Ma: My amazing mother, who is responsible for all the good things in me. She has devoted her life for her family and raised her daughters in the best possible way.  

Deta: My artist father. But in spirit, he is actually still a child! A sentimental man, who does very poorly at showing emotions. I definitely inherited his sentimentality. And I know he loves me a little more than my younger sister (Sorry sis!)  

Namz: My younger sister and only sibling. She is the sunshine of the family. She complains of being spoon-fed and yet loves being pampered.

Ba: She found us when I was three years old and has been family since then. She is much more than an elder sister and Ma’s true companion.  

Mummy: Az’s mother and my co-mother. She is the coolest mother-in-law. Totally devoted to her husband and kids, simple in thought and straight in action, she is known as the “Gaai” (cow, owing to her simplicity and lack of cunning).  

Daddy: Az’s father and my co-father. He has considered me as his own daughter from day one and took me in even before I entered the family as the formal daughter-in-law. A man of principles, who has spent his life in taking care of his family as well as extended families.  

SloMo: Az’s younger brother. This boy is never in a hurry. He walks, runs and drives in slow motion. Even when the world is crumbling down, he will move at his own pace. Eating is the only task he does at a faster pace. If he has choose between everything else and food, I guess he will choose food. He was pampered as a child (and still expects to be!) which led to his inability to take care of himself. He has extremely sharp ears and can hear even your whispers when he wants to.  

GB: Az’s youngest brother. A very poor time manager, this guy has an explanation for all his actions, why he was late, why he woke up late when he had go somewhere, why he missed out doing a task, etc. But he is Az’s Man Friday. He is also a huge help in the house and has a caring nature. He is my Namz in my marital home.  

Mummy’s younger sister is married to Daddy’s younger brother. They have four children and three of them stay here with us in Delhi. The two families together form the one big family of senior parents, junior parents, six brothers and one sister.

Aapi: Az’s first cousin who stays with us. She is the “Budhiya” (old lady) of the family, who asserts that she knows everything (though may not be correct in half of the cases) about the seven generations of the entire family. She is “askbudhiya.com” with the tagline “Budhiya sab janti hai” (The old lady knows everything).  

NK: Aapi’s second younger brother who also stays with us. When it comes to his sense of humour, I am his favourite muse. All of his greatest jokes are cracked at my expense. He is extremely absentminded and is rebuked every single day by his elders for his absentminded actions. But he is a sweet and simple boy with no trace of cunning. When it comes to primary nature and personality, he is the improvised version of SloMo.  

Balaji: Aapi’s third and youngest brother who joined the Delhi gang last year. In primary nature, he is the junior GB. He is the naughtiest of the seven children when it comes to gnawing at the parents’ and guardians’ peace of mind. He is good at learning by observing but sulks at smallest of things. 

Our Delhi home residents are Az and I, SlowMo, GB, Aapi, NK and Balaji.