Our favourites this week

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The incredible true story of the other schizophrenic mathematician Vashistha Narayan Singh was born in 1942 in the state of Bihar, India. He made history by completing his BSc and Masters in mathematics at the same time, before earning his PhD at Berkeley and going on to work in NASA. Then, his mind unraveled. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia, the disease that also afflicted John Nash, the American mathematician celebrated in the Hollywood classic A Beautiful Mind. He returned to India, and over the next few years he taught at prestigious institutions until his illness tormented him to insanity. This is the incredible story of how Singh, a mathematical genius, ended up in India’s most iconic pagalkhana (asylum). (Tanmoy Goswami, Sanity correspondent) Business Standard: India’s own beautiful mind? (reading time: 8 minutes)
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Dreaming of bigger lives elsewhere - but keeping your head down This autobiographical comic is a true multimedia wonder. The drawings are enriched by sound in this interactive version - so much so that you feel you are watching a video. Storyteller Matt Huynh draws on his own life as the child of Vietnamese refugees in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta to tell this touching story of migration, addiction, and xenophobia in Australia. It is a story with universal relevance and a great example of how comics can be part of journalism. (Irene Caselli, First 1,000 Days correspondent) Believer: Cabramatta (reading time: 10 minutes)
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Veganism is more than a diet choice In this long read, George Reynolds takes you through a history of veganism in the western world. It started with a woodworker called Donald Watson who led a dairy-free vegetarian lifestyle but found the phrase too cumbersome. Later, in the 70s, veganism was the answer to a social system that reduced both women and animals to desirable, disposable flesh. Today, there are colourful “hashtag vegans” of Instagram. The question Reynolds is trying to answer is: as a consensus is starting to form that eating less meat would almost certainly be better for everyone – and the planet we live on – why are vegans still coming up against such enmity and hostility? His answer, in short: the vegan wars are not really about animals and their products at all, but about how individual freedom is coming into conflict with a personal and environmental health crisis. (Imogen Champagne, engagement editor.) The Guardian: Why do people hate vegans? (reading time: 20 minutes)

The best of The Correspondent

Illustration of 15 vulva’s of all sizes, colours and kinds What happens when pain is a ‘women’s issue’ 176 million people have endometriosis, a condition that can cause a lifetime of suffering. Yet, there are neither satisfactory treatments, nor ample research funding. Could there be a link between treatment of pain and gender? Read Rachael Revesz’s article here Photo with cannabis plants in the foreground, and an employee wearing protective eyewear and a bandana behind them, working under the UV lights in a grow room. Puff, pass, and empower: finding a place for people in Big Marijuana More countries around the world are legalising cannabis for medical and recreational use. As corporate interests move in, is there room to include previously prosecuted communities? Read Zoe Smith’s article here Photo of a blue tube on the left, throwing a small blue ball onto a white, round platform held in place by a blue string. The blue string is whirled around three wooden circular pegs, handing in various places on a vertical, rectangular white wooden board with holes in it. The string is connected on the right to the nozzle of a blue spray bottle. The blue and white kitchen checked kitchen towel hanging to the right of the picture has a blue spray stain on it. A little less automation, a little more friction, please In the age of self-driving cars, autoplay TV shows, and beverages that contain all your nutrients, merchants of efficiency grow rich while we lose skills and control over our time. It’s time to make our lives a little less efficient. Read Sanne Blauw’s article here