A few times a week, I am on the verge of blowing up. The things the people in my family do want me to break things, raise my hand, yell or cry. Thankfully, most of the time wisdom prevails. I hold back, breathe hard and, walk away. The few times I do things I regret,…
Nostalgia is part of who I am. I meticulously track birthdays, death days, wedding days, and anniversaries of all kinds. I used to be able to remember dates. I used to call, email, text until my forties hit me with a vengeance. At my last annual physical, I had trouble recalling words in order. I…
I stepped out in the evening sun with my three daughters. It is a ritual I look forward to each evening, at least when the sun is out and the temperatures are warm. We amble along the sidewalk, covering about a hundred homes. We stop and stare at beautiful blooms. We enjoy the birdsong. We…
I am at my table, my laptop open to a multitude of browsers as I google health conditions, after effects, treatment plans. On the side lies a pile of paper caps with hand drawn dinosaurs on them. It is adorable. It is annoying. I love the art my children create. Yet, it becomes overwhelming sometimes.…
All of this week, I have been going through the motions at home, at work, and everywhere else that requires my participation. My heart hurts. My head hurts. I feel like an imposter feeling a sense of sadness and bereavement about people I do not know too well. These are deaths in the extended circle…
Read more National Foster Care Awareness Day – Second Nurture
whyy.org/articles/their-situation-is-very-desperate-philly-regions-indian-community-uses-ties-back-home-to-send-covid-aid/
“I’ll get it Amma…” The snippet was part of some inane conversation in the morning as we bustled around getting ready for school and work. I would have missed it had it not been for the funny flips my heart did when I heard Amma instead of mommy. Motherhood, for me, is the destination of…
The words are relentless. They appear on my Twitter feed. They show up in my WhatsApp messages. They sneak into my FB Messenger. Sometimes, they even make their way into my now largely defunct email inbox. Each word, each sentence is a life. It is a friend. It is a friend of a friend. It…
Sunday evening, I watched Moxie while my kids watched The Little Mermaid for the gazillionth time. The movie started well, was predictable, had good acting and by the time it was done, I was disturbed. The premise of the story is great, so why doesn’t the movie deliver? This question has been in my head…
On average, I field 2-4 calls a month from hopeful adoptive parents. Sometimes, google throws up my name. Sometimes, they stumble on my blog and reach out. Most of these people are desi like me. They are away from the homeland and are mulling adoption for one of two reasons. “I have tried all avenues…
As we creep up on the end of Spring and anticipate the balmy warm weather, FB memories show me the lead-up to last year’s book release, the back and forth between the publisher and me. The many, many edits, the trickle of illustrations from the lovely Niloufer. The marketing plan that got refined with each…
The pandemic and by association, the seclusion, has afforded me a lot of time to think. I think a lot most days. It is my default setting. I am either reflecting on the past or planning for the future. My thoughts almost always revolve around family or the future me. It is, but natural that…
Join the Global Indian Professional Network on April 4th at 4:00PM EST for our South Asian Women’s Leadership roundtable. Our April roundtable’s focus is on writing to change the narrative of our South Asian Communities! We have a line-up of phenomenal women writers who will share their stories and writing journeys! Register for this webinar:…
The weekend brings with it the Spring Equinox. It is that time of the year when the warmth returns in the Northern Hemisphere and the days start to length. The bare trees bud and the grass sprouts. It is the beginning of the thaw from the deep winter. I am excited at the prospect of…
As a parent of a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old, I survey my children’s bookshelf and see a collection of books by South Asian authors for our children. — Read on browngirlmagazine.com/2021/03/6-childrens-books-by-south-asian-authors-you-need-in-your-bookshelf/
Read more 6 Children’s Books by South Asian Authors you Need in your Bookshelf
I was logged in to work, early for a Friday morning that is, when Laddu, also logged into her school iPad in the same room, walked up to me. Her face was serious. I removed my ear phones and gave her my full attention preparing myself to send a note to her teacher whatever the…
Early in January, the Biden Inaugural Committee put out a call on social media asking for children to write a letter to our VP-Elect Kamala Harris. I promptly bookmarked the tweet and asked all three of my children if they would write to her. My reasoning was simple. This is history in the making. VP-Elect…
An article I wrote for Parent Connect appeared online today. It is about the need for diversity in literature.
Join me at 9:00 pm IST/10:30 am EST December 24th. This was a fun, lively and engaging discussion. You can watch on The New Indian Express webpage and their social media channels.
I have a piece up on Brown Girl Magazine today. Hop over and check it out if you have not done already.
