Lounge Loves: Shuffalo, ‘Last Samurai Standing’ and more

Tutti-fruity Hat Candy

I recently spent a weekend in my hometown in Himachal Pradesh to get some respite from the Delhi pollution. During an impromptu visit to a temple, I saw a pandit wearing an exquisite accessory on his Kullu topi: a tutti-fruity coloured kalgi. I had seen my great-grandmother once wear a kalgi, essentially a brooch, on her cap, but I was too young to know its significance. Made in silver and gold, kalgi is worn in the Kullu region on special occasions like weddings, pujas and festivals, though it’s a dying tradition now. I had to buy one from the jewellery shop before heading back to Delhi. I can wear it the traditional way or as a brooch or a hairpin—it’s perfect for all seasons.

—Pooja Singh

The X Factor

The patch of green in my apartment complex, ringed by multistoried buildings, is like any other—manicured, the usual flowers and trees, benches to sit on, swings for children. But no green space can ever be ordinary because nature is always at work, springing small surprises. A hedge full of sparrows comes across like a busy household in the morning: birds chirping, hanging out on branches or taking off with a whoosh when they sense your presence. The other day I chanced upon this arachnid, which had built its web between a night blooming jasmine tree and a Christ plant—talk about prime location. This was my first time seeing a yellow garden spider, with its dense zigzag of silk making a perfect X—the white strips looking like buntings at a school fair. Who says concrete jungles are sterile?

—Nipa Charagi

Play It on Shuffle

Anew game has been added to the daily round of word puzzles one must get through before starting one’s day. In addition to Wordle, Strands, Connections (all from The New York Times), I now have Shuffalo from The New Yorker to crack, and I must say it has become quite the favourite. An anagram challenge, Shuffalo prompts you to make a word with the letters provided, except it adds one letter with each round so that the challenge gets tougher and tougher, going from a four-letter word to an eight-letter one. You can take hints if your ego allows, but it’s a great feeling to see the final result with zero hint boxes if you can manage it. There’s also a timer if you want to make it harder, though I have successfully ignored it so far.

—Shrabonti Bagchi

Sword of Doom

Last Samurai Standing isn’t just the best action drama of the year—it’s a highlights reel of the year’s best skirmishes, fights and battles. When Shujiro Saga (Junichi Okada), who till then had been holding himself back from participating in the carnage around him, lops a man’s head clean off with his sword and then slices and dices his way through a small platoon of rifle-carrying soldiers, I had to pause to catch my breath. This Japanese series, streaming on Netflix, has a pulpy premise. In the Meijji era, with the age of the samurai almost over, 292 fighters are enticed by a shadowy cartel to fight to the death for a prize of 100,000 yen. It’s a surprisingly wrenching human drama, but above all, a showcase for consistently brilliant action choreography.

—Uday Bhatia