A letter to Avanee
Dear Avanee, On the eve of your fourth birthday last month, I sat up late at night and looked at you in bed—tired from the…
An Amma is always an Amma
One year ago, on the 24th of November, my twin boys were born. Yanked out of my humongous belly at 35 weeks—at least 3 weeks…
Anti-car policy and a story of The Woman with Two Kids
Mumbai’s local trains are a constant source of entertainment and inspiration. When I first decided to get back to work and take the train instead…
Avanee’s first stage performance
When the school first announced the Parents Day celebration and the fact that each child in the play group and nursery will perform something or…
Being
Way back in 2010, a few months after my daughter, Avanee’s birth, I had written this (very) short story for a contest online. I thought…
Being a Work-from-home mother
Being a work-from-home-mum has its disadvantages. You tend to switch on the laptop shortly after you’ve brushed, hoping to check your email before the rest…
Being Ghaati
I was blessed with great hair. It was in the genes. It was jet black, thick, long, wavy, healthy and a matter of pride. My…
Being married
MK and I will be married seven years tomorrow. It feels like yesterday that I first met him. Online. (Yes, there’s a reason why I’m…
Discovery
As on any other day, she got up at the sound of her phone’s shriek alarm. 6:45. But unlike other days, instead of jumping out…
Every mother’s Krishna
Like most pregnant women, I would spend a few seconds more than usual, stopping and staring at pictures of cherubic babies and toddlers, picking qualities…
Freedom or Recharge?
As the car drove out and onto the flyover, she let out a small sigh. She was far away from home now—far enough, anyway. Away…
How Gampu came back
When I was a child, we went to my paternal grandparents’ home for Ganpati celebrations every year. My grandmother was in poor health since as…
How my 2-year-old daughter took an insulin shot and I realized I am a bad mommy
One fine evening last week, Avanee was eating rice with me as we watched our favorite show on television. (No, it wasn’t CBeebies; it was…
I’m still here.
I know. It’s been a while. But I’m still here. And I am back a new person. No, I didn’t go on some spirituality trip…
It is time
As I looked out of the autorickshaw onto a deserted road, I noticed how thick with smog the air was. Day had not broken yet,…
My Dada
This morning, I was rummaging through my mother’s stationery drawers, looking for a notepad. As I dug deeper, I found an old, yellowed, barely used…
My time, our time.
Thanks to her nanny and the “bus aunty,” Avanee has grown quite fond of; no, quite obsessed with wearing salwar kameezes. She wants to wear…
Signal girl
She stands at the busiest signal in the suburb. Her hair is a hay-like brown from undernourishment and her skin is tanned from standing in…
Thank you, Dolly
Avanee with Dolly; Me with Dolly About 25 years ago, Dada (my maternal grandfather) brought me this beautiful doll from one of his trips abroad….
To playschool or not to playschool
Avanee is 18 months old. She looks older because she has a full head of hair that’s usually tied up in little ponytails on either…
When did my baby grow up?
Every time I blow my nose into an inadequate piece of tissue, Avanee comes up and strokes the side of my thigh, looks up at…
When she didn’t come
When I was just married and for several years after that, I had a daily visitor. A friend. A confidante. I looked forward to the…