January 16, 2022 10:29:10 am

Is metaverse snapping our connect with the real world?
MetaKovan, the new czar of the virtual metropolis Origin City, with a purple crown, held a grand party last year to celebrate his most prized art acquisition, a series of images worth $2.2 million (more than Rs 16 crore approx.) by American digital artist Beeple (real name, Mike Winkelmann). Guests danced on the floor of his new gallery or floated above it through gravity-defying abilities. Not only did he show off his collection, he sold tokens, giving buyers a stake in his art pieces.
How The Lost Daughter addresses a mother’s social dilemma

Looks like I’ve been searching for the magnificently flawed, grasping, utterly human Leda Caruso all my life.
The most striking moment in The Lost Daughter (streaming on Netflix) is when Leda’s younger self (Jessie Buckley) sets her face towards the door and walks out. Leaving behind two lovely, young, clingy daughters. She has done everything asked of her, including paring an apple just the way she can, in one long, uninterrupted swirl, like a snake, their very own game. And then, she’s done.
It’s a Cat and Dog Story

Ever since they separated from their common ancestor, some 43 million years ago, cats and dogs have been at each other’s throats, with no quarter given or asked for. Worse, they have drawn us into their long-standing rivalry and it is said that there have been cat people and dog people ever since the Stone ages. Down In Jungleland (DIJ) now asks representatives of the two species, on their opinion of themselves and each other, as follows:
DIJ: Why do you both think that you are the superior species? After all, you have the same common ancestor.
Cat: We are superior: we’re cleaner, more independent, more intelligent, better-looking and more of us are kept as pets by humans than old bow-wow here and his ilk!
How Mumbai’s CSMVS became a repository of memories and culture, through wars, plague and pandemic

After more than a decade’s wait, a museum was set to be inaugurated in 1921 as a memorial to the Prince of Wales. Built in the Indo-Saracenic style, the memorial would have art, archaeology and science sections, and represent the Bombay Presidency and Sind. It would also encompass the “Oriental region”, including Tibet, Yunnan, Syria and Iran.
How a new book salutes the baddies who made the classic Hindi-film villain everlasting

The primary task of a hard-boiled villain in a typical Hindi movie is to make the hero appear strong and righteous. After a prolonged conflict, the villain gets beaten up, faces humiliation while the hero walks away with the heroine and the do-gooder tag,” says author Balaji Vittal, 53, whose newest offing is Pure Evil: The Bad Men of Bollywood (HarperCollins; Rs 399).
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