Life & Style

Imagine scrolling past a pen-and-ink sketch of Nagarjuna in Coolie, a seven-spotted ladybug, a 3D reproductive system, or even a quilted butterfly — all crafted within the space of an inch. That is the premise of the ongoing #AnInchAugust challenge on Instagram. Now in its eighth year, the initiative by Hyderabad-based architects Meghalika Panduru and Neha Sharma has become a pocket-sized stage for boundless creativity.

Creative challenge

 Meghalika Panduru and Neha Sharma
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

The duo first met as colleagues at Shankar Narayan Architects in Secunderabad, where a shared love for art drew them together. “Architecture is a creative field, but it can slip into monotony with deadlines and client briefs — play was missing in our work-life balance,” recalls Meghalika. Neha adds, “We were designing for others but never making time for ourselves. We wanted to return to the simple joy of sketching, scribbling, or colouring for no reason at all.”

Art soon became a mode of self-expression. But the idea was not just to keep their creativity alive. It was also about pushing themselves, and like-minded enthusiasts, to make art within a single inch. Why an inch? Meghalika explains, “A big canvas can feel overwhelming. You’re faced with so much empty space to fill that it kills motivation. Working in an inch keeps it playful and doable.”

With an inch as a canvas, the challenge — post an art work on Instagram everyday with the hashtag #AnInchAugust was open to everyone — those who have an interest in art but do not find the time to pursue it, or people looking for creative hobbies and those who have never tried art in their lives. The choice of August happened organically.

Steady rise

Dragon fly captured by Sarath Chandra Mouli
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Since its first year in August 2018, the community grew making space for macro photography the following year, (particularly insects and small life on earth). “Photographers Peteri Prashant and Durga Shankar have been among the first ones to participate in macro photography and encourage others as well. People have also tried their hands at digital painting,” says Neha, who is now a consultant with Soul Forest India and drew Madhubani art, elements of Nature and her favourite emojis.

With around 8,000 posts so far, participants have tried diverse themes, mediums, and styles such as pencil sketching, colour pencil sketching, painting (water colours, acrylic, oil paints, and more), sculpting — clay, paper mache, quilling and paper cut art, and even pottery. Micro artworks (engraved in pencil lead) including crochet in an inch also have been explored.

Meghalika, who is good at recreating artworks by other artists, says, “Even though I was copying others’works, the perspective was different and it was exciting to do it within an inch.”

Collaborations

artwork by Priyanka Reddy
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

From introducing Sunday’s themes and art prompts (“Your favourite childhood memory, movie and food.”) and collaborating with groups like Beyond Hyderabad to organising meet-ups, the challenge experimented with ideas to sustain the interest. The team displays works of the participants at a venue (it was held at a cafe and T-Works as the community grew) on the last Sunday of August. To be held on August 31 this year, the venue is to be decided.

Finally, Meghalika says, the idea of posting a work everyday is to stay motivated and consistent. “If you are unable to post it everyday, there is nothing to lose. It’s only about being motivated and open to creative challenges. One can board this train at any point in August.”

When the Grim Reaper comes a-calling would you be ready to head out with them? Would your loved ones be ready to let you leave? A first-of-its-kind Death Literacy Festival titled Good To Go will take place at the Bangalore International Centre this weekend.

Given that the theme is often considered morbid rather than festive, the event jointly organised by Pallium India and the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy in Bengaluru, aims to educate and bring awareness about end-of-life choices that will not seem overwhelming if one is prepared.

“Death is pretty much the last mystery, but recoiling from it or presuming it is going to be a difficult conversation, prevents people from handling important issues such as planning for one’s choices, preferences and values,” says Smriti Rana, head of Strategic Programs and Partnerships, Pallium India.

“By depriving ourselves of these conversations, we give up a chance to bring closure, not just to ourselves, but our families as well,” she adds.

Images by Good To Go Death Literacy Festival
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement 

Though the idea of ‘death literacy’, may seem distasteful to many, Smriti says it is about “equipping ourselves with the knowledge and skills needed to make crucial decisions regarding our preferences and values, especially at the end of life.”

She goes on to add that, “one of the biggest causes of financial toxicity in the country today is out-of-pocket health expenditure,” and how many families are one hospital bill away from poverty. As a result, the repercussions can be manifold — from multi-generational debt to the education of children going awry.

Having seen several similar instances in a career spanning over 25 years in palliative care, Smriti and other like-minded people informally created a collective for advanced care planning in February 2023. The collective comprises people from backgrounds in medicine, public health, palliative care, and those with lived experiences.

They realised that for many, terms such as living will, dignity in death, palliative care and euthanasia are confusing and are often misunderstood as being synonymous. Among its many initiatives, Good To Go aims at clarifying this vocabulary so people understand these written terminologies.

Images by Good To Go Death Literacy Festival
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement 

According to Smriti, this festival has something for everyone — children and pet parents included — with music, performance art, workshops, films, a book stall and other immersive activities.

“The more people we speak with, we find there is an appetite for this conversation, but many don’t know how to approach it. There is no one way to talk about it just as there is no one way to grieve. Our idea was to start the dialogue.”

Smriti says the team felt it important that children were a part of the program. “A lot of people feel children have to be protected from these difficult subjects, but if they do not develop the skills to cope, it often takes the form of rebellion or neglecting their studies or substance abuse.”

The workshop for children is geared towards those between 10 and 16 years, with age-appropriate activities. “Wherever we work with children, they surprise us. That is when you realise how much they know, but do not have the avenue to express it,” says Smriti.

Good To Go Death Literacy Festival will be held at Bangalore International Centre on August 23 and 24. Full schedule of events on Instagram at @goodtogo_deathliteracy

When the Grim Reaper comes a-calling would you be ready to head out with them? Would your loved ones be ready to let you leave? A first-of-its-kind Death Literacy Festival titled Good To Go will take place at the Bangalore International Centre this weekend.

Given that the theme is often considered morbid rather than festive, the event jointly organised by Pallium India and the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy in Bengaluru, aims to educate and bring awareness about end-of-life choices that will not seem overwhelming if one is prepared.

“Death is pretty much the last mystery, but recoiling from it or presuming it is going to be a difficult conversation, prevents people from handling important issues such as planning for one’s choices, preferences and values,” says Smriti Rana, head of Strategic Programs and Partnerships, Pallium India.

“By depriving ourselves of these conversations, we give up a chance to bring closure, not just to ourselves, but our families as well,” she adds.

Images by Good To Go Death Literacy Festival
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement 

Though the idea of ‘death literacy’, may seem distasteful to many, Smriti says it is about “equipping ourselves with the knowledge and skills needed to make crucial decisions regarding our preferences and values, especially at the end of life.”

She goes on to add that, “one of the biggest causes of financial toxicity in the country today is out-of-pocket health expenditure,” and how many families are one hospital bill away from poverty. As a result, the repercussions can be manifold — from multi-generational debt to the education of children going awry.

Having seen several similar instances in a career spanning over 25 years in palliative care, Smriti and other like-minded people informally created a collective for advanced care planning in February 2023. The collective comprises people from backgrounds in medicine, public health, palliative care, and those with lived experiences.

They realised that for many, terms such as living will, dignity in death, palliative care and euthanasia are confusing and are often misunderstood as being synonymous. Among its many initiatives, Good To Go aims at clarifying this vocabulary so people understand these written terminologies.

Images by Good To Go Death Literacy Festival
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement 

According to Smriti, this festival has something for everyone — children and pet parents included — with music, performance art, workshops, films, a book stall and other immersive activities.

“The more people we speak with, we find there is an appetite for this conversation, but many don’t know how to approach it. There is no one way to talk about it just as there is no one way to grieve. Our idea was to start the dialogue.”

Smriti says the team felt it important that children were a part of the program. “A lot of people feel children have to be protected from these difficult subjects, but if they do not develop the skills to cope, it often takes the form of rebellion or neglecting their studies or substance abuse.”

The workshop for children is geared towards those between 10 and 16 years, with age-appropriate activities. “Wherever we work with children, they surprise us. That is when you realise how much they know, but do not have the avenue to express it,” says Smriti.

Good To Go Death Literacy Festival will be held at Bangalore International Centre on August 23 and 24. Full schedule of events on Instagram at @goodtogo_deathliteracy

You have probably heard of bar takeovers, restaurant takeovers, café takeovers and even bakery takeovers. But have you ever heard of a tiffin kadai takeover? 

It happened recently in Chennai, at a small street side stall on the OMR. For one day only, stall owner Dharman continued his usual routine — pouring batter, flipping dosas, serving chutneys. The only difference, was that every ladle of sambar that day came from a special recipe made with sambar masala from Cookd, a homegrown brand best known for its meal kits, and spice blends designed to make cooking easier. For the team, the idea was simple — to take the new sambar masala to the place where it truly belongs: a street-side kadai where sambar is part of everyday life.

“There is a tiffin kadai right below our office where a few of the staff members have breakfast every morning. They have told me that the food is decent given the price point. We spoke to the person who runs the kadai, and decided to make the sambar for him,” says Aathitiyan Somu, founder and CEO of Cookd, adding that they made around 20 litres of sambar, and by the end of the day, they had run out of the whole pot. 

Cookd team taking over dosa kadai
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Aathitiyan explains that what began as a fun idea for a product launch quickly turned into something bigger. “After the takeover, we spoke to the anna and realised we could do more than just one day. We decided to supply him our sambar masala for a month, so his costs would come down. That way, he could afford to add more lentils to the sambar than he usually does, and follow our recipe.”

The Cookd team also spent time teaching him how to make the sambar their way, ensuring consistency and flavour. And they are not stopping there. The brand has promised to give the tiny kadai a much-needed facelift, making it look more inviting and hopefully helping him boost his daily sales. “We have put in an order to redo his stall’s board, and he has agreed to let us use it as an advertising platform, so we will have our logo on it,” adds Aathitiyan. 

Aathitiyan Somu, founder and CEO of Cookd
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Apart from this small collaboration with the kadai, Cookd is also finding creative ways to spread the word about its sambar masala and kits. The brand has teamed up with supermarkets and grocery chains like Reliance Smart Bazaar and Kovai Pazhamudir Nilayam for a cheeky promotion: pamphlets wrapped around bundles of drumsticks.

“When people open the bundle, they will get a pamphlet that will say something like ‘this drumstick deserves a great sambar masala,’ because people buy drumsticks mostly to make sambar with it,” explains Aathitiyan with a laugh.

In the end, what began as a playful tiffin kadai takeover turned into more than just a launch. From supporting a small stall to slipping into grocery bundles of drumsticks, Cookd’s sambar masala is making its way into everyday Chennai life in simple, thoughtful ways.

Sambar masala and kits by Cookd will be available from August 24 on shop.cookdtv.com, Reliance Smart Bazaar, Kovai Pazhamudir Nilayam and starting ₹35.

A platter of dreamy, translucent, pink dim sum vies for my attention at the table as I go over the revamped menu at Little Soi, a Pan-Asian restaurant on Avinashi Road. What follows is a cheesy, creamy explosion in my mouth as I bite into the dumplings filled with tender edamame infused with rich truffle oil lending it an umami goodness. “That is our best seller,” declares Te Yuan Peter Tseng, culinary director of Pricol Gourmet who is at Little Soi to oversee the new menu, adding that the cream cheese and edamame come together beautifully. “The wrap, made using a particular starch mix turns translucent when baked.”

Sushi platter
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

As I enjoy a hearty suan la soup with mushrooms and chicken cooked in flavourful sour and spicy broth (‘suan la’ in Cantonese means sour and spicy) and served with wonton crispies, I am also eyeing Indonesian mushroom satays where juicy, smoky mushrooms marinated in sambal sauce meet the fiery, tangy, and umami-rich chili sambal. While the plate of chicken and leek gyoza dumplings is fairly simple, plain meat with sincere tastes and flavours, the typhoon shelter prawns bring together bold spices and aromas, with a crunch.

“We don’t complicate flavours. The fusion is simple, where flavours complement each other. Typhoon shrimps are popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Deep fried prawns coated in tempura batter are stir fried with crispy garlic, fermented black beans sauce, and spices. Asian street food also features radish cake, a dry stir fry delicacy. Then there is jasmine prawns, where flavoured oil soaks up the prawns and the crunchiness comes from a crispy garnish of garlic or onions,” he explains.

chicken tsukune
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Over bang bang cauliflower, an American-Chinese take on dynamite prawns, featuring crispy fried cauliflower florets tossed in creamy sauce and topped with toasted sesame and peanut, Te Yuan says the vibe at Little Soi is comfort and casual, offering a variety fare of Asian street food. “You have the food coming to you in stainless steel plates to complete the street style experience. We often travel and try food at various food stalls across Southeast Asia to understand the flavours. Replicating it takes a lot of time. The street food hawkers there have been doing it for many generations. The working class in Thailand and Bangkok have meagre income and very less time. For lunch, they just have a fried omelette, rice, and the sauce. They have a variety of dipping sauces, for example gyoza sauce is made with soy and ginger,” he explains.

Typhoon shelter prawns
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Some of the new additions in the menu include soi polo chicken, the iconic Bangkok fried chicken. “Japanese food is a big hit in Coimbatore. People here love the sushi,” he says adding that the buldak chicken ramen, and the Japanese Mizo ramen are also much loved.

For the main course, it is chicken tsukune, the Japanese chicken dumpling served on two skewers, truffle fried rice and poached egg. When mixed together, it makes for comfort bowl. The signature Thai omelette seasoned with Sriracha sauce is wholesome with the crisp exterior giving way to soft insides making for meaty bites.

“You can add variations to it by adding chicken mince, and crab meat. Dim sum is well received. Though there are different varieties of laksa, we have added the nyonya laksa made with coconut milk as it suits the palate here. We curate the menu paying attention to such details,” he says adding that they have removed as many as 20 to 30 dishes from the old menu, which has been challenging. “Pork has been taken off the menu. There is a good selection of vegetarian food with bok choy, mushrooms, water chestnuts, lotus root, and also jackfruit. The food scene in Coimbatore is constantly evolving. There are niche places serving Japanese and Italian cuisines. There’s a boom in restobars. Its just a matter of time, when speciality cuisine takes over. We have to constantly innovate to stay on top of the game. Once every three months, we plan a festival, something new to keep diners coming back. It matters,” he adds.

Matcha brownie
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

I round off the meal with match brownie and vanilla ice cream. The fudgy-gooey delight with white chocolate chunks, brings together not just matcha flavours, but also instant happiness.

A meal for two costs ₹1100 approximately. For details, call 7548811777

There is lo-fi music playing on the television, fairy lights strung up on the walls and loud chatter all around at Akshitha Praveen’s home on a rainy Saturday evening. Every time the doorbell rings, someone walks in holding a casserole or a tray of food which is promptly then arranged on a table — the pièce de résistance which has everything from kimbap and kimchi to fried chicken. 

This is how every potluck at the Madras Cookbook Club begins; with ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ over the dish each member brings in, and spirited conversation about the day of cooking preceded this. 

“We started off with an idea for a supper club, but given our schedules, thought that this worked better. The idea was to build a community of people who wanted to come together and cook,” says Akshitha, who began the cookbook club with her friend Akshita Mucherla. 

Every month, the members pick a cookbook and cook a recipe of their choice
| Photo Credit:
S Poorvaja

Every month, the 20-member strong club picks a cookbook from a different cuisine, and each of them picks a dish they want to try out. “Not everyone in the club is great at cooking; we actually have an absolute beginner as well. The idea is that every cookbook has its share of simple and complex recipes that we can pick from depending on whatever we are comfortable with,” Akshitha explains. The club then meets at a member’s house for a potluck, where they discuss their cooking experiments and of course, sample each other’s dishes. 

For their fourth potluck, the club has chosen Maangchi’s Big Book of Korean Cooking. “This was probably among our most favourite books so far to cook from. The recipes were well explained, there was great history and insight into Korean cuisine and culture, and the substitutions mentioned helped a lot,” Akshita says. She got a bamboo mat to make kimbaps with for the first time, a challenge she laughs and says was well worth it. 

For their fourth potluck, the cookbook club picked Maangchi’s Big Book of Korean Cooking
| Photo Credit:
S Poorvaja

As the members set up the table with all the food they have cooked, there is a lot of chatter about what worked for them and what did not, and how some discoveries were made along the way(“Did you know scallions and spring onions aren’t the same thing?”). Ingredients, they say, were thankfully easy to procure given the proliferation of Korean supermarkets in the city and options available online. “I love that when we all meet, conversation is so easy since we all have this shared experience; of having cooked from this book,” Akshitha says. 

For many members, the club and its potlucks has meant pushing boundaries in the kitchen. “The first time I ever deep-fried a dish was for the club, when I attempted to make elements for an Amritsaari Chaat from Sonal Ved’s cookbook, Tiffin,” says Varsha Raghavan, a member. A peanut podi recipe she stumbled upon while cooking for a past potluck from Five Morsels Of Love by Archana Pidathala has now become a pantry staple at home. “I find myself integrating many of these recipes into my family’s everyday menus,” she adds. 

In buffet-style, we pile our plates high with the Korean fare laid out before us— there are stir fried anchovies, blanched seasoned spinach, omelet rice dosirak, zucchini pancakes and a host of other dishes to choose from. With every bite, come playful quips about the flavours, curious questions about the ingredients, and generous words of praise passed around. 

“Since we meet at a member’s house every month, the numbers are small. Every member here is a friend or an acquaintance and we are taking it slow till we figure out how to accommodate larger numbers,” Akshitha says. 

While the meal ends with Akshita’s honey cookies. There is a bit of debate about what book and cuisine to pick for the next month. The votes are almost unanimously in favour of sambol; Sri Lankan cooking it is.

Find the Madras Cookbook Club on Instagram at @madrascookbookclub