Get over doom scrolling by subscribing to these thematic newsletters

Curated by Jane Borges Arpika Bhosale and Christalle FernandesWe 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 alcoholmdashthe new sperm killer is exposure to environmental toxins If you like trivia and offbeat tidbits sign up to their newsletterreadingroomindiaA blog to end your book blockAs wersquore 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 Bhatiarsquos 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 bestselling spotshttpsgautambhatiasubstackcomLove letters in your inboxOnce 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 Magazinersquos weekly newsletter service ldquoDear Readerrdquo the first newsletter dated July 07 begins ldquoI write to you with the sound of birdsong outside my windowrdquo The editorinchief 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 20century 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 onersquos inbox as if by a digital dovewwwseigfriedmagazinecomPurana hai par mera haiLovers 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 ldquoIrsquove been doing this for nearly a decade because I love giving old materials a new liferdquo Her love of upcycling was born when she wanted to preserve lovely old sareersquos 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 ldquoI come from a lineage of Parsis who love taking great care of their heritage Irsquom constantly putting together old broken stuff and making it look beautifulrdquo she says Dadabhoy finds gems of old torn material like Parsi gara sarees or fabric in markets in Mumbai and gives them a stylish upgradeContact 9820072504Tucked awayIf you are searching for big storage bags that are not made of hard plastic but a malleable material look no further IKEArsquos PAumlRKLA storage bags are roughly 21x19 inches theyrsquove become our goto 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