Someone I know closely once said to me,"A girl either struggles before her marriage or after her marriage. I think I am struggling now." She was unmarried then. And her struggles, you ask? Well, she didn't get along with her brother's wife who always accused her of things she didn't do; and the brother often …
New Mothers and Grandmothers
I had always wondered why it is a ritual in our society that a woman goes to her mother's home to deliver her child. When I was pregnant with my daughter last year and once she was born in the first month of this year, I got my answers. The reason is the mother of …
The Turning Point
It was the end of my first semester of graduation and I was home for a winter break. I was studying in Kolkata, which was the first metro city I actually stayed in. I was a small town girl, so studying in a metro was a different experience altogether. Suddenly, the world felt bigger and …
Good News Delivered
In our society, family planning is a matter of public concern. Once you get married, you are expected to procreate immediately, as if it is the only reason you got married for. I have already elaborated this social trauma earlier in my post, The "Good" News. But even delivering good news has consequences! Once you …
Winter Warmth
Sunshine during the day, oranges in the afternoon and a cosy fireplace in the evenings. That is how I have always known winters to be. That is how we spend winters in Assam. That is how I wish my winters to be each year. I grew up in the educational town of Assam, Jorhat (in …
Pigeons of Delhi
In the Indian capital, the common pigeon has a consistent presence across the city. The familiar grey pigeons, known as the blue rock pigeons, have a very special place in the city. It is believed that feeding them earns you brownie points to reach heaven. At many prominent traffic signals in the city, islands have …
Book Review #74: Sattva Rajas Tamas
Name: Sattva Rajas Tamas: Legend of Kanishka, The Common-King, And His Crusade of FaithAuthor: Vivek WagleNo. of Pages: 238Genre: Fiction/Alternate MythologyPublisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd.Price: Rs. 249/-Published in: 2019 How did I get it? From the publisher. THE BLURB SAYS: Circa 800 BC: Merit or birth? Meritocracy or dynastic monarchy? King Sarthak of the mighty …
Book Review #73: The Hidden History of BURMA
Name: The Hidden History of BURMAAuthor: Thant Myint-UNo. of Pages: 288Genre: History/PoliticsPublisher: Juggernaut BooksPrice: Rs. 699/-Published in: 2019 How did I get it? From the publisher. THE BLURB SAYS: In the early 2010s, Burma seemed to be in the midst of an astonishing transformation, from the darkest of dictatorships to a peaceful and prosperous democracy. …
Continue reading Book Review #73: The Hidden History of BURMA
The Cursed Relationship
It is a popular prejudice that a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law are meant to hate each other. If not mutual hatred, then it is one-sided ill treatment. Such notions have been reinforced in our society time and again by our beloved movies and soap operas. An innocent and simple DIL is mistreated by her …
Kai – The “Dog” Cat
Young Kai with his mother Kai was a tomcat with a soul of a dog. His mother was a stray who chose my parents' home as her home. She would come and go, but usually had her meals at home. She was not even a year old when she had her first batch of kittens. …
