She comes in at her regular time of work, quietly smiling and purposeful. Her measured steps walk their way to the kitchen basin, resuming the daily ritual of cleaning utensils in the sink, followed by the kitchen counter. As the hour climbs slowly, the other tasks slowly begin to get done. Sweeping and mopping the floor, cleaning and dusting and more. Amidst the hustle and bustle of her cleaning, as the minutes pass by and I’m quietly working in another

‘Mom, kuch daag acche hote hain’ !! This is what my 11 year old son sheepishly tells me every time I give a disgruntled look at his stained clothes with all sorts of colors and patterns of dirt and mud and chocolate on them. And all this is done without trying too hard. He is packed off to school and after-school activities in prim and proper clothes but once he returns, everything about him ( including his clothes) remind me

Recently we shifted to our new apartment and I was very worried about getting a good and honest maid to help me with the house work. But I have been pretty fortunate in this matter and when my neighbour recommended her maid who was willing to hand wash our clothes (I don’t like to use the washing machine for all the clothes) for a higher salary, I immediately agreed though I was a little doubtful about her efficiency since she

      For Delhi-based senior journalist Mahima Sharma, her mother Meera Sharma (a former scientist) means the world to her and her younger sister. This Mother’s Day, Mahima expresses her gratitude to her Mom with this poem below…   I AM A WOMAN, FLAME ON ICE   When present was dark and future… wrong, Existence was no longer a melodious song. When Life seemed only a stormy… steep hill, Among the clouds – dark and still.   Heart was

I am Gayathri Gokul and have been in Hong Kong for nine years now. My journey in Hong Kong started with my husband and my little one who was 5 months old. Everything seemed new, being away from family I didn’t know what to do but I was blessed with a supportive husband. I pursued my Masters in Dentistry from the University of Hong Kong and completed it in 2012. I have been doing part time jobs in Hong Kong ever

I walked into a salon one Sunday morning. It was time for the girls’ quarterly haircut. The six year old tried hard to convince me not to chop off her unruly locks and the younger one had an indifferent look on her face, as if to say, “Get it over with it, shall we?”. After explaining to the lovely hairdresser the length, look and style (as dictated by the elder one) and carefully whispering what I actually wanted, I settled down on

Meet Chitra Arvind, Artistic Director of Rhythmotion in Bangalore. She is a choreographer, teacher, and performing artist, professing and practicing Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Contemporary dance for more than two decades. She also trains hearing impaired students in dance to help develop their overall personality. Chitra continued to dance post motherhood and with her story is keen to encourage mothers who have given up their passion post child birth. Read more about Chitra in her own words.   I started learning

Talk about life and all that it comprises of, the phases and their bitter sweet nuggets! The most essential is the sixth one, when things begin to conclude; The choices one makes set up the stage for the very next thing to take place! Here are six stories to spell this out.   1.0 THE TWILIT SKY She resembled the twilit sky; right before the eyes, yet miles away! Spread endlessly, she too lived in a multifaceted disguise that none could

I started learning Bharatanatyam when I was five years old in Kalamandalam, Kolkata. My mother had learnt Bharatanatyam in her younger days and so by natural extension she enrolled me in it too. I loved it from the get go. I continued to learn in Chennai after my father’s transfer there. When I reached standard 10 at school, the dance classes stopped. Not because I needed to focus on my academics, but because the teacher who used to come to our

April is Autism Awareness Month. Prior to my son’s diagnosis, I never knew this month even existed. That’s how it typically goes I guess. People don’t pay attention until it’s their life. I get it. That was me pre-Autism. Now, my whole world is an Autism Awareness Month. I have a nineteen-year old with semi verbal Autism, and I invite you to take a peek inside our secret world. Autism can be scary, isolating, beautiful, humorous and sad. I, along