Lounge Loves: Harry Potter almanac, live music at fashion shows, and more
This list also includes an online community of people who love beer and a police procedural series
It’s a magical world
Having grown up with the Harry Potter books—and despite understanding the problems with portions of them now— I find it hard to be as enthralled by any other attempt at world-building. I hardly revisit the books but the new Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac has filled me with the same joy they did. Created by seven illustrators, the rich, well-imagined work does not overlap visually with the movies, making it an even bigger treat. “An Unguided Tour of Hogwarts” has that wonderfully crammed style à la Where’s Waldo, while the “The Patronus” is a gorgeous, dark spread with detailed sketches of the guardian animals. I would recommend a copy as a gift—even if a greedy one to oneself! —Vangmayi Parakala
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Live music meets fashion
While the recent fashion show in Delhi included a fair bit of done-before, seen-before garments, some design houses experimented with different formats for their presentations. First, brands such as Raw Mango and Bibhu Mohapatra included celebrities not as the predictable showstoppers but as part of the model line-up—a rare sight on Indian runways. Second, and perhaps the biggest highlight of the six-day event, was the presence of musicians on the stage. Whether it was péro’s playful act of recreating the Mad Hatter’s tea party with the help of a live band, the rock concert-style performance in the middle of the runway during the Falguni Shane Peacock show, or a duo singing soulful ballads at the grand finale by Mohapatra, the performative element lent the welcome feel of a spectacle. —Pooja Singh
The pursuit of hoppiness
The power of beer is unparalleled. It’s simply the most popular drink in the world and a comfort drink for me after a long day at work. I have always made it a point to try beers in different parts of India and other countries when I travel. And, when I am home, I spend a lot of time scrolling through the handle @PintsDrank on X. Described as a burgeoning community of people who love a pint, the handle posts pictures of pints sent by users from around the world—from Ožujsko, a Croatian lager, in Dubrovnik to a chilled glass of Soproni, a Hungarian lager, in Budapest. It’s a simple, delightful way of finding new beers for your pint list while enjoying views from around the world. Every pint tells a story. —Nitin Sreedhar
Idiosyncratic gangsters
The fact that Mathagam is a police procedural could make you sigh, “yet again?” But what had me hooked, besides its protagonists Atharvaa (as DCP Ashwath Rathnakumar) and Manikandan K. (as Padalam Sekar), is the way it has etched memorable characters of gangsters with idiosyncratic names like Sangku Ganesan, Maava Seth, Jail Kuyil and Condom Chittu. Every gangster’s backstory is narrated, drawing you in. Maava Seth, the gangster with an unusual predilection for black magic, made me laugh but Jail Kuyil is my favourite because he is an unlikely bad man who loves to sing. There are some memorable performances by the supporting cast, especially Dilnaz Irani as police commissioner Sayanthika Biswas. Directed by Prasath Murugesan, the Tamil web series is on Disney+ Hotstar. —Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran
Also read: Experiments with music at Jodhpur RIFF
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First Published:23 Oct 2023, 10:12 AM IST
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