This Week In Culture: Homegrown Halloween In Bengaluru, A Jemimah Rodrigues Masterclass, & More

Eight years ago, when the Indian Women’s Cricket Team returned home from the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup after falling a heartbreaking nine runs short of victory, a 16-year-old girl stood quietly outside the airport to welcome her heroes. She wasn’t a star yet — just Jemimah Rodrigues, an eager Mumbai teenager still a year away from her India debut, dreaming of the day she might wear the blue herself.

Last night, that dream roared into legend.

Rodrigues produced a fearless, unbeaten 127 — the kind of innings that bends destiny — to haul India past a dominant Australia in a nerve-splintering semi-final. A team once defined by the “almost” of 2017 has now punched its ticket to the World Cup final.

On Sunday, November 2, 2025, at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai, Team India will stand one step away from rewriting cricket history — only this time, it's on home soil.

As we celebrate Indian women’s excellence and wait for the Women’s Cricket World Cup Final with breathless anticipation, here’s what we have for you this weekend:

Steel, Sound, & Light: Exploring Indian Architect BV Doshi’s Final Masterpiece

Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi was part of a generation of Indian architects who redefined the relationship between modernism and daily life. Trained under Le Corbusier and influenced by Louis Kahn, Doshi applied those lessons to pressing questions in India, such as large-scale housing, public institutions, and architecture as a civic duty. His projects, from Sangath, his Ahmedabad studio, to the Aranya affordable housing in Indore and the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, emphasise economy, craftsmanship, and human proportions. This sense of purpose and material honesty also guided his final design, now completed at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein: the Doshi Retreat — the first building by Doshi outside India and his last project before passing away in 2023. Learn more about the project here.

QUOD’s New Collection Personifies Their Founders Ikshit Pande’s Slow Algorithm Rebellion

“Quod, which Ikshit (Pande) founded in 2019 after graduating from Parsons, has been a study in balance: the crisp tailoring of businesswear meeting the irreverence of street style, the tension between structure and innovation. But Social—made in collaboration with WomenWeave in Maheshwar—marks a turning point. It goes beyond being a collection, to speaking of his philosophy. A musing on what community, connection, and creativity look like when they’re stripped of the algorithm,” Fathima Abdul Kader writes here.

The Fragile Dreams Of Mumbai’s Working Class Take Centre Stage In Sangram S’s ‘Yatharth’

Daydreaming and gambling have become coping mechanisms for millions living on the economic margins of Mumbai. Sangram S’s Marathi short film ‘Yatharth’ explores this reality through Shambhu, a struggling fisherman whose imagination offers him escape from debt and uncertainty. While his wife Saraswati labours to keep their household afloat, he clings to memories of a whale encounter that symbolises the dignity he has lost. The film shows promise with its nuanced performances and insight into the precarious livelihoods of India’s fishing communities. However, its pacing issues and reliance on a familiar narrative of poverty hold it back. Despite its shortcomings, ‘Yatharth’ signals a promising filmmaker with an eye for Mumbai’s overlooked dreams. Learn more about the film here.

Bombay’s Newest Sando Joint Opens Doors In Andheri West

Mumbai’s sandwich scene gets a global upgrade with TOST Bombay, a new Andheri West spot built around hearty, travel-inspired sandwiches. Helmed by Chef Denis B, the menu spans bold flavours and influences — think Sichuan fried chicken, a playful chip butty, and a cult-favourite Misal Birria that appears on a weekend-only breakfast lineup. Small plates, like Aloo Tuk, punch above their weight, while desserts and beverages round out the experience without stealing the focus. With a cosy, casual vibe that encourages both solo counter chats and relaxed group hangs, TOST aims to prove that sandwiches can be the main event. Learn more here.

India’s BIGGEST Halloween Party Is Back In Bengaluru

Homegrown and Casa Bacardi are reviving India’s largest Halloween event — now bigger, bolder, and darker. On Saturday, November 1st, at Go Rally Pickleball in Indiranagar, experience a 20,000 sq. ft. playground filled with scares, including over four immersive zones, haunting audio-visual displays, interactive photo opportunities, and a special makeup and prosthetics station to transform your look for the night. Enjoy Halloween-themed snacks from LICK, Beyondburg Inc, and Loaded Sandos, and sip on spooky Bacardi cocktails while Haivai B, Paloma, Kampai, and Raka Ashok ignite the night.

ONNO Collective’s ‘20g’ Maps Indian Left-Field Electronica Experimentations

Described as a “sonic map of India’s outer-edge electronic and experimental music scenes,” the tape features 20 acts from across the country and aims to serve as both a record and a departure: a collective assertion of presence from voices pushing boundaries in India’s electronic and experimental landscape. Curated by TITO+, the founder of the Collective, the 90-minute compilation offers a journey with its peaks and valleys. Listen to the album here:

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