Lullabies for the season: a note from the editor
This issue of Lounge won’t keep you up at night, but will give you plenty to think about
More than 60 years after he started his career, Paul McCartney has a new album out, his 18th solo, and it’s a cheerily meditative and endearingly optimistic listen for the start of the year. Lounge loves it, as our review says—what’s not to in a combination of seemingly effortless melody that’s familiar yet not tired, and a tendency to attempt far too much with limited resources (he wrote, performed and produced the entire album by himself while isolating). It’s comforting, or as Sir Paul sings, “You never used to be afraid of days like these, but now you’re overwhelmed by your anxieties, let me help you out, let me be your guide.”
Overwhelmed is what many Indians felt in 2020, and a disturbed year resulted in an increase in sleep disorders. Being robbed of sleep by anxiety over the virus and all its accompanying stressors has its own word, coronasomnia—another to add to the new covid-19 vocabulary. Demand for products that induce sleep, including trackers and specially shaped “cuddle pillows”, has risen. But it’s not just covid-induced anxiety that’s making us toss and turn—more than 90% of Indians use screens far into the night, leading to changes in sleep patterns, and our cover story delves into the reasons behind India’s growing sleeplessness.
The new year is usually a time for predictions and resolutions, and we have a bit of both in this week’s issue. We start with a list of books to look for in 2021, and have more recommendations on what to listen to, read, watch and wear, even as 2020 work styles are likely to continue into this year. And while on the topic of work style, there’s a profile of boAt’s co-founder Aman Gupta, whose earphones and speakers were in demand amongst a population that worked from home. It’s a spike that has taken the four-year-old company on to a list of top wearables, alongside the likes of Apple and Samsung. Gupta tells Lounge the company was unprepared for what the year brought, yet flourished. This is an issue that won’t keep you up at night, but will give you plenty to think about.
Write to the Lounge editor shalini.umachandran@htlive.com @shalinimb
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First Published:2 Jan 2021, 07:30 AM IST
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