Did you know that when a caterpillar develops big “eye spots”, it appears larger than it really is? Or that when it feels threatened, it sticks out a red organ that looks like a tongue, and emits a bad smell? This and other trivia are packed into a one-of-its-kind book, The Living Museum, by Anisha Jayadevan, Ishika Ramakrishna, Manini Bansal and Janhavi Rajan, and illustrated by Babakiki (R250). Told through the eyes of an inquisitive narrator—a jumping spider, we learn about the kinds of plants, insects, birds, arachnids, reptiles and mammals that inhabit our homes, gardens and cities. From nature’s clean up brigade—the Black soldier flies lay eggs close to decomposing waste, and the newly-hatched larvae break down the waste into absorbable nutrient-rich forms—this book builds on your IQ one page at a time. Made with a lot of love, and written simply, it’s a perfect gift for your curious kids. We imagine adults will enjoy it too.
champaca.in

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Teeny-tiny but a mouthful of food

We have all seen miniature food magnets made out of clay and have gushed over how realistic they look. But when we recently came across an account which cooks miniature sized food, we were spellbound. Our first reaction… how is this even possible and is it edible? On this mini food trail, you get to see desi pasta, Chinese, gajar ka halwa and various sabzis being prepared on utensils, we thought were fit only for our childhood dolls. Not just cooking, a lot has gone into procurement of tiny utensils—gas stoves, ladles and a functional miniature pressure cooker. What surprised us most is how the woman behind the account, who goes by the name Nil and stays off camera, has managed to cook tiny, but fully formed fish for fish curry. Even though the account only has 38 posts and a little over 4,000 followers, we can’t help but drool over these dishes and keep scrolling to the next one.
@nils_tiny_food_, Instagram

This makeup artist is a doppelganger

We have all been under the brush of a makeup artist or will be at some point in our lives. Some of them have magic wands, and with some others comes a statutory sign with every stroke they try on our face. But Dikshita Jindal is not one from the same old lot. Her makeup brush is a wand of a different kind where she paints her face, and completely changes her appearance to that of a Bollywood personality or a politician, be it a man or a woman.

Dikshita Jindal

Her latest post, where she transforms into Shahrukh Khan as Pathaan is other wordly. She has the exact frown lines, tresses sculpting her face like they do for Pathaan and the signature snake-shaped eyebrows. Another look of hers that caught our attention was her transformation into Dalit leader BR Ambedkar. Waiting for her next shape-shift.  
stuck.in.a.paradise, Instagram

Misra’s spooky radio genius

Neelesh Misra

Neelesh Misra is undoubtedly one of the finest radio storytellers of our times. That he can also give you goosebumps with his narration became evident when we recently tuned into Bhoot Kaal with Neelesh Misra, Season 2. The first season of the audio show (with 30 episodes) was quite a hit, with a listener rating of 4.5. The second one, which released a few months ago, is a notch higher. The 20-episode series, created and narrated by Misra in Hindi, brings together some of the eeriest ghost stories by writers from across the country. With tales from cursed villages and apartments to demonic possessions and black magic, this interesting curation of stories is spooky, and Misra’s riveting storytelling skills up the fear factor. Warning: Don’t listen to it before hitting the sack, if you want to avoid nightmares.
Audible.in