Lounge Loves: The return of lip gloss, ‘Traitors' and more
I only recently realised how much I love my routine when a severe leakage at home last week forced me to rotate between friends' houses. At first, it felt like a nostalgic return to sleepovers, something we rarely do in our late 30s. Soon, however, I started missing the quiet systems I've built into my mornings: early walks, steam sessions, laundry cycles, and a breakfast ritual with its precise order and items. You can pack all your essentials when you're travelling, but not the flow you've carved out for yourself in your space. I wasn't homesick, but routinesick, if that makes sense. There was a time when no two days being alike felt thrilling. Now, all I want is the comfort of sameness—the small anchor points I've come to rely on to help me seize the day.
Making Kolkata biryani from scratch, especially if you are following Bong Eats' exquisitely detailed recipe, is a daunting task. It begins with preparing not one but two types of biryani masalas, to be used while marinating and cooking the meat and layering the rice and protein. Thankfully, the Kolkata-based content creators have made it simpler by retailing pre-made, fresh masala mixes in collaboration with Amar Khamar and home-chef Salma. These are seriously good, packed without preservatives and filling the house with that unmistakable aroma of Kolkata biryani that I associate with my favourite joints in the city. Use them up quickly, though, they don't keep too long—just how it should be.
The trailer and the sets come off tacky but that didn't stop me from getting hooked to the reality show, Traitors India, within 30 minutes of the first episode. Set in Suryagarh Palace, Jaisalmer, the show hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar has 20 contestants vying for the prize money. Like most reality shows there are familiar elements like team games to be played. Heated exchanges take place regularly. What makes the show strangely compelling are the mind games that are constantly at play as the contestants figure out who the titular 'traitors' amidst them are. It's fascinating to see how the 'guilty' are singled out based on their behaviour and how easy it is to influence people against someone. It's this peek into human psychology that it offers that has me logging in every Thursday at 8pm to Amazon Prime.
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