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Pondy's French citizens are coming home, GenZ loves fake weddings & other great reads
A friend of more than two decades recently asked me where 'home' is after realizing that my life is spread across four cities, and I have none of the trappings that would anchor me to one place. What does 'home' mean really, and how do we anchor ourselves? It's a question that we delved into at Lounge this week. We write about a young generation of Indian French citizens returning after years in France to make their homes in Puducherry, opening businesses, setting up restaurants, documenting the town's heritage and becoming a bridge between multiple cultures. Beneath the surface of the comfortable lives these French-Pondicherrians have created for themselves lies a history of the alienating violence of colonialism, migration and displacement. Aravinda Anantharaman's reporting spans business, history, food, livelihood, heritage and generational change that continues to shape the seaside town that's now a tourist destination. In a world with so much alarm about borders, this story points to a more accepting, fluid way of living that is a mélange of French, Tamil, even Caribbean and Cambodian cultures, and finding the sense of belonging. And we have more great writing and ideas to mull over all weekend.
Could you imagine a wedding party without a bride and groom? That's exactly what Gen Z has turned the wedding into—a beautiful wedding with lots of food and fun, without the stress of having to find gifts, deal with family and dress up perfectly. Wedding parties that are just that, a reason to party, are all the rage in Delhi, Bengaluru and Pune. Maybe Gen Z has got it right, muses Shrabonti Bagchi. After all, who wouldn't want to enjoy great food, fantastic music and a lot of dancing without the worry of toxic relatives and the weight of societal expectations? Read more.
Offal often gets a bad name but chefs and home cooks are dusting out family recipes and adding a twist of innovation to this simple food and elevating it to a fine-dining concept. With its transformation from affordable meat to fine-dining ingredient, old stigmas about eating this food that is both sustainable and convenient are also ebbing away, writes Rituparna Roy. Read more.
Screen fatigue has affected us all but it's Gen Z, the digital natives born between 1997 and 2012, who are consciously doing something about it. They're touching grass—internet speak for going offline and taking in the world outside—to counter brain rot, an effect of excessive consumption of digital content. And this means a return to the basics: They're joining book clubs, heritage walks and communities, and going on solo dates to log off. Sara Siddiqui meets the young people organizing these clubs and activities to help their peers manage their mental health and physical wellbeing. Read more.
Every year, Motorola launches a new Razr foldable with gorgeous finishes, better cameras and the latest chips, but this year's launch—the Razr 60 Ultra ( ₹ 99,999) feels more complete and a notch higher than past iterations. There's just the single spec variant—16GB memory + 512GB storage—in three colours. The latest Snapdragon 8 Elite takes it to proper flagship territory, along with a bigger battery with boosted life, mature software and good camera upgrades. It's Motorola's most ambitious flip phone to date, and it shows up every day without compromise, decides Tushar Kanwar after testing the phone for over two weeks. Read more.
Shantnu & Nikhil turn to womenswear
For over 25 years, couture brand Shantnu Nikhil has given traditional menswear a contemporary spin. This season, the designers behind the brand, brothers Shantnu and Nikhil Mehra, are branching out and entering the world of womenswear with their new label Shantnu & Nikhil Luxe. They're hoping the sharp tailoring, military precision and unrestrained self-expression their menswear line is known for will translate to women's clothing as well, and describe the label as 'couture's rebellious twin'. Simply put, they're planning to sell statement evening wear that's well-tailored, playful yet formal. The brothers tell Manish Mishra about the inspiration behind their latest foray. Read more.
Nihari, biryani and korma have come to represent Pakistan's cuisine, with most recipe blogs on the internet confining themselves to these dishes. Author Maryam Jillani has been trying to change this with her 'Pakistan Eats' blog since 2016, and she's now published her first cookbook that documents the range of cuisines across the country. Pakistan's many cuisines have a diversity of ingredients and cooking techniques that reflect the intersection of economics, politics and migrantion crisis. The book also holds a certain nostalgia for 90s kids in India too—there are recipes for trifle and black forest cake, which were our introduction to the world of cakes and pastries, writes Shirin Mehrotra. Read more.
