Lounge Loves: ‘Marigold and Rose', a quick fix for dark circles and more

Write Me a Veg List

Scrolling for fruits and vegetables is not for me. I like visiting the vendor, and then deciding what to cook based on what I buy. It’s also the place where people gather, make small talk, and will give you quick tips and recipes. For instance, last month, I saw kachri, or wild melon, for the first time—a fellow buyer pitched in, explaining how to eat it, while emphasising that kachri has no taste, so you have to make it "chatpata” with lemon juice and chilli powder. What I like is people who come with lists, everything written down. A gentleman once told me his was handed to him by his daughter-in-law. The other day I spotted a basket with a list on top of it. Somehow the list and the items in the basket did not match. This person was not following the algorithm—someone at home would have to rethink their menu plan. And, yes, no kachri for me.

—Nipa Charagi

Eyes Don’t Lie

As a new mom, not getting a full-night’s sleep for over a year has led to stubborn dark circles. On some days, I overlook them and on other days, I don’t like what I see in the mirror. One day, I walked into a make-up store looking for a colour corrector for a brief respite from racoon eyes. I would have to layer it with a concealer for best results. It’s too much make-up for someone like me, but I was desperate. The shop assistant suggested an alternative—a skin corrector stick from Bobbi Brown which lies somewhere between a colour corrector and a concealer. I could just slap on this one product and the job would be done. It’s been a month since I have been using it, and I like what I see in the mirror.

—Jahnabee Borah

Inside the Minds of Babies

A year before her death in 2023, Nobel Prize-winning poet Louise Glück published her only work of fiction, a novella called Marigold and Rose. An account of the first year of the lives of twins whose names provide the title of the work, it is a meditation on inner lives of babies before they have acquired language and vocabulary to express their feelings. In a brief span of time, Marigold and Rose learn about parenting styles, the dynamics of gendered labour at home and beyond, and loss. Written in short bursts of prose, at once artful, profound and funny, this book is one for the ages and has been just published in a beautiful new Indian edition by Aleph as part of its new international list.

—Somak Ghoshal

Chroma Calendar

As of last month, Google Calendar offers 24 event colours instead of 11, and you can choose from up to 200 custom shades using an RGB colour picker while using the app on desktop. I have since begun assigning events not just colours, but the names of those colours. Screenings, plays and any arty events are marked Beetroot because they’re nourishing, good for the blood. Everyday reminders are given a Mango shade, for passing through aam zindagi with flying colours. Weekend brunches are filed under Avocado, because that’s when I usually savour this bougie fruit. Basil is for work meetings, my logic being tulsi stays outside, not inside the house. Banana is for work calls: easy logistics. A minor interface update, but to the colour-coded calendar girlie in me, it’s paradise.

—Shephali Bhatt