Everyday objects and their stories

For the past ten days, the imaginative Nithya Subramanian—who is a regular artist for Lounge—has been turning her toddler's plates into colourful circles of art.

- SHALINI UMACHANDRAN

(ILLUSTRATION BY NITHYA SUBRAMANIAN)

Dosa landscapes, cucumber rain, blueberry-eyed butterflies and paratha Christmas trees have been brightening my doomscrolling. Her feed of edible creations seemed to set the tone for the first issue of 2026—on which she has worked too, illustrating the cover and two stories—where we explore the idea of human-made objects that are ubiquitous in everyday life.