My Instagram’s algorithm doesn’t push a single post on Israel’s war on Gaza, but the people I follow more than make up for it. Recently, a friend shared perhaps one of the wittiest protest accounts, ceasefire.meow. It’s a crowd-sourced platform of cats from all corners of the world. Each photo has a “purr-test” caption that either calls for a free Palestine, demands an end to the war or draws attention to the devastating crisis. The caption of the white cat (above) says, “Yuki is marching into 2024 purr-oud of all his kitty fur-iends who are supporting Palestine and calling for a ceasefire meow.” Each cat is photographed with a symbol of protest—most are wrapped in the keffiyeh, some sit next to the flag of Palestine and others pose with their paws on books, like The Hundred Years War On Palestine by Rashid Khalidi. — Jahnabee Borah
I visited SARAS Mela in New Town, Kolkata on the last Saturday of December. It was early in the day; half the stalls were yet to open. I came across a Pattachitra stall, drawn by a painting that had a name scrawled at the bottom. I pointed out to the elderly woman there that it was unusual that only one painting was signed. She said her name was Baharjaan Chitrakaar, she was 70, illiterate and had done so at the insistence of her grandson— who was manning the stall. Baharjaan said she painted less now and hailed from Pingla village in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur. She then unfurled a scroll with fish motif and, typical to the Pattachitra tradition, started to sing. A few other people gathered, listening to the tale of fish getting married. I returned home with her signed painting of a farmer tilling the land with a pair of bullocks. —Nipa Charagi
The UK electronic duo Jungle released their fourth album, Volcano, in August last year: a warm, propulsive mix of soul, disco and R&B. In December, they released a 44-minute film that collates music videos for all 14 tracks (it’s free on YouTube). Directed by Jungle’s J Lloyd and Charlie Di Placido, it has choreography by the Amsterdam-based Shay Latukolan. Each of the videos is a single shot, which makes the athleticism and grace of the performers all the more impressive. Will West is particularly mesmerising, his chemistry with Mette Linturi evident in the sexy pas de deux Good At Breaking Hearts and the electrifying group effort Back On 74. Jungle is performing at Lollapalooza in Mumbai next weekend. — Uday Bhatia
What’s better than one lipstick? Three, of course. The newly launched LoveChild Masaba Pocket Lipsticks come in a trio of colours, cleverly sorted into Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner shades, and you can create your own combo by choosing from among 12 luscious colours with names like Pataka Pie, Soul Curry and Butter Bagel. A recent just-like-that gift from a friend, they have quickly become all-time favourites—even though my make-up bag is full of variants of more or less the same shade of pinkish-brown, admirably represented here by Hashbrown and Nimbu Pani 2.0. The lipsticks themselves are creamy and longstaying, and come in a cute pink pouch—the perfect gift for Galentine’s Day. —Shrabonti Bagchi
