I first came across the YouTube channel Visa2Explore during the covid-19-related lockdown in 2020. My father and I have always been avid consumers of travel-related content. During that phase, we aggressively hunted out shows online to experience the pleasure of travelling vicariously. Visa2Explore appealed for its engaging approach. The founder-host, Harish Bali, a former corporate professional, puts across his content in conversational Hindi, peppered with dashes of humour. One of my favourites is his series on Sikkim, particularly the travels to the northern parts, such as Lachen and Lachung. He makes it a point to engage with the locals, and experience the traditional food. Currently, I am watching the ongoing series on Andhra Pradesh; the episodes on Machilipatnam and Rajahmundry have been fascinating.—Avantika Bhuyan
Sometimes, even on the hellsite that is Twitter, you come across content that is full of whimsy and absurdity. The Twitter handle @ statuewithfun was just such a discovery, and it never fails to elicit a giggle when it shows up on my timeline. The handle posts submissions from users who share photos of themselves doing really silly stuff with statues, which can range from people posing next to a statue in a way that adds fake context to it (converting an elegant classical statue into a flash mob, for instance) to pretending a statue is slapping them, dragging them away by the foot, or having a chat with them. One of my favourite photos from the account is of a man pretending a larger-than-life fiberglass sculpture of architect Le Corbusier in the Miami Design District is actually writing on his foot. The account doesn't provide information on the statues themselves, and it's an added pleasure to go down an information rabbit hole looking for them using Google Lens. —Shrabonti Bagchi
A friend told me recently that the biggest part of joining a gym is just showing up. Lethargy and laziness can get to the best of us. If you have a busy schedule but still want to be or stay fit, I’d recommend the YouTube channel 5-minute Fitness, which uploads weekly 5-minute workout videos aimed at different parts of the body. The channel, which has close to 1.7 million subscribers, shares videos across different workout programmes: there’s a cardio series, one focusing on chest muscles and another on belly fat. Funnily enough, there’s also a sitting day programme (quick exercises to do on the chair and sofa) and a lazy day programme (for exercises to do in your bed). — Nitin Sreedhar
If you enjoy comedy as much as I do, you will love The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. As the Emmy-winning show takes a final bow with season 5, it’s been thrilling to see the protagonist Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) get closer to her dream of being a top stand-up comic. At first, it was a bit unsettling to see the flash-forward scenes this season, but they were perhaps a good way to get closure on wanting to know where life takes the sparkling, unstoppable Midge. As the season begins addressing the morning after, I yearn for more scenes with Midge and comedian Lenny Bruce. The chemistry between the two has been one of the highlights. It’s also fulfilling to watch Susie’s (Alex Borstein) business taking off. In this last season, it’s been inspiring to see Midge’s renewed career resolutions, just as it was to see her grow all these years.— Debasree Purkayastha
