As shorter days with with misty mornings and barely 3 hours of sunlight bring in the winter, my seasonal depression has welcomed itself as well. When I was living in the city, this was a quick fix — look up a gig; there was one 7 days a week; and spend the late long nights dancing. But the remote hilly town that I reside in now goes quiet by 9:30, and I am still up wondering what to do with myself. This winter, I decided to go against the instinct to seek out noise and have been burying myself in sad films and books. To my suprise, it's having the opposite effect on me.
When work is done and the cats have been fed and the phone has been laid to rest, textless, from the guy I'm into (he's giving me the silent treatment), I find a piece of media that can match my melancholic freak and go to town. I saw Fallen Leaves in its clumsy and desperate attempts at love, and have been reading Train Dreams before bed as I relate to a 20th century logger who lost his family and home — and I can't help but admit — I'm having a ball!
Funnily, both the film and the book are set in the frozen throes of winter and although these people are miserable, they've enabled a newfound affection in me towards this season, with a reminder that the beads of our lives are threaded through time and all the rituals we celebrate its changes with — I will always have them and they will keep me company. So, the cold winter night is no longer my enemy — just an old friend with new plans — this weekend that's going to be an attempt to recreate the Gajar ka Halwa from my childhood, over another sad but comforting movie. Can't wait.
Here's what we have for you this week:
Pranav Bhasin's new short film, ‘We Were Here’, takes a rather ridiculous approach to the fear of AI replacing human workers. The satire follows three unemployed men in a small Indian town who decide to fight back against automation by pretending to be household appliances, from satellite antennas to reverse parking cameras. Starring Satish Kashyap, Devendra Dodge and Arindol Bagchi, the film pokes fun at the growing obsession with AI while looking at the workers being left behind in the process. It's a pretty sharp take on automation, job insecurity and the people who end up paying the price for technological progress.
Check it out here.
Delhi's jazz community has been growing, with more musicians and independent initiatives creating spaces for live performances. This piece looks at Ginger's Sessions, founded by Agneya Singh, drummer Kushdeep Singh and guitarist Chaitanya Nanda, an initiative that brings together local and visiting musicians through live jazz sessions, while also giving independent artists a platform to perform original music. It also documents these performances on YouTube, helping more people discover the musicians shaping Delhi's music scene.
Read more about them here.
Photographer and installation artist Vriddhi Sawlani's photoseries ‘Steel Life’ is a portrait of her great-grandmother told through her everyday routines and household objects. Inspired by European still-life paintings, the series focuses on familiar things like steel plates, spoons and containers, documenting the role they play in her great-grandmother's daily life. Sawlani brings attention to the objects and small rituals that often go unnoticed, turning an intimate family project into a study of domestic life, memory and everyday material culture.
Check it out here.
Planning a Kolkata food crawl this festive season? Homegrown has rounded up ten bars and restaurants worth checking out, covering everything from Mexican and Italian food to Japanese-inspired drinking spots and contemporary Bengali dining. The list includes Mehico, Master Jackie, Yokocho and Little Bit Sober, alongside spots like Rannaghor by Sienna, which explores Bengali and Bangladeshi food traditions through a chef's table experience. It's a handy guide to some of the newer places changing up Kolkata's food and drinks scene.
Read more about them here.
London-based leather house Felaçi draws on Pakistan's artisanal traditions to create contemporary leather goods and clothing. Founded by two Pakistani siblings, the brand works with artisans in small Pakistani workshops, where its pieces are stitched and finished by hand. Its name takes inspiration from Falasi, a traditional hand-woven textile made by women in Sindh and Bahawalpur using camel and goat hair. Felaçi works on a made-to-order model, with collections spanning bags, ready-to-wear and leather accessories.
Read about it here.
Homegrown's latest guide rounds up exhibitions, art festivals and biennales to catch across India before the year ends. The list includes Art Mumbai (12–15 November), the Bengal Biennale (25 November–2 January) and the AMI Arts Festival, which will take over venues across Kolkata and Santiniketan. Delhi also has exhibitions at Exhibit 320 and Thapar Gallery, while Bengaluru's NGMA is showcasing an exhibition on Karnataka's textile traditions. The guide also looks ahead to the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa (13–20 December) and the India Biennale, returning to Delhi in December.
Read more about them here.
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