Arbind Kumar Singh On Art
A painting I was really impressed with is upcoming artist Arun Dev’s For a grand escape into the blissful lightness of being. The artist from Hyderabad Central University is based in Ghaziabad. His canvas tries to capture the human longing for a different place than the one we live in. He tries to render a kind of space where all could be one. The painting depicts a massive stadium in a gorgeous blue palette. The visual effect gives a lot of breathing space to the viewer, which is really rare in most artworks. It looks like a global stadium where everyone can be together and watch everything unfold in front of them together as one.

Singh is a Ghaziabad-based artist

Urvashi Butalia On Books
The Country Formerly Known as Great Britain, a collection of writings by Ian Jack, is a poignant, reflective, funny and incisive look at a history of loss — how did the country that gave us the Industrial Revolution become such a shadow of itself, what remains of the vestiges of empire, where is it to be found. The writing is spare, elegant and intimate and the author laughs gently at himself.

Butalia is director and co-founder of Kali for women

Sujit Kumar On Music
Mumbai-based alternative band SPLIT has survived years of line-up changes to recently launch their album Counting Perfume, one of the better-produced rock albums in the country. Apart from quality studio recordings, their stage performances too are energy-fuelled and high-voltage. The 13 songs on the album are very catchy and the lyrics are straightforward and in-your-face. The song 60 Seconds is about being stuck in a traffic jam and it lasts exactly 60 seconds.

Kumar is the vocalist for the band Overhung

Samina Mishra On Film
Spirited Away, a fantasy animated film by Hayao Miyazaki, is about 10-year-old Chihiro, who rescues her parents from a wicked witch’s spell. Spectacularly crafted, the storytelling is multi-layered and presents a childhood that is controlled yet autonomous, vulnerable yet spirited. Another children’s film to see is a 1978 one, produced by the Children’s Film Society of India — Hungama Bombay Ishtyle by Ayesha Sayani. It is an attempt at storytelling that is more fun than preachy, a departure from earlier, didactic films for children.

Mishra is a Delhi-based documentary filmmaker

Ankit Shetty On Food
The fairly extensive menu at Chi Kitchen and Bar in Select Citywalk, Saket, Delhi, covers Continental, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Oriental and Thai cuisines. However, as the name suggests, it is better known for its Chinese fare. I found the restaurant to be a rather tastefully modern and casual place to dine at. The place has a very contemporary look, with multiple elements of Asian symbolism woven into the décor, and great lighting paired with a wonderful view of the courtyard. I’d recommend trying the dimsum soup, which is very authentic in flavour and also the khao suey.

Shetty is the owner of My Kind of Street Cafe, Delhi