My earliest childhood memory is of me cutting my birthday cake. March 1996, Kasaragod, Kerala. Four years old. Surrounded…

What do I struggle with?

This post is a difficult one to tackle. One because to write about this I will have to…

On Friday morning I woke up to the news that my father's mother, my velliumma, had breathed her last and returned…

Romantic love is overrated. There I said it.
No I am not a bitter person who's suffering from a severe case…

On the last day before flying back to Riyadh from Uganda my mother and I went to Protea for lunch. Located at a beautiful…

When did you learn how to fly? Cause it sure looks like you have taken off. Today marks 8 months of me as a mom and you…

One thing people close to me know about me is that I love stationery. I love paper. I love pretty journals. I love beautiful…

If only we'd stop each time and smell the rose.

If not that at least slow down to watch it sway and smile

Do you ever wonder what would have happened had you not made that particular choice at that particular moment? On some…

This time in Uganda is different.
I am seeing things through Z's eyes.
Well, I watch her eyes. How they…

We moved to Jeddah for a year when I was in 11th grade (ten years ago). One of the first things you have to do on arriving…

Tell me, which day was it that you assigned my future for me? What about me made you feel that I can be a good doctor?…

Growing up I used to dread the PTA meetings. Not because I was a poor student-I was stellar, even if I say so myself…

My family is a family of seasoned road trippers. We’ve lived out of boxes all our lives so a few days on the road…

The dam inside my mind, which has been holding in all the ideas and inspiration for some time now, has begun leaking,…

One of the hardest things about growing up is leaving your parents to live somewhere else. It wasn't easy when i…

One of the hardest things about growing up is leaving your parents to live somewhere else. It wasn't easy when i…

You are 7 months old today. You are now a full fledged baby, congratulations!

Two weeks back your grandparents…

A bit late in putting up my 2018 reflections post but better late than never eh?
2018 has been the most significant,…

I have always loved babies. What's not to love about these cuddly little cuties (except during their projectile poop…

You are half a year old today! I can't believe you are six months already. It's as though you were a fragile…

7 things to teach your kids to raise independent and confident boys and girls

These are based on observations…

Imagine you go to a new city with your family. You are having a great time with them. All of a sudden a stranger comes…

Congratulations on your 5th month on planet Earth. Hope you are enjoying your stay with mamma and uppa. It's getting…

Reasons I think you should be getting married for :
You will always have-
1. Someone to ring your phone when…

When down,
With your shoulders straight, chin up,
Go out and jump into puddles and
come back to me…

I want to share with you one of the most important things I learned from my father (after decades of him trying to teach…

When I was younger, people in their 20s awed me. They seemed young but not immature like teens my age. And they were…

On unkind days, be kind to yourself. It sounds easy, but it isn't.
Do not attach your worth to others'…

When I was in 10th grade our class got a new class teacher. Priyanka mam. Ours was an Islamic school in Bangalore and…

You see me here? Eyes glazed from lack of sleep, punctuated by dark circles. Skin and lips dry because I forget to drink…

The transition into motherhood is exciting and nerve wracking all at once. It changes you in many ways. It makes you…

Me Too

That evening
This morning
Decades ago
Just now
-Still fresh-
At home

I believe that most women, irrespective of race, religion, caste or creed, go about their lives with latent rage building…

She is a peculiar character, my velliamma. From the time I remember she was fond of keeping a jar of candy or toffee…

You have been earth side for four months now. Four months of making our days better. You have made your parents tired…

You are three months old today! Where did the time fly? You are no longer the wee little thing I was scared to hold because…

I don't remember a time before my younger brother was born. All my childhood memories have him firmly attached to…

I am the doctor that detects bullshit and I am here to diagnose you.

If you say you want round rotis (like…

When you remove the patriarchy tinted glasses forced on you since childhood, a lot of things begin to clear up. You see…

Thoughts on India's Independence Day
--------
From 2016. Not much has changed.

--------

I've had a love hate relationship with my body. With my teenage years riddled with a lot of insecurities and acceptance…

If there existed a mandatory aptitude and competence test to become a parent, human life would cease to exist. Because…

You are two months today!
In this month you have doubled in size mashaAllah. You seem to be on the taller side…

Of getting on each other's nerves
Of fighting over the silliest of things
Of going to bed angry and waking…

Motherhood is guilt. After overwhelming, overpowering love, guilt is what defines motherhood. I did not expect it to…

After 42 days in your home country you have come to another land. To a home where you won't really be ever fully…

You are a month old today. Not a new born anymore!It is fascinating watching you. I can spend my whole day looking at…

My schedule. It's not until you are bang in the middle of it that you realize how much physical, emotional, and mental…

Today you turn one week old.
In this time you have fed probably a bazillion times, familiarizing mamma with sleep…

To the mothers,
And daughters who became mothers
To the girls who
Grow up and
Go on to say to…

Some days can be more overwhelming than others. Especially when you are bang in the middle of adulting. There’s…

What's in a name?", asked a lovestruck Juliet. If she was Indian she would have said "Lot's in a name.…

Father,

You told me the streets weren't safe
So I stayed inside and watched
your son spread his…

'How do I improve my speaking/writing skills?' is a question many in my inbox have. I thought I'd write down…

The other day I was stirring in some sugar into my chai and thinking about life, as you do. As I looked at the swirls…

Listen,

India
is not a woman
let alone a benevolent mother
draped in the tricolour,
head…

For someone who aspires to be a writer, the worst thing that can happen is to run out of words. To have unruly thoughts…

To the mothers,
And daughters who became mothers
To the girls who
Grow up and
Go on to say to…

The girl looks out at 
rain, straining to hear
the pitter-patter as it hits 
the window sill,

In her lifetime a woman takes on a range of roles. However, it's her roles which are in relation to others (most…

Rage

We are the women
you undress with your eyes
and then you wonder why we don't smile wide 

No is not a word.

Not at all.
No is a period with no
Brackets in sight.
No is a sentence

My skin is a wheatish brown
my grandmother tried to make pale
with talcum powder-white face.
An in-between…

Bookstores and restaurants evoke the same emotions in me. Well, more like feeeeelingsss. It's a bewildering concoction…

Time and again I find myself wondering why writers write. What is it that makes us gather words and attempt to weave…

Allow me to explain 

the politics of hate.
Let me give you a taste 
of what it means to…

Trigger Warning: Extreme Cheesiness. 

Passionate, blood spilling, soul spinning, mind boggling love has been…

The best thing about being born into an Asian household is that you can actually live your life without ever seeing a…

Darling,

A year has gone by without you by my side. After 35 years of being one with you, I spent the last one…

'True Muslims don't get depressed' he thundered off the mimbar. "If you really believe in Allah you…

Boom
Go the blasts from
indifferent bombs
in distant lands and
echo round the world
when…

The other day I read a beautiful, heartfelt article on how we should talk to our daughters about their bodies. The gist…

Yesterday I met one of my father's Airforce course mates. If you meet them both, you'd be surprised at how they…

The umbilical cord
Once cut
Dangles
From the navel
Till it dries into
Forgotten anatomy

Once upon a time, in a far away land, lived a people who did not care for the Little Things. They cared so little for…

The House was a spectacular sight. Even in the yellowed photo I carried around, it stood tall and proud, reveling in…

Would you like to accompany me on a train ride from Jabalpur to Bangalore? A journey from central India to South India?

After the excitement of our morning trip, we were famished. And there, in the dusty under belly of Central India, was…

I spent the night before twisting and turning wondering whether the noise is a tiger growling or someone from the nearby…

Today morning we were received by Colonel Seethi and family (Fathima…

I am blessed to have an uncle in the Indian Army who gets posted to amazing places that you wouldn’t think of visiting…

List of things I enjoy about flying, airports, and travelling in general, in no particular order.
1)The hair bun…

I spent the better part of yesterday poring through the Humans…

In four years of University I gained lots of beauitful memories and 10 kgs that wouldn't budge. 10 horrible kilos…

For the last few weeks, no, months, I have been mulling over this trend of rising intolerance in different parts of the…

The other day I heard someone say,
Why don’t they keep terror in their corner,
And not let hate escape…

I have been saddened by the deluge of bad news the last few days. Innocent lives have been taken away so cruelly- In…

It’s not long
before my daughter asks
‘Mama,
don’t we belong?’
How do…

Some of you wanted me to write about my shaadi. So here it is, my Big Fat Indian Shaadi. ?#‎ShaadiDiaries?

Dear World,
If you could stop
Spinning
For a second-
Just a moment-
We need to talk,

I grew up in different parts of India, hearing different languages, breathing different cultures, befriending different…

Dead Meat

At his death bed
He said
‘I have no beef with you
Dear neighbors
…

I walked into marriage ready to become (or at least act like) a grown up. I own a human now! I mustered all the grace…

The war 
Took mama’s arm and 
three walls of our little blue house.
The journey

For a long time I carried around this notion with me that spirituality is something separate from real life. I though…

The past few days have given me a reality check. A close friend lost a loved one, and I felt her pain. I can't imagine…

A jumbled, tumbled upside-down, inside-out, all-over-the-place poem for my daughter (If I ever have one someday) to read…

After ages I watched a movie that spoke to me. 'Arranged', a 2007 film, explores the evolving friendship of two…

What holds India together? No, it is not Bollywood. Or cows. Or Masala.

It is the divine drink- Chai. Chaaya.…

Every night before sleep

I swallow little pills of apologies,

Regular doses so I can doze,

See dreams…

Here I present a tale of epic proportions where a Desi girl with her very Desi parents set out to conquer the harsh Italian…

Something that all languages have in common is that they all possess reservoirs of lethal words designed to hurt. Often…

One of my highlights from the Kasaragod trip a week ago was the quality time I got to spend with my grandparents. Well,…

EID! 

Alhamdulillah, we are almost there! After almost a month of fasting we bid farewell to this…

Today is the last Friday of Ramadan. 27 days have flown by. I entered Ramadan with so much hope and many prayers, like…

You said these domes invade your skies,
And my clothes offend your freedom
Which you so cherished.
…

My beloved,

To call you that, is an injustice in itself, for loving you is not an active choice where you are…

There's chaos at home with mum dashing back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, making sure the plates…

I have been fasting the whole month of Ramadan since the age of 11 or 12. Before that, my Ramadan was mostly of half…

Ramadan is around the corner again! Naturally, Muslims around the globe are excited about this month and eager to welcome…

I remember the girl who forgot... 

They spoke often of her, of how she travelled lands seeking moments to…

And so it begins,

an osmosis of hate

Saffron~ Green~ Saffron

Dripping Red again.

Here, Breathe…

Getting to know a city is quite like seducing someone. It's an unusual comparison, I know, but if you really want…

When hunger strikes
Bullets become morsels and 
The war rages on,
The cause forgotten as
…

O man, you set forth to chart the seven skies,
seeking that elusive light,
night and day and night tumble…

After weeks of poring over books and journal articles in my dingy room (without actually registering what I am reading),…

(When I feel like I should be writing something, but can't figure out what, I usually end up writing about writing…