Lounge Loves: Neko Case, sudoku puzzles and more

No Cutting Corners

Corners in a room are often neglected, as we lavish our attention on the walls, furniture and furnishings. So, when I walked into our room at this farmstay, the first thing I noticed was not the bed or the writing desk but a cosy corner with two chairs and a table: simple, functional and inviting. The scene is set for two people to chat. But the real magic of the space is in how it responds to sunlight during different times of the day. This is revealed to you as you are lying on the bed, the sheer curtains drawn on the glass walls and the plants outside throwing their shadows like patterns on them. In the morning, this shadow-play is on the left side and post noon, on the right. This light-and-shadow dance must change with the seasons. Back in my own corner, I am looking at the waste paper basket—but then, it needs a corner too.

—Nipa Charagi

Back to Sudoku

Lately, I’ve been thinking about our relationship with memory. How some of us cling to what we wish to forget, but also have this need to put everything on a calendar because we worry we’ll forget what we need to remember. Recently, a friend joked about my forgetfulness when I told him the same story twice. He suggested I start doing sudoku. It’s something I used to love back in college, so I immediately took his advice. It hasn’t been a month yet, so I can’t call it a habit, but I already look forward to it every morning. My friend and I even send each other photos of our solved puzzles. While memory enhancement may have been the nudge, sudoku has come to mean something else entirely: a quiet way to feel centered again. —Shephali Bhatt

Footpath Warriors

It has been fantastic watching the transformation of a stretch of pavement and under-flyover space in my Bengaluru neighbourhood. Over a few days, volunteers with The Ugly Indian and municipality workers, primarily the ever-smiling pourakarmikas, landed up on the Ibblur stretch of Sarjapur Road. They swept and scrubbed and fixed, filled up gaps in the footpath, painted cute geometrical motifs on the walls and flyover beams, and left the place, earlier an ugly jumble of debris and garbage, looking not just neat but also cheerful, especially after they were done making kolams on the newly refreshed stretch. The city may have a thousand problems, but it shows up every day. — Shrabonti Bagchi

Listening to Neko Case

Though my collection largely stays on the shelf now, for a good 15 years I heard most of my music on CD. I’m pretty sure the artist I played most often during those years was The New Pornographers. Neko Case was a founding member of the Canadian indie rock group, its spearhead along with Carl Newman. Case has also had a distinguished solo career. Her albums mix Americana, indie rock and country. Neon Grey Midnight Green, her first album since 2018’s Hell-On, released in September. Its 12 tracks were recorded in a live setting. They range from sprightly pop rock in the vein of the Pornographers (Wreck) to the stormy title track and the warm, strings-assisted album opener Destination. There’s also a wistfulness running through, like when Case sings on Winchester Mansion of Sound: “There’s too much life/For just one lifetime”. —Uday Bhatia