Hot on the heels of the recent Sanjay Subrahmanyan (@sanjaysub) concert in Philadelphia, a friend and I were chatting and she said “He was outstanding! The best I can explain is he makes love with his voice” I nodded heartily and we moved on to other things but I kept going back to her statement…
Each year as National Adoption Awareness Month (NAAM) rolls around, my feed is filled with opinions, thoughts and notes from people connected to adoption in many different ways. In the past I have been vocal about sharing our experiences. Over time, I have grown (hopefully wiser) and have paused to reflect and emphasize the AWARENESS…
I live my life in phases. My social media at any given point is a reflection of the community I seek. So, my timeline, is in a sense the detritus of my past two decades. There are times when I feel an intense desire to wipe it all clean and disappear. I let the impulse…
Early in October, my friend asked me to watch this movie. I said it was impossible that a Kannada movie would screen in theaters near me. I did look it up and it was running at a theater a few miles away. Then, a chance conversation with a neighbor had me at the theater this…
Our lives glide smoothly, seamless on predetermined paths. Occasionally, I pass you in the distance, the tilt of the head, the familiar gait causing my heart to quicken and a smile to appear on my face. Sometimes, I notice a picture on your status and I linger just a moment before I move on. Sometimes,…
Vandana Joshil of LAJA TV and I talk adoption and parenting here.
This docu-series has been on my watchlist for over a year now. I finally caught up on it over the weekend. The four plus hour long series traces five girls as they grow up under the spotlight. The youngest child is four and the older ones in high school. They are chosen to go to…
Today has been a day lived in full cognizance of the passing of time. Each moment together, sweeter because of the change that sets in tomorrow with the beginning of the school year. I put in the effort to make a meal that could be savored as a family. We went out for dinner and…
A viral story about three desi women being harassed by a woman of Mexican descent in Plano, Texas made it rounds through my circles. The outrage was immediate and furious. The reactions ranged from “how could a person with immigrant heritage do this” to “why was the bond set so low”. In those same circles…
Under the glare of lamps in an almost deserted parking lot, our family of five stood in the night breeze, savoring the chill and, watching a beautiful fireworks show. The fireworks capped a lovely day spent shopping for back to school clothes, bags and supplies. As our older children picked out outfits, Saathi and I…
“It’s easier to be crazy than explain something that people can’t understand. It’s more convenient that way. It’s better to be crazy than pathetic.” I fell headlong into the trap that is kdrama in July. My latest obsession is this lovely show called “Because This Is My First Life” that explores relationships. It takes on…
For a brief few hours last evening, I sat on the porch of a friend’s home chatting, ordering pizzas and watching a group of over ten kids walk to the park, chat and interact with each other. My gangly twins and the stocky youngest fit in seamlessly. They made their own sub groups, congregating and…
It’s a Thursday. I am feeling optimistic, the trait Jupiter is synonymous with. I am excited when I am on the phone with Amma when she stops me in my tracks with “why are you delving this deep into astrology? isn’t it enough for you to have a passing knowledge?…” My conversation with her meanders…
Nope. I am not moving. My book baby is. Why is my Hair Curly? is officially now part of the Pratilipi family under the Westland/Red Panda banner. What has changed? On the surface, not much. The book will soon be available in paperback, ebook and, audio. However, being part of the Pratilipi family makes it…
It is quiet in the morning as I unload the dishes. There is enough light to make it seem like it is later than it actually is. A deer is cavorting in my yard. The vegetation looks sinfully lush. A baby deer gambols outside the fence waiting for the mother. Amid the greenery, I spy…
The smooth flow of cars on the highway, the towering trees flanking our roads, the ease of exit from the immigration all made me wistful. Returning from over three weeks of travel in India, the contrast was stark. We (our family of five) left to India early June. I had a spreadsheet filled with all…
I watch my gangly girls walk out the door, laughing and ribbing each other. Their hoodies make them indistinguishable from each other as I see them walk away. I swallow a curious lump as they make the bend and disappear from my vision. An hour later, I wave bye to my youngest, still pudgy with…
The yearning to go back to the place I once called home has been deepening, solidifying into something tangible in my body. When writers and poets talk about the pull of the land, I feel it these days, the weight, the tactile feeling of being attached to land, smells and, the memories they bring with…
Tomorrow will mark one week since Politico published the leaked draft opinion overturning Roe V Wade. It has been one week of raging, puzzling, crying and wanting to burn it all down. As the days pass and we as a collective, get used to the notion that our children will live in a world with…
It is Friday afternoon and my social media feed is already showing Mother’s Day ads and wishes. I am irked, annoyed and sometimes, downright angry. My mother lives with me. I raise three daughters. This Mother’s day feels like it should be a day for all those who are tangentially connected to the act of…
One of the moments from our trip is this picture of white sand/gypsum flowing freely from my husband’s hand. The loose grip, the easy flow, the few grains of sand stuck to the hand after, all gone after a wipe down. Often in my open adoption journey, I am asked if I worry about my…
Lakshmi Iyer 