Aglib thought recently struck me as my auto-crossed Soho House in Juhu, one of the new purveyors of poshness. "What if my impostor syndrome is fake?" I said to myself with a laugh, too lazy to peel the layers of this particular thought-onion. It did, however, make me think about the rampant pretentiousness that sociable living necessitates. Here's a list of five kinds of pressures we'd do well to shed.
The cultural bandwagon
A few days after Geetanjali Shree's Partition-themed Hindi novel Tomb of Sand, translated by Daisy Rockwell, won the International Booker, I stepped into a hipster coffee shop to buy an overpriced, bitter Americano I've developed a disturbing appetite for. I found two young women, dressed alike in pretty, floaty dresses, reading the book synchronously. It was quite an arresting sight, considering the book is 725 pages long; not your regular Tuesdays with Morrie or Jonathan Livingston Seagull kind of café performance staple. Made me wonder about the last time I read a book without posting about it. But then writers are allowed all kinds of vanity in the guise of connecting with readers. Phew.
The (second-hand) opinion factory
This story is from the August 20, 2022 edition of Brunch.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 20, 2022 edition of Brunch.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Photos or pulp fictions?
Gauri Gill's portraits showcase ordinary folks, doing ordinary things, but wearing extraordinary masks. See why the quirky series offers more than what meets the eye
Hear it from a reliable sauce
Kikkoman launched a dark soya sauce for the Indian market after realising that Indians expect Chinese and pan-Asian dishes to have a rich, dark colour. It mimics the taste profile of the flagship Kikkoman soya but has a different colour.
He says, she says
Best friends, partners and actors Shweta Tripathi Sharma and Chaitnya Sharma answered the same questions in their first joint interview. The results: Couple goals
Against the machine
AI is already behind little tunes we hear every day. Could it create the next hit? Composers and engineers listen in
YOLO, so why go solo?
Films and shows are overrun with lone wolves. One fighter against all odds. One hero doing it all. Bea team player, maybe?
Get your vision tested here
Vision boards are great tools for those dreaming of anew job ora killer body. Don't just tack pics on toa wall. Here's how to doit right
Are You Of Week Mind?
You can't speed up fitness. Skincare is a slow process. Even learning a skill can take a year. Try unhacking for a change
A case of myth direction
Nutritional data is changing all the time. So, advice often seems contradictory and sketchy. Is breakfast essential? Is red meat evil? What's wrong with soy? Here's where science stands on the big questions
No kids on the block
Being childfree can be just as rewarding as having a big family. Those who've made the choice say there's no guilt, no regret. There are, however, bold new challenges. Take a look
Shes making her point
She calls herself Dot. She's anything but insignificant. Meet Aditi Saigal, viral at 18, actor by accident, musician for life, determined to try it all