This Week In Culture: MIDI Controllers Made Of LEGO, One Night In Toki-O & More

I turned 22 last week, and I feel old. Before everyone I know tells me that it’s not that large a number and that I still have years and years ahead of me, I should say this: the paradoxical experience of feeling both extremely inexperienced and already weighed down by my age came at me like a boulder hurtling down a mountain.

I also recently watched a reel on Instagram (I know—who have we become, referencing reels like pieces of literature? But oh well) about the colour pink. The video explained how pink, unlike other colours on the visible spectrum, does not have a wavelength of its own. Instead, we perceive pink when our eyes process red and blue together, even though those colours sit on opposite ends of the spectrum. Ergo, pink is magic. Obviously.

As I celebrated my birthday with the people I love most, singing and dancing late into the night, I saw pink everywhere: a colour that doesn’t inherently exist on the spectrum as we understand it, but one that emerges because our brains create it. And I think that’s the promise I’m going to make to myself as I enter my twenty-second year: to find and make the pink, to create joy where it does not naturally present itself. Because otherwise, I risk being enveloped by an irrepressible hopelessness, and that is no way to live.

Here's what we have for you this week. Find the pink:

DJ & Technologist Navendu's Vibrant MIDI Instruments Intersect Play, Utility, & Accessibility 

DJ and creative technologist Navendu Malik bridges the gap between engineering and art by building custom-made, whimsical MIDI instruments that prioritize joy and human connection. From his early experiments with a Domino’s pizza box to vibrant Skittles-themed controllers and Game Boy-inspired devices, his work rejects traditional industrial design in favor of childhood nostalgia and playfulness. Read more about his journey here.

Yung Raja & Mali Turn Heartbreak Into A Tanglish Love Letter On ‘forever’

Singaporean rapper Yung Raja and Mumbai-based singer-songwriter Mali have collaborated on 'forever', a new single that explores the emotional aftermath of heartbreak and the process of healing. Produced by Swedish duo 2AM, the track is a lush, atmospheric pop record that Yung Raja describes as a "Tanglish love letter," blending his signature Tamil-English fusion with Mali's soulful indie-pop. Learn more about the collaboration here.

‘Vinchu’ By Sumedh Natu Chronicles The Contradictions Of A Queer Right-Wing Foot Soldier

Sumedh Natu’s political satire 'Vinchu' explores the jarring contradictions of contemporary ideology through the story of a queer right-wing foot soldier named Saleel. A witty comedy centered on a "broken political compass," the film follows Saleel as he navigates his role in a propaganda-driven organization while confronting the everyday hypocrisies of mob politics. Vinchu serves as a sharp commentary on the nature of freedom in modern India. Read more about film here.

The Homegrown Watchlist: 6 Indian Films About Student Politics, Protest, & Youth Resistance

For this month’s Homegrown Watchlist Drishya has curated six Indian films that delve into the volatile world of student politics, activism, and youth resistance, speaking to the larger social and political happenings in our country . Using the university campus as a microcosm of India’s larger political anxieties, these films, such as Rang De Basanti, Haasil, and Gulaal, examine the intersections of caste and revolutionary idealism. Check out the watchlist here.

Archit Agarwal's Culinary Practice Personifies The Art Of Unhurried Intent

Former Swiggy content strategist Archit Agarwal has transitioned from the high-speed food tech industry to a culinary practice defined by "unhurried intent" and slow cooking. Through his digital platform, 'Life of Simple Treats', and his intimate supper club, 'The LOST Table', he offers a deliberate pause in an overstimulating social media landscape by focusing on first-person visual storytelling and the "magic" of culinary transformation through heat and time. Read more about Archit's journey here.

66 Artists, 7 Galleries, 1 City: Contemporary Now Takes Over Chennai

Contemporary Now · Edition III returns to Chennai from 8–25 August 2026, transforming the city into a hub for contemporary art through a dynamic programme of exhibitions, conversations, artist walkthroughs, workshops, and open houses. Anchored at Lalit Kala Akademi and extending across more than ten venues citywide, this year's edition brings together 66 artists and seven leading galleries. Curated around the theme Practices in Continuum: Tracing the Present, the exhibition explores how artistic practices evolve through sustained inquiry and dialogue, engaging with questions of migration, ecology and identity. Learn more about the exhibition at the website here.

Between Glitter & War: French-Tamil Abirami Rasiah’s Practice Is A Search For Home

French-Tamil artist and architect Abirami Rasiah uses a multidisciplinary practice spanning sculpture, film, and installation to explore the complexities of home, memory, and belonging. Drawing from her heritage as the daughter of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, her work, ranging from glitter-covered miniature houses to films recreating nostalgic 90s Tamil television aesthetics, builds immersive bridges between her upbringing in France and her family's history. By transforming architecture into a vessel for remembrance and repair, Rasiah creates "places of care" that reconcile the lived experiences of the diaspora with inherited cultural narratives. Read more about her artistry here.

On The Grid: Rajballabh Shyam’s Vivid World Of Colour, Memory, & Self-Expression

Artist Rajballabh Shyam uses vibrant colors and emotional honesty to transform his deeply personal history into universal art. His illustrations, such as the evocative 'Boy Who Likes Dolls,' draw on childhood memories and family relationships to explore themes of identity, belonging, and self-expression. By infusing every symbol and color choice with deliberate intention, Shyam creates a vivid narrative landscape that invites viewers to connect with raw, intimate stories of unconditional support and radical authenticity. Read more about his artistry here.

Bengaluru, Begin Your August With 'One Night In Toki-O', As It Returns For Another Evening Of Immersive Experiences

Presented by Toki Suntory Whisky, 'One Night in Toki-O' is returning to Bengaluru on August 1 and transforms GoRally Pickleball into a "cultural playground" featuring BarFind’s travelling cocktail experience, traditional izakaya-style dining from Kuuraku, and vinyl DJ sets by On the Jungle Floor. By integrating arcade gaming, screen-printing workshops, and immersive installations, the festival offers a multi-sensory celebration of how Japanese heritage continues to inspire global creative communities. Get your tickets here.

If you enjoyed this, here's more from Homegrown:

The Acts Of Resistance That Defined Jantar Mantar & Protests Across India 

Let It Slide: The Social Etiquette Of Sliding Into DMs In 2026

Inside The Steel Almirah: A Brief History Of India’s Most Familiar Piece Of Furniture