Category: Musings
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COVID-19 Diaries: A New Normal
I wake up sans alarm. My varied routine now has me logging into work with coffee, catching up on emails, working out and then scrambling to put breakfast before the slew of work calls start at 8:30 am. Saathi works at a steady pace until the children are up and then take over trying to…
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COVID-19 Diaries: Birthday Edition
Today was a day I had a lot planned for my twins. Ice cream cake, pizza, a sleepover with friends and possibly surprise gifts. Instead, we woke up to giggling girls, skipped breakfast, ate badam kathli, downed a simple kootu and rice for lunch, napped and cuddled as a family and spent the rest of…
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COVID-19 Diaries: Struggling
Today marks the end of the first work week of quarantine. A week in which as working adults we were expected to put in full days, homeschool kids and keep the house running. The work part went okay because it fell to me to organize my time and do what is needed to keep things…
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COVID-19 Diaries: Juggling
I log in with a coffee and croissant by my side. The email volume is low and I figure I might get the dosai and adai maavu done if the day was going to be light. I get up, soak a mixture of rice and dals in varying proportions and return to my seat. I…
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COVID-19 Diaries: Exhausted!
It is not yet 8:30 pm. The exhaustion I feel is bone-deep. My day began around 5:30 am and it has been a whirl of activity. Working, cooking, cleaning, feeding, and sitting with decimal math for two kids at the fag end of a long day took everything out of me. The average course load…
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COVID-19 Diaries: The Beginning
I walk around the home at 5:30 am, raising blinds to be met with inky darkness, putting a pot of coffee and logging into work. This is not my usual routine. Nothing about today is normal. Late yesterday evening, I turned off all my alarms and reminders. The ones that wake me, the ones…
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Saaptiya?
Collected in The Smudged Hyphen (2026). The children troop in, one after another, tired, messy hair and cold. The routine is the same every day. I insist they put their boots away, hang up their jackets and use the bathroom before snack time. I stand by the kitchen island, three bulging school bags lined next…
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The Irrelevance Of Almost Everything
I scan the news. I work. I scan my email. I work. I refresh my Twitter feed as I eat. The stress bands at the base of my neck are back as is a near-constant headache. This time though, I know the cause for the stress, COVID-19 aka Coronavirus. I have watched from afar, in…
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They See Blue – Desi Blue
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Political activism is very new to me. I have written about it before. Up until recently, I did not care enough to learn about how the democratic process works in this country I call home now. The words caucus(es), primary(ies), Super Tuesday, Gerrymandering are new to my lexicon. I am…
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Triggers
I feel sated when I step off the elliptical. The kind of satisfaction that comes from knowing it was an enjoyable experience. I turn my phone on and see a notification from my aunt. It brings worrisome tidings. I call her and get her voicemail. Through the morning the phone lines are busy exchanging details…