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Curated by Jane Borges, Arpika Bhosale and Christalle Fernandes

We are hooked to our weekly newsletter from the Reading Room. We try to read it on our daily commute, instead of doom scrolling through social media. The most recent newsletter is about how Palanpuri Jains went on to become major players in the diamond cutting, polishing and selling trade in a series of methodic steps from 1909 to 2014. It traces back to how the community made its way to Antwerp in the 1960s to fill in the gap left by the Jews, the traditional major players in the trade, who were all but wiped out completely by the holocaust. The earlier newsletter was about how the global sperm count is falling and not just because of smoking, alcohol - the new sperm killer is exposure to environmental toxins. If you like trivia and offbeat tid-bits, sign up to their newsletter.
(@readingroomindia)

A blog to end your book block

As we're more than half way through the year, it might be tempting to let go of resolutions and ambitions. But if you are determined to soldier on through your reading list (and we are rooting for you), science fiction author and law scholar Gautam Bhatia has a substack blog to pull you out of that reading slump. His newsletter, Words for Worlds, gives readers an insight into Bhatia's latest reads which range from historical fiction novels to fantasy books. In each edition of the newsletter, published fortnightly, Bhatia gives a mini review of his current reads and a list of recommendations. On July 3, for instance, he reviewed the New York Times Bestseller, The Iron Widow by Canadian author Xiran Jay Xhao. Every edition includes a reference to the Indian literary scene, which makes the blog ideal for readers who want to read more books focused on their own culture, rather than those set solely in the West, which take up the majority of the best-selling spots.
https://gautambhatia.substack.com/

Love letters in your inbox

Once upon a time, there were mailboxes where letters from friends and families showed up unannounced, a surprise to be savoured. Today, there are digital inboxes, but in it can pop Seigfried Magazine's weekly newsletter service. "Dear Reader," the first newsletter dated July 07 begins, "I write to you with the sound of birdsong outside my window." The editor-in-chief of the Canadian art magazine, Sidney Falconer, summarises the theme of each newsletter and then comes the letter itself, by Kay Wils: A succinct biography of the 20-century writer, Elizabeth Goudge, known for works such as The Scent of Water (1963) and The Little White Horse (1946), for which she won the Carnegie medal the same year. Every week comes a gem of a new letter with artsy drawings and meaningful words against pastel, summery themes dropped silently into one's inbox, as if by a digital dove.
www.seigfriedmagazine.com

Purana hai, par mera hai

Lovers of antique objects believe that there is a certain sentimental value attached to old objects that cannot be recreated. Hutokshi Dadabhoy, who runs the upcycling business Creative Elegance, agrees. "I've been doing this for nearly a decade, because I love giving old materials a new life." Her love of upcycling was born when she wanted to preserve lovely old saree's borders and fabrics passed down by her grandmother and mother, which she hated parting with. Seeing her skill in preservation, older friends started giving her their clothes, and she spun her hobby of upcycling into a business. "I come from a lineage of Parsis who love taking great care of their heritage. I'm constantly putting together old broken stuff and making it look beautiful," she says. Dadabhoy finds gems of old, torn material like Parsi gara sarees or fabric in markets in Mumbai and gives them a stylish upgrade.
Contact: 9820072504

Tucked away

If you are searching for big storage bags that are not made of hard plastic but a malleable material, look no further. IKEA's PÄRKLA storage bags are roughly 21x19 inches; they've become our go-to for putting away seasonal clothes. Other than being available at the steal price of R149, we love that the clothes stay fresh in it and do not collect the mildew we associate with zip bags made of hard and transparent plastic. We found this out when we unpacked our monsoon wear. We own two bags, and their soft material allows us to squish two together on a shelf .
Available at Ikea stores