Body Positive?

I’ve always had a low self esteem, especially when it comes to my body. I grew up in a culture that placed undue emphasis on looks and complexion. As a teenager I was scrawny and dark and didn’t have enough “meat” on my bones. Even at 22 years old and at 5’2″ I weighed 45Kgs. […]

License to travel

Finally after 2 months of running from pillar to post Adi’s passport arrived. You’d think it’ll be easy to get one for a newborn.. after all, he isn’t a criminal or anything. But nope! Bureaucracy has its own ways… The story began in October 2018 when I naively looked up the required application procedure and […]

5 ways tots change your outlook on travel

There was a point in time when I looked at people, who boarded a flight with a toddler, with dread. If they sat down next to me, I prayed to all gods (whom I don’t believe in) to not let the baby cry. Flights were my “catch up on some sleep” havens, and a baby […]

Being a mom is not a life sentence

Have you heard the story of the man, his son and their donkey? We all grew up hearing some version of it. Basically no matter what the father-son duo did, someone had criticism to offer. Isn’t that the story of our lives? No matter what we do, there are always people who’ll pass judgement. And […]

Banned: No more wombs for rent

If there is one thing that Indians have learnt to do is to bypass rules. In a nation of a billion people, the mass mentality is that you don’t get what you want by following rules. And as such, they don’t hold much weight for the rich or the extremely poor. As always, it’s the […]

There is no shame in asking for help

I wouldn’t have made it without Gaurav if there wasn’t this massive support system that came forward to help me. Asking for help when it mattered, went against my nature. As a child, I’d seen my mother struggle on alone and be ferociously independent. Somewhere in my subconscious, asking for help was a weakness. And […]

Sibling rivalry level 100x

My first baby – Hash, has always been good with kids. He played with my niece, even allowing her to make him a cushion and sit on him. They ate from the same spoon, ran around in circles, and generally had a gala time at the cost of everyone else’s headaches. He’s also super pally […]

Embrace your crazy

Grief can drive you crazy… or at least it feels like it. Grief can be overwhelming and all consuming. It can feel like nothing will ever be right again. When we deal with acute loss, something incomprehensible to us – the first reaction is to deny it. In over 3 years since I lost my […]

Not all questions have answers and not all of them must be answered

When you do something out of the beaten track, something that the social construct views as an aberration, you must be prepared for questioning. It’s very rare for human beings to mind their own business. And questions can be irksome, no matter how well-meant. And I think that’s true in every aspect of our lives. […]

Tears don’t make you weak

I’ve spent most of last 3 years crying my eyes out. I’ve cried because of grief, because of anger, and because of helplessness. I’ve cried for big things and little things. I’ve cried because test after test for pregnancy came negative, I’ve cried because I was unable to reach a suitcase lying on the topmost […]