This week marks ten years since we went from being a couple to parents of twins. Each year I struggle with marking the day. Obviously, it is of import to me. It also is of import to my children in ways I cannot measure or understand. I consciously stay away from anything celebratory. I […]
Read moreLetters To The World: Navigating Uncharted Waters
Dear All, A few weeks ago, I got a rather terse text from a fellow school mom asking if we could chat. An hour later I sat in my study feeling unmoored. Long story short, the school had an app on their school iPads that permitted outsiders to use the messaging in it to reach […]
Read moreUntaught Lessons
I am driving home from my brother’s place. Amma is in the passenger seat beside me. Pattu and Laddu are in the back seat bopping to the music streaming from my phone. In the front, we are catching up on the weekend and trading stories. New Rules by Dua Lipa comes on. I lip sync […]
Read moreRoyal Ramblings
Ammu is curled up in a ball at the end of the sofa. Laddu and Pattu are tossing a balloon between them using their cheap plastic wands as bats to hit the balloon. “We are playing royal tennis,” Laddu tells me as I pass them to reach Ammu. I stroke Ammu’s forehead, gathering her body […]
Read moreParenting: A Guilt Trap?
It was 1:30 PM, that time of the day when I prioritize napping over everything else when the phone rang. The caller id flashed a familiar number. I paused, considered letting it go to voicemail and then picked it up. We spoke about a great number of things but the bulk of our conversation was […]
Read moreNever About You
I am almost done with cooking. I look at the kovakkai stir-fry one last time, taking in the crisp discs before turning the heat off. I pair lunch bags with school bags, remember to stick water bottles into side pockets and check my calendar for specials that day. Pattu has library today. I pull the […]
Read moreBBC Asia Radio Interview
The alarm went off at 3:00 AM and I stood sipping coffee in the cool back patio of my sister’s home while my Amma sat on the recliner inside listening intently to the radio online. She made a picture. Her eyes narrowed in focus, her glasses perched midway on her nose. Her coffee cup sat to […]
Read moreParenting – A Do It Yourself Project
I sit at the dark wood table, a good 20 feet from the kitchen watching my children crowd around their Appa as he scoops avocado and slices it into bite sized pieces. I offer to mash it up into guacamole and the four of them shake their heads as they eat the ripe avocado right […]
Read moreLittle People Observations
“Why do people spit and throw trash on the road Amma? We should teach them not to.” “Why do they keep asking us for our names Amma?” “Why does everyone keep touching our hair Amma?” “So many vehicles on the road is hurting Mother Earth Amma, why don’t people ride bikes or scooter?” If I […]
Read moreThe Friendship Dynamic
“You have American friends! It is OK for Indians to be friends with Americans?” Pattu is at the kitchen island sipping warm milk with honey when she makes a statement that is posed as a question. Thrown for a loop, I wonder why she is pontificating on deep questions early in the morning. It takes […]
Read moreGrowing Up
“I am off to read my book…” She waves the book in her hand as I look quizically. My maternal instincts are screaming something is off. “Are you taking the iPad with you?” I ask, eyes scanning for evidence. She holds out her hands which hold the hard bound copy of Charlotte’s Web. I smile, […]
Read moreCountering Biases
I watch Laddu toddle onto the driveway. The breeze lifts the hair off her neck. The exhilaration on her face is a treat to watch. Her sisters run around her feeling the wind and enjoying the sun. I feel irrationally happy. We stand, the four of us in the afternoon sun, minutes before we would […]
Read moreParenting conundrums
I put away clothes and tidy up the bedroom picking up stray doll parts and mini bags stuffed with blocks. The TV blares from downstairs as the Colts play the Chiefs. Saathi’s voice modulates as he explains the game to the girls. I smile as straighten the bed and fold the warm throws. As the […]
Read moreChange starts with YOU
In the quickened steps as darkness falls. In the eyes that look downward rather than upfront. In the empty folder that shields against unwelcome advances. In the revulsion that rises up the abdomen as a guy flashes himself on a desolate road. In the fingers that feel my back in a crowded bus. In the […]
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