Month: April 2021

Heritage April 26, 2021

Monday Reads – 26/04

It is feeling like 2020 all over again, with the rise in COVID-19 cases in India. So as much as I wish it wasn’t the case, today’s list starts with an analysis of the current situation regarding the pandemic in India.

India’s giant second wave is a disaster for it and the world – An analysis by the Economist on the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Yes, there is the standard Western take on Indian politics, but for the most part, this article gets it right, in my humble opinion.

The Pandemic Helped Some Marketers Kick This Digital Marketing Habit – I am a Digital Marketer by profession. Though I usually don’t refer to this topic in my weekly recommended reads, I am making an exception for this one as it’s an interesting one with possibly significant medium term implications for the field.

Threats – Moving from India to the United States of America and to Professor Scott Galloway listing some of the biggest threats to the nation (spoiler: none of them are external threats). Very thought-provoking, as is usually the case with the Professor.

5 Young Women and Girls Fighting for Climate Justice You Should Know – Last week (April 22nd) was World Earth Day and hence, this article was rather timely. ‘Girls’ education is one of the most powerful yet overlooked strategies in the fight against climate change‘ – I don’t think there can be any argument against this statement.

Thrissur Pooram – An Unmissable Spectacle! – India is well known as the land of spectacular festivals. But this one, celebrated last week, might be the grandest one that you have neve heard of!

Uncategorized April 19, 2021

Monday Reads – 19/04

With Covid cases increasing steeply in India, requesting all readers in India to stay home as much as possible. Here are a few articles that you can read while at home.

An Atlas of the Cosmos – How do we map the Cosmos? Read this article to learn more on this fascinating topic.

The bizarre reason watching birds can make you happier than money – Bird-watching has been a hobby of mine for most of my life. I have always been happy while watching birds. This article posits a few reasons for why this can be such a pleasurable hobby.

The fight to save India’s most elusive cat – India’s most famous cat is undoubtedly the tiger, though few know that many varieties of wild cats, both big and small, exist in our diverse country. This article looks at one of the lesser known wild cats of India.

How the bathroom became the ultimate sanctuary – Many of us would find resonance in the statement that the bathroom has become a place of piece and solitude in today’s age. This article looks at the history and evolution of the humble bathroom.

Why we define ourselves by our jobs – This is a topic that I have pondered about. Why is it that our identities (typically) are so defined by our jobs (and titles). There is no easy answer to this topic, but this article is a good exploration of this topic.

Travel April 12, 2021

Monday Reads – 12/04

Photo by Unexplored Northeast on Unsplash

This is the season of summer holidays in India. Here are a few interesting articles on travel that I cam across over the past week.

‘You must come to our Friday night lime!’ Community cricket in Trinidad – The West Indies is a group of nations in the Caribbean that come together to play cricket. Traveling to these tropical isles and watching a game is a dream for all cricket lovers. If you are one such dreamer, or even if you are not, this is a wonderful article.

Life Aboard the Longest Train Ride Through India – I recently heard about the Dibrugarh – Kanyakumari Vivek Express, the longest train journey in India. I have loved train journeys since the days we used to travel 36 hours in one from Mumbai to Kerala. Read this article to learn more about what trains mean to India.

A Visual Journey Into the Burra Bungalows of Tea Estates of North Bengal – Combining my interests of travel and architecture is this article on the colonial bungalows located in tea estates around the Darjeeling region.

Of Reh, Rituals and Rice Beer – Keen readers might have observed a theme emerging from this list. Yes, most of the articles in this list talk about the North East of India. This is a unique part of our diverse country that I have never been to (not even been close). Well, I do hope to be able to do something about it when it’s safe to travel again.

This Man Searched for the Yeti for 60 Years—and Found It – Moving slightly (but not much) from North East India to a country on India’s northern border is this article on a search for the mysterious Yeti. Does it exist? Read on to find out!

Uncategorized April 5, 2021

Monday Reads – 05/04

This week’s set contains articles from Science, Business and more. Happy reading!

When did life first emerge in the universe? – A long, but fascinating article explaining the possible origin of life in the Universe and the prospects for life in the distant future.

String theorist Michio Kaku: ‘Reaching out to aliens is a terrible idea’ – Continuing on the theme of science, this is an interview with a scientist working on String Theory. It seems like any discussion on Quantum Physics ends up being a discussion about God, and this one is no different. Read on till the end to understand this scientist’s views on the topic.

We still don’t know the origins of the coronavirus. Here are 4 scenarios. – It’s been over a year since the world went into lockdown. And, unfortunately, parts of India are preparing to go back into lockdown soon. This article lays out 4 possible scenarios about the origins of the Coronavirus.

We (might) Work – Remember the disaster that was the WeWork IPO? Well, I subsequently worked out a WeWork facility and really enjoyed the experience. It turns out that WeWork has been, over the past few months, quietly rectifying its ship and might be on the path to profitability soon.

Maska Bun and Migration: Irani Cafes of Bombay – You can tale a person out of Mumbai (Bombay), but you can’t take Mumbai (Bombay) out of a person. Even though I have not been staying in Mumbai for over 12 years now, I still think that no other city in India (and very few in the World) can match it in terms of experiences. It appeals (and attacks) almost every sense. This article talks about one of the icons of Mumbai – the humble Irani cafe.

Sanjay Varma