Pinku-Enchanted Life

When the partner and I got together what brought us together was a shared love for books, films, theater, music, travel and to some extent food but most important of all our ability and yearning to share myriad thoughts. Eight years of marriage, two babies and a dog later we are happy if we can say three lines to each other without intervention or distraction. I call ours a mad household: the only rule that applies here is that there is no rule. Each day brings its own set of challenges and solutions. We are all proud owners of very strong opinions and don't care to follow what others have to say. Add to this the fact that we all have friends and love asking them to drop in which they do and it just adds to the circus. So when we actually get an entire weekend to indulge in one of our first loves it feels like heaven :) This Saturday the entire family including the 13 week baby went to attend Bookaroo a children's literature festival that tries to inculcate readin...

We were two sisters and our parents never made us feel the absence of a son in their lives. However come this time of the year and I would feel the absence of a brother quite acutely. Especially since mom and masis would get busy with the preparations for Bhai phota and our mamas would land up with gifts for that special tikka. While I did have Rakhi brothers at school and amongst family friends Bhai phota somehow seemed too sacred to be frittered away on 'by the way' brothers.  The cousins who could have fitted the bill were never around at this time of the year and the years passed without my being able to dirty my left ring finger with Kajal and tikka and repeat that silly ditty which mom and masi repeated in the most somber tones. This year though finally was different as Aarini excitedly put the first ever tikka on her young brother's forehead and gleefully exchanged gifts. Somehow my wait has been so worth it. I felt I was the giver and taker of that cherished tikka a...