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This week’s culture bulletin traces the dialogue between legacy and reinvention across art, music, fashion, and public life. It also spotlights a chair exhibition in Mumbai, Milkman x Bonobo’s Holi Gathering, Sri Lankan influences at Paris Fashion Week, and Gorillaz’s India-inspired album, mapping how local histories continue to shape global cultural conversations.
When I was in my first year of college, I begged my dad to take me to the Kochi Biennale. It never worked out — our schedules clashed, the coastal heat loomed, and the plan quietly dissolved. I remember how deeply disappointed I felt.
But this year, we finally made it. Just before the humidity turned unforgiving and as the Biennale approached its closing days, I found myself wandering through exhibits that were stunning, some even deeply moving. And yet, what captivated me most weren’t the installations inside whitewashed galleries, but the Chinese fishing nets stretching across the beaches of Fort Kochi, suspended like skeletal hands over the Arabian Sea.
There was something quietly theatrical about them. As the sun dipped, they moved in slow choreography, lowered with patient precision, then heaved up in unison. They felt like living installations, older than any exhibit I had just seen.
This trip, in many ways, became about tracing the intersection between our past and our future as a cultural society — asking what we choose to carry forward and what we are ready to leave behind. In this week’s culture bulletin, we honour enduring legacies like Trincas, one of Park Street’s oldest listening rooms, while also looking ahead to initiatives like the Placemaking Weekend in Goa, which reimagines what the future of tourism could look like.
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Placemaking Weekend Goa reframes tourism as a regenerative force that serves communities, ecosystems, and local economies. Over three days, architects, planners, artists, and citizens explore how tourism can restore environments, deepen connections with residents, and move beyond extractive models toward meaningful, inclusive development rooted in place-based experiences. Homegrown is offering 10 complimentary spots for readers to attend Placemaking Weekend Goa. Learn more about the weekend here.
At the House of Mahendra Doshi, 'A History of India Through Chairs' reimagines furniture as a living archive of the subcontinent’s social and cultural history. Opening on 18th February, the exhibition reveals how chairs have reflected shifting hierarchies, political power, trade routes, and evolving notions of comfort and status. Each piece becomes a marker of its time, shaped by regional craftsmanship, material innovation, and global influence. Learn more about history of chairs in India and the exhibition here.
The Holi Gathering returns to Corona Garden on 3rd March 2026, as Milkman and Bonobo reunite for their annual, sun-soaked celebration. Headlined by London duo Mount Kimbie, alongside local favourites Jai Yohaan and Chrms, the afternoon promises cutting-edge music and vibrant community energy. Guests can expect curated bites from Hundo and Bombay Sweet Shop, a live station by Bhakti Mehta, cocktails by Patrón, brews from Simba, and a wellness pop-up by Indie Wild. Buy your tickets here.
During the Paris Fashion Week season, stylist Padani Kandagama collaborated with Rkive City to spotlight Sri Lankan cultural codes on an international stage. Reworking garments like the lungi alongside sharp tailoring and contemporary silhouettes, the project reframed traditionally domestic South Asian attire as elevated, street-ready fashion. By centring texture and heritage craftsmanship, Kandagama challenged Eurocentric fashion narratives and highlighted diasporic identity as a source of innovation. Learn more here.
Gorillaz’ ninth studio album, The Mountain, acts as both a love letter to India and a meditation on life, death, and the afterlife. Inspired by creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s time in cities like Jaipur and Varanasi and shaped by their personal losses, the record weaves Indian spirituality, classical instruments, and collaborations with artists such as Anoushka Shankar and Asha Bhosle into the band’s eclectic sound. Read the duo's full interview with Homegrown here.
Exploring the deep bond between literature and music through the voices of seven Indian musicians, each sharing books that shaped their artistic sensibilities. From Khaled Hosseini's novels to poetry collections that taught them emotional nuance and attention to silence, the artists reveal how reading informs their creative instincts. Here's a glimpse into the reading lists that echo behind the music. Read the full piece here.
Uncle’s Bar has become a defining spot in Colombo’s nightlife by leaning into Sri Lanka’s own flavours and social culture. The bar’s cocktails centre local spirits like coconut arrack and draw on island ingredients such as tamarind and kitul palm treacle to craft inventive drinks that echo the tastes of Sri Lankan kitchens. With vinyl and DJ sets animating evenings, Uncle’s celebrates native produce, casual conversation and the evolving local bar scene in the city’s Park Street Mews. Read more here.
What began as a Swiss-run tea room in the 1920s evolved into a live-music hub in the 1960s, helping define the city’s nightlife with jazz, cabaret and performances by legends like Usha Uthup, Trincas' is one of Kolkata's most iconic listening rooms. Through decades of cultural shifts, political changes and entertainment trends, Trincas has continually reinvented itself, from a continental dining and live-show hotspot to a modern space for acoustic sets and emerging talent, while remaining a living archive of Kolkata’s musical and social spirit. Read more here.
Boong’s win at the BAFTA Awards shines a long-overdue spotlight on the cinematic traditions of Northeast India. Rooted in Manipuri storytelling, the film’s global recognition underscores a history of filmmaking shaped by political unrest and cultural richness. The moment marks not just an international accolade, but a reminder of a parallel film culture that has consistently pushed artistic boundaries despite limited infrastructure and visibility, expanding the understanding of what Indian cinema truly encompasses. Read more about the film and its impact here.
If you enjoyed reading this, here’s more from Homegrown:
Homegrown Watchlist: From ‘Assi’ To ‘Kohrra’, 4 New Indian Releases You Shouldn’t Miss
'Development' Or Death Sentence?: Why Goans Are Protesting Section 39A Of The Goa TCP Act
How Blackface and CIA 'Jazz Ambassadors' Influenced 20th Century Homegrown Music & Culture
