The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Gifford, the toiler ends life’s spell
Norman Gifford, the former England left-arm spinner, who passed away last month after a prolonged illness at 85, had one of the most enduring cricket careers. His 15-Test career began in 1964 and ended in 1973. Earlier that year, Gifford completed a tour of India in which he figured in two of the five Tests under the captaincy of Tony Lewis. The best of his spells came in the Chennai Test, where he sent back Sunil Gavaskar (20), Salim Durani (38), and Farokh Engineer (31). Durani clubbed him for two memorable sixes in the second innings while India were chasing their 86-run target.
Norman Gifford bowls for Warwickshire against Essex in a Benson & Hedges Cup match in 1988. Pic/Getty Images
Gifford toiled away for Worcestershire and Warwickshire and earned a recall as a 44-year-old veteran to captain England for two games in the UAE-hosted Rothmans Four-Nations Cup in 1985 when regular skipper David Gower decided to take a break after a long Test series in India. In Game 2 at Sharjah, Gifford claimed an impressive 4-23 although England lost to Pakistan by 43 runs. He continued playing first-class cricket till the English summer of 1988 which meant he was part of the English county championships for 24 years. That’s an awful lot of overs and years!
India at the Grammys
Sakshi Sindwani
Content creator Sakshi Sindwani has been invited to attend the Grammys this year, making her the only Indian digital creator invited to the event. This places Sindwani among a select group of global creators engaging with the Grammys as a cultural moment. While she isn’t nominated, Sakshi’s presence reflects how Indian creators are increasingly being recognised as pop-cultural voices on global stages. “I have been following the Grammys for a very long time, and to be in that space has always been a dream. To be the first Indian creator to attend this significant cultural event with a brand like Johnnie Walker is next level. This was not just a mere manifestation. I have worked tirelessly, keeping my head down, and challenged norms to bring about a change in the industry I work in. The discipline and dedication I’ve shown to build this career, day after day without giving up, is why opportunities like these come,” says Sindwani.
A meeting for the books
Lukas Cabala is the award-winning Slovak author of Spomenies si na Trencin? (Will you remember Trencin?)
The Kolkata Literary Meet 2026 played host to award-winning Slovak author of Spomenieš si na Trenčín? (Will you remember Trenčín?) Lukáš Cabala. In a session titled “Time, Space and the Restless Narrator: Philosophy and the Storyteller”, Cabala was in conversation with the writer of Ajita, K Sridhar. Reflecting on the encounter, Cabala shared, “I was deeply interested in the work of K Sridhar. He previously worked at CERN, but he is also a novelist. His book strongly appeals to me, and I definitely plan to buy it online and read it very soon. I am really looking forward to it, especially because he struck me as a very kind, thoughtful, and fascinating person.”
Draupadi’s saree is back
The Red Dot Foundation unveils the 4-km saree at Royal Opera House
Every Indian has grown up hearing the story of Draupadi’s infinite saree that protected her from public disrobement in a hall full of men she had trusted, where not a single one of them came to her aid. Millennia after period in which the Mahabharat is said have been set, Draupadi’s saree makes a return — this time as a metaphor for the cruelty of marital rape. Designer Nivedita Saboo has made the world’s longest saree, spanning 4 km, embroidered and printed with hundreds of signatures against marital rape. The Red Dot Foundation unveiled the saree at the Royal Opera House on January 29 and can now be viewed at Elphinstone College till February 8. “Every signature on the Infinite Saree is a thread of courage, and every fold a testament to a woman’s right to choose and refuse to be silenced,” says Supreet K Singh, co-founder & CEO, Red Dot Foundation.
To feel a pause
Artist Arzan Khambatta has recreated the northern lights in an immersive dome
Screens can show you the Northern Lights. This installation wants you to feel them. At Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2026, Black Dog Soda’s Savour the Pause philosophy takes physical form through a large-scale immersive dome by artist Arzan Khambatta, in collaboration with Brinda Miller and the Kala Ghoda Association. The installation will be open to the public from February 6. Inspired by the aurora borealis, the installation transforms a buzzing cultural hotspot into a pocket of calm. For Khambatta, the idea was never about recreating the aurora as spectacle. “We wanted to translate the feeling, not the image,” he says. Anchored in sculptural craftsmanship, the dome uses light and projections that move like breath inviting visitors to stop chasing moments and instead inhabit one.
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