New Delhi, Jan. 3 -- For the past ten days, the imaginative Nithya Subramanian-who is a regular artist for Lounge-has been turning her toddler's plates into colourful circles of art. Dosa landscapes, cucumber rain, blueberry-eyed butterflies and paratha Christmas trees have been brightening my doomscrolling. Her feed of edible creations seemed to set the tone for the first issue of 2026-on which she has worked too, illustrating two stories-where we explore the idea of human-made objects that are ubiquitous in everyday life.

Ordinary material objects change the way we experience the world, and for scientists, philosophers, artists and writers, they become inspiration for discovery, insight and creation. They can tell us about the way we l...