I turned 31 this month. Technically, the birthday last year was supposed to be the big one — the end of my 20s — the big change. But we're late bloomers over here. People that say Karma is a bitch haven't fully grasped what the passage of time can do — she's way sneakier. And your special day can bring up all kinds of feelings about the same — unmet goals, neglected hobbies, the seductive call of nostalgia, and the good ol' days etc. I used to be pretty non-chalant about my birthdays, like many other jaded adults, but I do get why it's a good idea to be hearing from and being surrounded by your loved ones when you're getting existential like that — nothing like a good cake and the right present to keep you from thinking of your own mortality.
Anyway, the big change that did come with the second year of my thirties was a gentle but unwavering sense of self. The thing I had been desperately searching for in my 20s just happened upon me this September. No one tells you that. In your 20s you feel like you're running out of time; that everyone around you has got it all figured out and you're the only one who's lost. This neurosis of its own hits the peak when you're 29. And then boom — you're thirty — and life doesn't end.
What my sweet, benevolent thirties have done for me is stripping me clean off that anxiety. I now believe I have plenty of time; to slow down, be present and make art without worrying about turning it into a career. I know now what kind of guy I could never be with despite of how much he turns me on and I know where I truly need to step up to be a better writer; I know that my taste isn't really my identity and I know to call me out on my own bullshit when need be — a most sought wisdom, all gift wrapped — like an unexpected software update.
I didn't think feeling so sure of myself was possible for me as a woman with a deep lineage of shame. But it's true! — all the 'badass' grey-haired ladies on those Insta street interviews were right — it's refreshing, this assuredness, and inexplicable; you'd have to get here to experience it. It doesn't mean that I suddenly have it all figured out, but I'm certainly in a much better position to do so. If you're in your 20s, feeling like "time is running out", let me, as your your elder, assure you — you're in for a lovely surprise.
Here's what we have for you this week:
Pranav Dawar’s short documentary 'Karnama' gets inside the high-stakes world of Maut Ka Kuan, following the small crew of stunt riders who drive cars and motorcycles along vertical wooden walls at travelling carnivals across India. The film follows six riders — Raju Saini, Manovar Ali, Sukhwir Saini, Narendra Saini, Atul Kumar and Kisan Pal Saini — and looks at everything that keeps the act going, from repairing ageing engines and assembling the giant wooden pit to the shared meals, travelling life and trust required to perform alongside each other.
Read more about it here.
Killa K and Paal Dabba, two longtime friends and exciting voices in Tamil hip-hop, team up on ‘Adada’, produced by Urban Thoza and released through Def Jam Recordings India. The track takes inspiration from the 1968 Tamil classic Thillana Mohanambal, turning its story of two fiercely competitive artists into a kacheri-style rap face-off, with the pair trading increasingly absurd boasts about money, women, neighbourhoods and even shirt buttons.
Listen to it here.
Shetty Karthik’s WEAR YOUR SCARS, commissioned by The Sports Women India Initiative, photographs the Indian Women’s Hockey Team through the injuries, training and camaraderie that make up their lives as athletes. The series moves from crepe bandages, bruised knees and locker-room moments to the team on the field, showing the physical work behind their performances and the sisterhood that holds a team together. It also looks at women athletes as competitors chasing championships and records, with their bodies treated as evidence of what they can do rather than objects for the male gaze.
Check it out here.
MOI Fine Jewellery and Kartik Research are taking Kutch’s traditional motibharat glass beadwork to New York, reworking the craft into handcrafted buttons for select Kartik Research jackets. The collaboration looks at how regional craft traditions can move into contemporary wardrobes while staying connected to the communities and histories that produced them, with MOI’s research into Western Indian beadwork meeting Kartik Research’s work with handloom fabrics, natural dyes and regional embroidery. The project comes to life at Kartik Research’s Manhattan store on September 18 and 19.
Find more about it here.
Chef Aarthi Sampath’s new East Village restaurant Drāvida looks at the many forms Indian food has taken as communities migrated across Sri Lanka, Trinidad, Guyana, East Africa, Southeast Asia and beyond. In conversation with Homegrown, the Mumbai-born chef talks about moving past rigid ideas of authenticity, researching where dishes come from and crediting the communities that shaped them, drawing on more than a decade working in New York kitchens including Junoon, The Breslin, Rainbow Room and Chinese Tuxedo.
Read more about it here.
Protopolis 2026, the flagship event of Bengaluru Design Week, is taking over the JN Tata Auditorium at IISc from September 24–27 for four days of conversations about what makes a city liveable. The first two days form the Protopolis Conclave, with talks and hands-on workshops bringing together civic leaders, designers, researchers and policymakers to explore urban challenges and ways of testing new ideas; September 26 and 27 open things up through exhibitions and city-facing experiences. The event is free and open to everyone across all four days, with speakers including Prof. Monto Mani and environmental conservationist Vijay Nishant.
Learn more about it here.
If you enjoyed reading this, here's more from Homegrown:
Permit & Co. Takes A Trip With A Month-Long Menu Inspired By The Northeast
Here's What Makes Ziro One Of India's Most Unique Festivals
The Sounds, Smells, & Snacks Of A Day Spent In Pune During Ganesh Chaturthi