My Stories

I lost my mother when I was 17. It happened so suddenly that none of us had time to process it. She was diagnosed with cancer but the doctors detected it too late. They said we had a very little time left to prepare ourselves for a life without her. But how do you ever get prepared for that? Even now at 25, 7 years later it still feels unreal. Sometimes, I feel that it is all a bad dream and she is with us still.  The first few months after her passing were a blur. My father, sister and me could not talk to each other. The house felt heavier, quieter and emptier. As months passed, the silence turned to chaos; arguments and frustration. None of us knew how to operate the family. A year went by but we could not still speak about our pain. We were living together but grieving alone in our own way. Slowly, we began to adjust. We started talking again, sharing little memories of her that made us smile. But the pain never really left. Festivals remain especially hard. Seeing others toget...

We have all grown up hearing the old phrase 'opposites attract'. Movies and fictional novels glorify the idea of a nonchalant boy paired with a bubbly extroverted girl, two people from completely different worlds who somehow balance each other perfectly. It does sound exciting right? But the real question is does it actually work in real life or is it just some feel good fantasy that have been fed upon us? Well I feel like in the beginning, being with someone who is completely different can feel like going into a whole new world. You learn things that you were unaware of, understand the perspective from the other side. For the first few years it might be fun because there is always something to discover. Their quirks are considered charming and the contrasting personalities might feel like the puzzle pieces fitting together. This is a honeymoon phase of every relationship and it feels like everything will be great for the rest of your lives. But then the reality kicks in and ov...

For my whole life, I have been skinny. Both of my parents were naturally thin, so by default it came to me and my sister too. And while some people might assume that being skinny is a blessing, growing up with this body type has it's very own struggles.  All my life I have heard comments like "Do you even eat?" or "You look like you never eat". Some people say that they care about me and want me to gain weight but that in no way makes me feel good. And yes, if you are skinny you can never get out of people comparing your wrist. But the struggle does not end here: While travelling, I always have to end up sitting on someone's lap because apparently I take less space and have to make room for everyone else. The whole world rocks wearing oversized clothes but for me regular clothes are already oversized. People automatically assume that I am unhealthy. Every family gathering is all about my weight. Finding clothes that fits perfectly is almost impossible to fin...

This day, I was travelling in a bus. It was late in the evening, around 7 PM and it was raining heavily. The bus was crowded as usual. In the middle of the way, one of the women in her 20s shouted saying she was uncomfortable with the way another passenger was sitting. She politely asked him to adjust at first but the man insisted on starting a conversation with her. Fortunately, she firmly rejected him and moved on. Things like these are not rare. In fact, they have become a very common on public transport. The drivers and conductors rarely seem to care as they are too focused on getting more passengers. The men who engage in this behavior assume that they can do whatever they want. Sometimes women choose to speak up, sometimes they don't but either way such behavior scares and creates constant fear. In small microbuses especially, men often sit spreading their legs wide, taking up extra space and making others uncomfortable and also sometimes deliberately trying to touch them. An...

Today morning while I was on my way to my office, I passed by a woman talking on the phone saying 'What will people say?' This struck with me because let's be honest almost all of us have been in the same loop in our lives. The constant loop of worrying and overthinking about what other people will think. Well I cannot speak for everyone but ever since my childhood I have seen people; family, friends, strangers making decisions through this filter of societal judgement. And without even realizing it, I became a part of that vicious cycle too. The fear was real; the fear of being different, fear of being an outsider, fear of being the subject of gossip. I was worried that if I talk about something controversial, I would be hated and judged. But the question is WHY? Why do we give so much power to others? Why do we let strangers control the way we think or express ourselves? This is the most difficult cage to get out of. It is not often loud but strong enough to keep us from ...

 As far back as I can remember, I have been a hopeless romantic. Growing up, Bollywood movies like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) , Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G) , Kuch Kuch Hota Hai , and Kal Ho Naa Ho shaped my understanding of love. These films made me believe in the idea of a soulmate, that there is someone destined for everyone. Watching Shah Rukh Khan effortlessly playing these roles turned me into a lifelong fan of his, and this love for romance stayed with me through my teenage years and well now as well. Romantic comedies became my escape, whether from Bollywood or Hollywood. When I was near the end of school, a new wave of romance entered my life through Korean dramas. The trend of watching K-dramas was so high among my friends. My first-ever K-drama, Boys Over Flowers , came into my life in the form of CDs that my sister bought. I still remember how she watched it for 24 hours straight, and naturally, I joined her. Boys Over Flowers was more than just a drama;...