This Week In Culture: Desi Pop, Unseen Shadows, & Much More

It's been three weeks since I quit smoking. Which is hard for me to believe because I had been marinating in the desire to actually do it since more than a year. Every few weeks I'd think of a new reason to do so: sometimes it was stamina and lung capacity, the other times it was collagen and skin health. The weird part is I had many a 'breakthrough' moments that felt cathartic. I was sure that THIS was when I would finally stop smoking. That I had, at last, gone through the reckoning that would make me change. But all of those times, I ended up falling back into the habit.

The moment I actually quit was ironically inconsequential. There was no buildup, no grand display of human will, no 'Eye Of The Tiger' playing in my head. It was just a regular Thursday. Or was it Friday? I'm not sure. Honestly, It kinda pissed me off. I wanted it to be an achievement that I could take credit for, against all odds, just me and my power of decision making and sticking to it. But it wasn't.

As someone who struggles a lot with procrastination when it comes to being a creative, I was told that doing and not thinking excessively was the remedy. But the whole smoking think made me re-evaluate that. It may be true for a lot of people but not for me. I found function within my dysfunction. Thinking obsessively about a goal fills up tank with the fuel that I need to do it with the least resistance. That is my design. And each mind works differently but maybe it could be yours too.

If you too are drowning in self pity about not being 'productive' or not doing enough, maybe try my method as an experiment. For now, just consume: read; watch a movie; go to an exhibition. Fill up your cup so you can pour into whatever your craft is. Our culture bulletin this week has some great ideas as well. Here's what we have for you:

Not Today By Aditya Kripalani

Aditya Kripalani's latest film explores the themes of mental health through the story of a suicide prevention counsellor and a man on the verge of ending his life. Both the protagonists are grappling with the loss of their loved one's to suicide but both of them are dealing with the grief differently. The film unfolds through a sincere conversation shared between the two as a demonstration of empathy and companionship.

Watch it here.

'Orbit' By Akshara

Homegrown artist Akshara releases her latest single, an ethereal, Desi pop track that fuses Indian classical elements with RnB and alternative EDM. Sampling the Indian movie star Rekha's voice from an interview, Akshara's intention with the track was to capture the feeling of being charmed by someone, or as she puts it "what it feels like when you meet someone whose energy is so magnetic, you can’t help but fall into their orbit."

Listen to it here.

Serai - A Sanctuary For Overstimulated Bodies

Homegrown label Serai was born from founder Srishtie Budhia's realization that her European wardrobe wasn't made for the Indian climate. She noticed a gap in the market for high-quality, breathable apparel suited to the Indian weather. And that's where the brand came to be. Using high-quality handloom textiles designed in-house, Serai's clothes feel like a respite from the overstimulation we can experience with heavily embellished Indian clothing.

Check out their collection here.

'Unseen Shadows' Featuring Richa Arya & Deena Pindoria

Why do women not want to marry anymore? My uneducated guess is all the unpaid physical & emotional labour that goes into keeping a household coupled with the weaponized incompetence of men who use "but I don't know how" to avoid doing laundry. A new Delhi-based exhibition explores the same unrecognised labour of women that has historically been dismissed as 'natural skills' that they possess. Curated by Lekha Poddar the artworks in the exhibition interrogate the conditions of gendered labour and visibility.

Find out more about it here.

The Youngest Photographer Of The Year

Beyond the realms of composition, lighting, rule of thirds, and focal lengths there exists pure awe, that through a sense of urgency drives us to take that picture. It's the same awe that made nine-year-old Shreyovi Mehta click an award-winning photograph at the Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan. Fuelled by her passion for nature and a keen eye for the perfect moment, Shreyovi's photo of two Indian pea bowls won her a postion in BBC's Photographer of the Year Awards.

Read about her here.

Basonti Polao & Kosha Mangsho Recipe

Symbolizing the homecoming of Goddess Durga for five days to her maternal home from Mount Kailash, the Durga Puja is the biggest festival of West Bengal celebrated with a feast of Bengali food and sweets as well as devotional rituals. But no Bengali celebration is complete without the Basonti Polao, a sweet-savoury yellow rice paired with Kosha Mangsho (slow-cooked lamb or mutton). On the occasion of Durga Puja this year, try it out for yourself with a homegrown recipe that comes straight from staff writer Drishya in Kolkata.

Find the recipe here.

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

Horror, Counter-Culture & Food Justice: Films To Watch At The Tasveer Film Festival

Ajrakh: The Textile That Acted As A Communal Identification Code Among Kutchi Women

Indian Creative Anand's Cat & Alien Sculptures Reject The Hyper-Seriousness Of Modern Art