17-05-2025
Holiday ideas in the southern hemisphere, neo-punk jewellery goes desi, new Kindle review, and other stories to read
We were heading back to the lodge in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve when the ranger called out 'Teapot!' and pointed to the sky. After a day of learning bush-walk signals and identifying edible plants and animal spoor—the giraffe's is 23cm long, the elephant's looks like stodgy table legs and the rhino's is surprisingly elegant—I thought the ranger was testing our knowledge and I'd forgotten some call.
He'd been sweeping the skies looking for the Southern Cross, or Crux, a cluster of stars I'd asked to see, which can only be spotted south of the equator. It's a group of five stars that holds many stories of adventure and exploration, as it guided early sailors before the time of GPS, and many countries in the southern hemisphere have it on their flags. Instead, we see the more beautiful though prosaically named Teapot, again unique to the southern hemisphere. There's also a Teaspoon, apparently, but we couldn't find it.
As humans we have this unique tendency for pareidolia, or finding shapes, images and meanings in random patterns—it's why we see dragons breathing fire in clouds, elephant faces in rocks, and teapots in the night sky. Being south of the equator is great place to indulge this (and many other interests) as the landscapes, weather, customs and experiences can be quite unusual—and Indians are discovering this. With climate change and over-tourism making much of Europe uncomfortable in the summer months, travelling in the southern hemisphere is a good alternative as the weather is cool and dry. As one of our writers points out, some of these destinations like the heart-shaped island of Tasmania are great for multi-generational family holidays too. If you're not planning to travel any time soon, we've still got you covered: We recommend Tom Cruise in the Mission: Impossible finale, which releases this weekend and other shows and films; delicious mango menus to sample and more.
In a country that loves traditional jewellery, indie designers are crafting statement pieces like nail talons and teeth grillz. Designed mainly by 30-somethings, the jewellery collections exude a bold, individualistic aura reminiscent of the punk fashion era of the 1970s, reports Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran. Neo-punk jewellery meets Indian grandeur, handcrafting techniques and design in these maximalist, individualistic pieces. The skulls, razor blades and brashness have given way to embellished spikes and edgy high fashion but what remains is the attitude to experimentation. Read more.
Piped icing, butter cream and pretty cake designs were probably what we were used to as children. Over the past few years, pastry making has become more like a craft—building elaborate worlds onto a cake tray. A number of bakers though are returning to vintage cakes—hearts, flowers, piping and bows—and customers love it. Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran meets the bakers bringing back swirls and flourishes to cakes.
The wait is finally over. After months of speculation about why Amazon was not dropping the latest version of its popular e-reader in India, the 12th generation Kindle Paperwhite is now available in India—a new device after more than three years. Amazon's latest iteration of its popular Kindle Paperwhite e-reader series doesn't scream reinvention. Instead, it whispers refinement, decides Abhishek Baxi. The 7-inch glare-free display provides a more immersive reading experience while maintaining portability, and the addition of adjustable warm light enhances nighttime reading, allowing users to shift screen hues for a more comfortable experience. The new Paperwhite comes with 16GB of storage, double the capacity of its predecessor.
Despite advances in medical treatment which include dopamine replacement drugs and deep brain stimulation, the emotional aspects of Parkinson's disease are rarely addressed. The disease chips away not only at the body but at relationships, agency, and the will to participate in life. Therapists are now beginning to focus on the anxiety, grief and depression faced by people diagnosed with Parkinson's and are trying novel solutions. Movement therapy programmes are tapping into Indian dance forms, combining incorporating Bharatanatyam, Garba and Koodiyattam with somatic movement, to heal and empower individuals as well as build a sense of community, reports Divya Naik. Each session is crafted around rhythm, repetition, and responsiveness, and participants are invited to improvise, co-create, and move within their own capacity.
When was the last time you had an address book—or even saw one? Chances are it's more than a decade ago and you've been saving addresses on various delivery apps to make gifting faster and easier. A quick search by name in food delivery, quick commerce or e-commerce apps brings up the addresses of loved ones, tap to select the desired address, and you're ready to send everything from rakhis to no-occasion gifts. Earlier, sending gifts to different cities meant days of planning—asking around the neighbourhood if someone was headed that way, or queuing at the post office. The digitisation of address books has transformed locations from static coordinates into living proxies of connection, memory and meaning, concludes Shephali Bhatt.
It's likely that you have recently completed a goal-setting exercise as part of your annual performance appraisal. The fundamental principle behind it is similar for most enterprises: help employees become more productive, accountable, and focused on meeting their targets in the new financial year. And most follow the SMART goals format, but there is a flip side to it. SMART goals tend to be overly focused on outcomes and leave you feeling triumphant or like a loser. Instead, suggest Somak Ghoshal, shift to setting non-linear goals and make a PACT focused on Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous and Trackable goals, based on Anne-Laure Le Cunff's new book, Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World.
