Survival of the Fittest

Anyone who has ever bought a plant from a nursery, watered it everyday and watched in dismay as it failed to thrive, knows that gardening isn’t easy. Even if you manage to grow a plant successfully, growing food is another ballgame altogether. Vegetables like bitter gourd and tomatoes grow like weeds but others are tricker. …

True Lies, Bollywood and #MeToo

One year ago, on the night of October 16, 2017, Alyssa Milano sent out a tweet with a simple message: If you’ve ever been sexually assaulted, reply to this message with the words MeToo. She woke up the next morning to fifty-five thousand replies. #MeToo took on a life of its own, yet it had …

In Defence of the Designer Handbag

“How much?” My husband’s eyes flew open in disbelief when I gifted myself a designer handbag on my 35th birthday. “It’s not worth it! Is that canvas? It's not even leather!...” But when he saw me don this most powerful of accessories, his heart did a back-flip, and out of his lips slipped one syllable. “Wow!” …

Tiger Mom

My daughter was playing in the sand pit when she spotted an older child. “Hi!” My daughter shouted out warmly. “Will you play with me?” The child ignored her. My daughter tapped her on her back to call her attention, when the child turned around and hit her. Not too hard, but the thwack ricocheted …

Positive Thinking and Wheatgrass

I was in my mid-teens, running on hormones, sarcasm and teenage angst. There were regular showdowns at home, and the sound of my door being banged shut resonated as often as the doorbell. My mother was a worry-wart. If ever news of a fire or an explosion reached her, which, sadly, was not very rare, …