My Paati (paternal grandmother) was a wonderful storyteller. She had a crisp vocabulary and a genuine knack for engaging story-lines. Her tales were delightful, peppered throughout with excellent wit. She told us stories of all genres – horror, suspense, humor, drama. Some ideas came from books she had read as a child, …
It’s past midnight. You’re in bed with your thoughts. Limbs achy and heart heavy with worries. Of course, you feel that way, you’re a mother. You wish you had someone to talk to. Someone to breathe in sync with. Someone who’ll nod at the right places and tell you, you’re …
I’m talking to you because I heard the wind whispering in the snow Let me tell you about the scariest man The scariest man I know. He wasn’t the monster under my bed. Or the shadow by the closet door He wasn’t the creep who felt me up He wasn’t …
*Cough cough*. I keep typing. *sniff sniff. ehkkhu kehkkhu..kehkuu* The guttural coughing sounds are getting louder. I smile inwardly and continue looking at my laptop screen. *COUGH! EHKKHU KEHKKHU. COUGH!* I stop typing. Look over my screen. “Are you ok love?”From the recesses of the bed, muffled under a few thousand blankets, a tinny voice comes. “I …
It’s 1 pm. The 3-year-old little girl refuses to nap. She proclaims she’s isn’t tired (while yawning), she insists that she has to “work” (while digging her nose) and she scampers away leaving a trail of toys in her wake. Ok fine, I say to myself. She doesn’t really need …
“It will be ok. I will not compare. It will be ok. I will not compare”. I close my eyes and mutter this repeatedly. It almost becomes a prayer. Repeat the mantra 101 times and your wish will be granted. Nothing of the sort happens. There’s really no magical power …
Remember the “blank/crank call” phenomenon of the 90s? This was before Caller ID and cell phones. Some of you know what I’m talking about. Probably you’ve lived through it yourself. For those of you raising your eyebrows in question, here’s what would happen. Every so often, you would get this …
Every month, I see-saw between being a cleanliness freak and a complete slob. Growing up, I had an aunt who was a bit of a germophobe. She spent many a summer day (and night) cleaning obsessively, oblivious to the whispers and smirks of adults and kids alike. Well, even that …
I sometimes feel I’m living 2 lives. Two personalities. Like Beyonce and Sasha Fierce, except I’m not that talented.One where I’m a fully functioning adult. Responsible, conscientious and perfectly capable of not breaking a sweat when a moderately grimy 3-year-old wants me to come and see the “cake” she made me …
It’s not Thanksgiving day and therefore expressing gratitude on social media is banned or worse, “uncool”.But I’m going to do it, anyway. After dropping off the kids at school with my shirt, inside out the whole time and almost waving at somebody who wasn’t waving at me, I’m sort of …
