urban fantasy, here’s what we have for you this week:
Homegrown Film ‘Fairy Folk’ Explores Modern Love Through An Absurdist Urban Fantasy
Written and directed by Karan Gour, ‘Fairy Folk’ is an absurdist independent film blending our urban reality with the fantastical. Its central couple, Mohit and Ritika, encounter a genderless humanoid creature when their car breaks down in the woods. Their first response is, understandably, fear. But when the fairy follows them home, the couple quickly accept this magical new addition to their lives. They turn it into a servant of sorts, exchanging affection with it while using it for their own benefit. It is now a waiter, a pet, and a party trick all in one.
Read Pari's story about 'Fairy Folk' here.
The Aunty Bars Of Mumbai: How Secret Woman-Owned Speakeasies Defied Prohibition Laws
Aunty bars were the speakeasies of Prohibition Bombay, run out of middle-aged women’s homes. Most of these women were Goan and would brew feni and moonshine in their homes to serve customers. Later, the aunties would grow savvy, bribing police and finding elaborate ways to transport and sneak bootleg alcohol into their homes for their customers. You could find out about Aunty Bars only through word of mouth, or if you were perceptive, by noticing an increased presence in street food stalls near certain apartments and homes.
Read Pari's story about Bombay's Prohibition-era Aunty Bars here.
The Secret Of ‘Maachh-er Tok’: A Light, Sweet & Sour Bengali Summer Fish Stew
Growing up in the suburbs of Kolkata — with a mother who has a cult-like following in Kolkata’s art scene as quite the cook, and a father who grew up on a steady diet of fresh and dried fish along the Bay of Bengal — ‘Maachh-er Tok’ was a summer-time staple in our house.
Learn more about Maachh-er Tok and how to to make it here.
Thukral & Tagra's Digital Exhibit Is An Exploration Of The Living Memories Of Trees
Thukral and Tagra, a homegrown artist duo, explore the same diminishing distance and the relationship between real and digital worlds in their latest exhibition, 'Arboretum Ebb & Flow', which is on display at Nature Morte in Delhi till October 12. Arboretum was a project that was born during the pandemic as an archive of trees drawn with pixels depicting digital glitches, interchanging real with imaginary and vice-versa. In the second edition, the artists present trees as cultural artifacts that give us a socio-political insight into the world.
Read Disha's story about the exhibition here.
Aashna Singh And Farheen Fatima’s New Photobook Examines The Hidden Cost Of Housework
‘Mai Ni Meriye’ — literally meaning ‘mother mine’ — is a new project by Aashna Singh and Farheen Fatima that looks at the ‘labour of love’, commonly described as ‘housework’ or ‘domestic work’, most traditionally executed by women through a photobook and a 20-minute short film. Historically, this work is perceived as naturally ‘feminine’ which encourages a false biological destiny for women in which appreciation or ‘love’ — rather than wages or money — is meant to serve as its own reward for the work.
Learn more about the project here.
Won't Break For You: A New Music Video Subverts The Rishi-Apsara Trope In Indian Myths
‘Won’t Break For You’ subverts the Apsara archetype by presenting the Apsara not as an object of someone else’s desire, but as someone who desires and wants to be desired on her own terms. Arora’s concept and direction for the music video complements Muthukumar’s lyrics by blending mythological characters with modern problems to create a visually intense narrative.
Learn more about Sreya Muthukumar and Gia Singh Arora's new music video here.
Subr Studio's Intricate Barani Bags Are A Celebration Of Onam's Everlasting Magic
Among the many intriguing lifestyle objects to emerge this season, the Barani bag from Chennai-Bangalore-based Subr Studio truly stands apart. An established bag brand that has been in existence for almost a decade, Subr was founded by Chennai-based Sudha Sekhar and Susan John.
Read Fathima's story about Subr Studio here.
If you enjoyed reading this, here's more from Homegrown:
3 Mumbai Wellness Spaces That Offer Peace & Tranquility In The City That Never Sleeps
Reviving Heritage: 4 Homegrown Brands Championing Sustainable Fashion
Homegrown Game Studios Are Building A Bridge To Authentic Cultural Representation