As we grow up, we do so alongside a diverse group of people, including our parents, siblings, and grandparents. The ones who often radiate the most joy are those I've saved for last in this list - our grandparents! Few of us are fortunate enough to experience our formative years with them. I count myself among the lucky ones. I had the privilege of growing up under the loving and joyful care of my Aai and Baba from both sides. The sheer delight on their faces whenever I'd dash to them every time I laid eyes on them is etched in my memory. While growing up, my mother would usually be preoccupied with household chores or work, while my father would be laboring tirelessly. This remained the norm until my sister entered the tenth grade. Aai and Baba always ensured we stayed connected with both sides of the family, the Karkares and the Pandits. Aaji and Ajoba (Mom's parents) would visit us, or we'd visit them. Appa and Ajji (Dad's parents) would come to Mumbai every 2-3/...

  I would be the one who’d run to make plans and you would be this person who would agree to the 1 out of twenty I would text you every single day to make sure that I am looking after you, and you; you would respond with extreme annoyance Either of us would be seen to crib and cry over the same boy/girl, mostly boys; we would give each other some shit for hours, later come together for comfort  I would involve you with every person that I am close to; and you wouldn’t like it because you would end up liking neither of them  The only thing that we would agree upon, would be the amount of cheese and masala to be put out in the maggie that we’d make which would feel like HOURS because I’d want the flame to be low and you, you’d just be in this rush to eat it off I would make you sit in the rickshaw, go for a ride and listen to Meherbaani on the speaker while we sing to it (sometimes with the music that we’d play, the auto driver would sing it too) Every time that we would fi...

 To you, Thank you. Knowing you was my sweetest treat. From a stranger to a best friend and later to a family, i’ve had the pleasure of being on this journey with you and I could not have asked for more. We were tight-knit, weren’t we! Remember how every other day we’d call just to check in on each other? Remember how we’d sit and have Chai together? Remember all the random laughs we’ve had? The hugs we’ve shared, the beers we’ve had, the dances we’ve done, the singing, cooking, cracking up over the music i’d play, or the drives we’d take! We just…We grew up, together. THANK YOU. Thank you for making me feel secure, for making me feel loved, looked after, for just being my best friend, for being a shoulder to lean on, for those warm hugs, for just doing things what best friends would do, what a family would do. Not going to lie, i’ve been feeling vulnerable lately. I’ve been up in my head for way too long and that’s not been great. Not been great because the reality’s struck and it...

They say that when someone leaves, you realize a lot; but what you won’t realize is what you’ve lost. Her. And she; she’s one gorgeous woman. She will only talk up for you. She’s left, Yes; but she will have your back. She will cherish your memories even when you’re not in the making anymore. She will disregard all that went wrong, and will only regard you with love. She has a lot of love in her heart. She really does. She is a mix of calm and chaos; hyped and wrecked; happy and depressed; but what she isn't about, is hate; like there’s no room for it.  You will find her be disturbed over a certain feeling people made her feel and sometimes, over sunsets too; but never about the way they made her smile, the love that she felt when she was around them. She will be the only person you’d want to run to, when you’re in your good’s; and will be the only thought you’d strike upon, when you’re really, really bad. She will come to you like a cold wave leaving you feeling internally heavy b...

  :) <3 I grew up as a tomboy. Quite literally.  I was obsessed with boy-cuts and I would hate for my hair to grow.  I was a different child. I wanted razorback cycles instead of a ladybird; I’d want to jump off of stairs and compete my neighbour to “who jumps off of the last stair” winding up hurting myself.  I was a big fan of playing football, cricket and especially, PAKDA PAKDI.  Kids in my building back then would pick on me most of the times or would just buzz me off by saying “you’re a girl, girls don’t play this” and I’d end up playing anyhow (by hitting someone in the head).  Well, safe to say, I also abused a boy for  the first time at the age of 11-12; might I add, for a very good reason. (Again, in my head) I also participated during Dahi Handi;  I climbed up crossing 2 rows filled with boys, that would be a big win and a huge slap on the bozos who’d say otherwise.  I’m a very competitive person. Now that I realise, I always ha...

One of the recent thoughts that I've come across has been this: WHAT DOES "SAFE" look like? The more I've dug my mind, I'm blown away. For anyone, safe is what being wrapped around with comfort feels like.  I've grown to know that safe has different routes. Safe is what the warmth of a hug feels like. It is when my Baba brings me, one cup of Chai with a smile of "good morning" along with it feels like. Safe is what Aai giving me a lecture at 10:30 PM in the night asking me about my whereabout feels like. It's what my friends coming and picking me up, to go for a coffee run or some juice; a simple drive only to spend time and have conversations with me, feels like. It's what my partner does to me holding my hand while crossing the road, also feels like.  It comes in all forms and routes. this safety. But lately, I've found it in the routes.  The way that the air's breezy, the sun setting down, walking on a road filled full with people,...