5 Things I Consumed Last Week (turning over a new leaf 🍃)

on artistic genius, never finished, plays well with others, Shahrukh and creative Indians

Happy New Year folks!

New Year is always special because it brings with it new hope, new starting lines and a fresh start. I am super pumped for 2023. I was lucky (read bored) enough to have not worked in a corporate setting in 2022, 2023 is going to be exactly the opposite. I am moving the issue of this newsletter to Saturdays at 6 P.M. for now and let’s see if I can keep up with it. I am planning to also experiment with the format and content a bit this year, so get ready to be surprised. Let’s dive in!

Note: If my emails end up in the ‘promotions’ tab, please move them to the inbox so you don’t miss out. Don’t forget to subscribe and join 900+ readers!

---

Desperately Seeking Shahrukh | Shrayana Bhattacharya

This book isn’t about Shah Rukh Khan. Rather, I hope to reveal how female fans use his icon to talk about themselves. Their stories will illustrate how his films, songs and interviews are invoked to frame a feminine conversation on inequality within families, workplaces and contemporary romances.

I started reading this book a few weeks ago and I am stunned. It is a blend of economics, feminism, love and SRK. Shrayana dives into the Indian female psyche explaining the nuances of womanhood with economic concepts. The statistics about the state of women both in their personal and professional lives is mind-bending. She uses SRK as a metaphor, at some points the fangirling was a little too much. Nevertheless, this book with its eccentric takes on Indian women is must-read.

---

Sarnath Banerjee on Creative Indians | Netflix Docuseries

Last year I read a lot of graphic novels but never really got to reading Indian graphic novels and then I stumbled on this. Creative Indians is an excellent documentary on Netflix with one-on-one interviews with stellar artists, musicians, directors etc. - the likes of Imitiaz Ali, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, A. R. Rahman, Peter Cat Recording Co. and many more.

Illustration by Sarnath Banerjee

Banerjee is the publisher of Corridor which introduced mainstream publishing industry in the country to graphic novels in 2004.He delves into the psyche of middle-class India—that fraught zone of consumerist aspiration, post-colonial angst, and conservative leaning. Yet to read his work but this episode made me traverse through his mind.

Read more about him on The New Yorker.

---

Plays Well With Others | Eric Barker

Eric Barker’s blog has been a constant source of inspiration for me. Peppered with statistics, research and psychology - he answers the most pertinent questions in an extremely engaging and humorous way.

His last book ‘Barking Up The Wrong Tree’ was about the science behind success and his new book one is about relationships. Full of anecdotes and certainly a page turner. I have just started reading it and I couldn’t be more excited.

---

Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within | David Goggins

In all of my social interactions - if someone has asked me ‘what is your top 3 reads’, I have always mentioned Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.

After fangirling for some years, I can’t be more psyched about his second book. Pro tip is to listen to it on Audible because he gives ‘behind the scenes’ info as well. It’s a very motivating and uplifting book that is rooted in truth. This is a cut above majority of self-help books, there’s no pretentious advice, no fluff and no BS.

Stay hard!

---

Artistic genius - do we know it when we see it? | Theodore F. Wolff

How do you know when you encounter a genius? Is it public affinity? Is it the number of followers? Is it a sense of admiration? Is it intelligence, perspective, charm, power or something else?

Written in 1982, Theodore tries to deduct what makes an artistic genius, genius? No spoilers, read it to find out.

Artistic genius is original because it demands the fulfillment of its unique identity above all else, because it will not tolerate the loss or erosion of that identity through hesitations, imitations, half-truths, or compromises. And because it will do everything in its power to fulfill itself in the simplest and most direct manner possible.

More to come next week, happy reading!

---

Wondering how you can support me? 

If you are a friend of this newsletter, show some love here.🐼

---

If you enjoy reading this, maybe share it with your colleagues, friends and family; it would mean the world to me :)

Liked the cover of the newsletter? Get it as a postcard. Order here.

You can write to me on dearhummingbird1@gmail.com. or connect with me on IG at _i__cook or use the comment section!

With love and gratitude,

The Hummingbird🌺