With the right company, the most mundane of errands can turn into a mini adventure, as I learnt during the lockdown in 2020, when grocery runs could turn into eventful trips in the company of an exuberant friend and neighbour in Delhi. Now, with the summer holidays, that time for adventure, right around the corner, we are resurrecting our love for adventure with our cover story.
In keeping with the idea that it’s the company that really counts, we have picked eight itineraries where the destination matters as much as the people curating the experiences. From a trek along the trails used by shepherds for centuries in Uttarakhand to a river safari in the Chambal Valley, from a cacao trail in Karnataka to a farm stay in Maharashtra, these are experiences that will ensure you make memories you will treasure for years.
Lounge covers more ground this week—from a comment on Kalakshetra’s insensitive and inept handling of sexual harassment allegations to a walk-through of Hong Kong’s M+ Museum, which despite the political situation in the financial hub, is making quite a statement on freedom.
To mark the start of Dalit History Month, which we will be observing with articles, interviews and stories all through April, we revisit Ajay Navaria’s book, Unclaimed Terrain, and make the point that education and opportunity may have given Dalits a foot in the door but that doesn’t mitigate the exclusion they continue to face.
We also have a tribute to contemporary artist and activist Vivan Sundaram, who died at the age of 79 earlier this week. We take a look at the legacy he leaves behind as a person who never shied away from responding to political and historical events, either in his multidisciplinary art practice or through his words and actions. This is an issue with a range of stories about the people who don’t just bring a place, an idea or a thought alive but also add meaning to the things that matter.
Write to the Lounge editor at shalini.umachandran@htlive.com
