There’s a tea stall on Kankurgachi road in north Kolkata, where I like stopping and having a bhar (earthenware cup) of chai if I am passing by. The stall owner gets the boiled brew right in terms of consistency, sweetness (mild) and tea strength. At ₹12, it’s a treat—I fall in the weak tea category: steeped, no milk, no sugar. Recently, while in the city, I decided to match the tea with a biscuit from one of the many big plastic jars that skirt the stall. Like most local bakery biscuits, it was crumbly, had both sweet and salty notes, and was pockmarked with nigella seeds. At that moment, standing on the pavement, on a busy road, the tea and biscuit ( ₹5 a piece) seemed like the perfect combo. I asked the man where one could buy them; he simply offered to get them for me. Next day, I had a plastic jar full of biscuits, all for ₹200. Christmas came early. —Nipa Charagi
I hadn't heard of African-American author Tananarive Due (she was named after Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar) till Stephen King recommended her latest book, The Reformatory, on Twitter. Looking up Due's body of work, I was immediately intrigued—she writes Black horror, the genre made famous by Jordan Peele's Get Out and TV series like Them and Lovecraft Country, and it has become something of an obsession. I reached out for an older book by Due, The Good House, before diving into the latest one, and it has been a satisfying journey full of hauntings, evil in an American small town in the mould of King's own work, and a pact with the devil (or his equivalent from Haitian culture). The Good House is unputdownable—just be careful to keep the lights on. —Shrabonti Bagchi
Last weekend, I visited the 13th Mising Handloom Expo 2023 in Dibrugarh, Assam. It turned out to be a haven for textile enthusiasts. In one of the stalls, a pristine white piece of woven cloth with striking blue and black pattern caught my eye. I bought it without thinking twice. The Mising community in Assam has skilled weavers, and the lady who made this stunning piece is an expert on the loom. She weaves shawls, stoles and yardage for shirts, blouses and kurtas. The sador (pictured) is a long piece of cloth draped like a sari over a mekhela. The weaver, Suniya Doley, participates in textile fairs in Delhi and Mumbai; and ships her products across India. You can contact her at 9387757918. —Jahnabee Borah
It was at a recent get-together with friends that I reacquainted myself with Prince’s hit song Purple Rain. The song features one of the best guitar solos I've ever heard and got me thinking about the piece of music. My search took me to a series of videos on the history of the guitar solo from Polyphonic, a YouTube channel on everything music. The 7-episode series, which looks at everything from the golden age of guitar solos to how the 60s changed the guitar, is just one of the gems on the channel. Another great video that will resonate with many listeners is a track-by-track analysis of the Pink Floyd album The Dark Side of the Moon and why it still matters today. There are other interesting themes Polyphonic touches—like a brief history of the concept album and the success of viral songs—that will do well with music lovers. —Nitin Sreedhar
