A Mom: A Dad: Superheroes with capes

We just had Halloween, and this time around in our city also there were many Halloween Events. With School having celebrations and our community hosting a trick and treat event, children were high on candies and parents were low with unending chores that started from Dussera to Diwali to Halloween. I mean, seriously we have enough and more of Indian festivals already, do we really need some more and that too one where Parents have to scratch their non existing creativity (yours truly) and that too in making horrid looking costumes and makeup which cant be repeated. Means come on, the Dussera dress gets repeated in the school cultural event, which then gets repeated in the puja at home, which then gets repeated for dinner at that uncle's house, before it is kept folded for the younger sibling to follow the above. But where do I repeat horrid looking vampire dresses, which after getting inside the darling boy refuses to go out in!

Anyways, the other day I went to the supermarket and a lady was asking where is Zuccini. The man sheepishly showed her plastic wrapped, extremely clean, polished zuccini. 4 for the price of 450. A man sitting outside was selling Sitaphal(custard apple) 6 for the price of 100. She bargained, admonished, tried walking away and then took for some lower price. When he took out a plastic bag she shouted, "You guys are not bothered about the environment at all!" The man visibly embarrassed said "Please bring your own bag next time." I WONDERED The exotic Zuccini, wrapped in plastic sold at exorbitant price, not in grown is how much environment friendly for our country? But well when have we had sense before we copy and forward wasapp messages anyways. 

Last week I saw 3 different patients. One child brought from an orphanage 2 months old, angelic baby. She was abandoned in front of a government hospital bin. Her nose all nibbled by mice, before the hospital rescued her. She has battled severe neurologic problems already and now has come to me with cataract in the eye. Another child, 5yrs old, lost his mother who died of childbirth during his younger siblings labour. Father abandoned these 2 and got married again. The maternal aunt who has adopted lost her 30yr old husband to severe alcoholism and has 2 children of her own. With an income of 5000 Indian rupees she takes care of these 4 and her mother. The 3rd child is a horrid story. This one is 40 yr old(but looks like 20) she was inflicted with Polio as a child and thinking that as a handicap was severely neglected. No education or social life. She battled with severe psychiatric illness all alone and all her mother did was beat her up and keep her in the house where she cleaned and cooked. She has not stepped out of the house since 6 years(yes you read it right) and her teeth and broken and severely decayed. She is extremely malnourished and due to that has developed bilateral mature cataracts at such a young age. When she is now not useful for the mother, she has dragged her to the hospital to get operated. 

Poverty, uneducation and lack of opportunities I understand, but I dont understand the lack of love, empathy and humanity. When we have some parents struggling to become one due to rising rates of infertility, where is this other breed of parenting coming from. 

It's time we teach in schools not Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology only but Love and Parenting. It's time at homes we dont go about our chores like just another To Do list but live by example and keep Love and Empathy for others at the core of what all we do.

So for now, I am ready to run my ring, wear my Cape, get off my glasses and Don my Saree( my super hero dress) as I step yet out of the house as a Pediatric Ophthalmologist and Adult squint specialist and come back to the home with the healing and healed power intact!

A Journey Inwards!!!

Just yesterday I lost a colleague. Not a close friend but an associate. All of a sudden, out of the blue. No time for meeting, no time for bye byes. And the journey which began in my mind almost from May of this year, opened up again.
May of this year is when again the dark clouds came. The familiar feeling of inadequacy, the grappling tiredness, the dark tunnels, the choking breathing, the acid rising in the stomach, the tiredness in the legs, the blurriness of vision and the ache in the head. The trigger? Was someone not close to me but associated with me saying I am Inadequate. And that tilted the table. With lack of self love I seek self worth from outside and so such words were enough to shatter them away.
My journey inside began. I began following and listening to podcast by Dr Natalie, Oprah Winfrey with Zucov, the Jane Fonda Ted Talk, Lots of Ted Talks about Self Love and got introduced to the wonderful world of Louise Hay. This I believe happened for a reason. A reason which will unravel with time. But the journey of journaling and erasing the baggage of past has began.
What I have Learnt is invaluable.
You are Enough and You are Worth it.
The power of positive affirmations help. Parenting is a big responsibility as the painful memories of the childhood linger on to the kids. so make yourself whole now. It is a tough path but that is the real treasure or property you can give down the generations. The past is beautiful but there are buried inadequacies which manifest in the future. Let that speak to you in a wiser manner.
Like Jane Fonda says: Wiseness is not having experiences but reflecting on experiences. A lot of advantages I have in life is the way I have approached it. With planning, execution. With smiles and laughter. Getting connected to so many people gives me joy of experiences beyond the Normal.
Love , Live and Laugh and dont be answerable to people's queries. Those same people who criticise you are going to celebrate you!

THE MYSTIC LAND OF ANDAMANS

One of the best things I have inherited from my parents is my innate love for visualizing, planning and executive family travels. I have seen my parents do it year after year since last 40 yrs and so the love for travel leads me to go to dear Google to look out for wholesome family experiences for my lovely cherubs and hubby. 

          
Figure 1: 20yrs back at Singapore with my parents and sibling.

For any parent who is running around errands throughout the year with a full time job (that pays) and millions of chores(that dont pay), you would understand that a family vacation is the only time to stay together 24*7 without many errands to run around. Every time I take a vacation with the kids and hubby, I realize I get to see so many aspects of their personalities that I wasnt aware of. Also there are many likings of my own that I explore and identify during breaks and so it becomes a spiritual experience too for my soul!
Andamans this year was one such experience. How would you feel if everything you know was just a perception? An alternate reality somewhere may seem strange to you but normal to them.
      There are 562 islands that compromise the archipelago called Andamans and Nicobars. Estimated only 37 have inhabitants. It is the eastern southern part of India, a part which we never depict when we draw or visualize the Indian Map. But I saw more patriotism on display here than anywhere I have been in India.

        
Figure 2: Indian Map sketched and lighted up in a big Public Garden



The Andamans have native tribal communities like Jarawa and Sentinelese settled here since thousand of years. They have isolated themselves and refrained from contact with other humans. They are said to have their own alternate life away from Modern technology, Modern Medicine or amenities. They are hunters and live in the forest. They even have language of their own. Years ago in the 18th century a Gujju Businessman (You know how relevant is that to me!) established contact with some of this tribe and started trade here. He taught them the barter system and would bring essentials in exchange for the treasures of this Island!!
The ocean here has mountains as high as some of the Andy Mountain ranges. Andaman is the untouched beauty of India. But that too is a perception. 
A Land called 'Kala Pani' or the Dark Sea was anything but beautiful for the captives or political prisoners brought here.

   

      

Our first day began with a visit to the Cellular Jail and Light and Sound Show. This Sea Shore Prison made with the soul motive of captivity and torture of the prisoners brought from far off parts of India By the East India Company shook me to the soul. In years and years of History taught in our schools we are repeatedly taught about non violent freedom struggle and the role of Mahatma. The little violent parts were always shoved under the carpet and silenced in those text books. But the walls of the jail screamed with the stories of pure violence seen there. People were held captive for years on hold for reasons as petty as editing dailies writing about nationality and unity. There was so much isolation maintained that Veer Savarkars brother, already a captive of the jail came to know only 2 months later that his brother is also in the same jail, in spite of being only 100ft apart. When the prisoners protested about their ill treatment by going on a hunger strike, they were force-fed with tubes and many died on the same night the force feeding started. This place speaks of our own Holocaust. Though its difficult for a young child to understand the totality of it, they must understand what hate can do to the human mind. We kept telling him that its not that British people are bad, but when cruel intentions get together wrong outcomes can come of it unless you Introspect. 

There is a Veer Savarkar Park just opposite to the Jail, where there are statues of many freedom fighters with their stories. With young children you can spend sometime in the park. Our hearts ached on seeing public quite callous and disrespectful in the Jail. People laughing, screaming, chatting, taking selfies, peeing in the jail all was disturbing to see. To see a place in our history, where young adults gave up their life to see their countrymen free being so frivolously photographed just make me think as to how wrong our education is? Do we just read History to write exams and forget to put things in context and relevance? 
We stayed at Hotel Sinclair Bay view. 

This place has a piece of history attached to it. This part of land just outstretched on the Indian Ocean was occupied by the Japanese Army in their invasion on Andamans in World War II. A Japanese shooting site and Bunker are part of the property. The rooms of the property have a sprawling view of the Ocean. We caught pretty sunrises and sunsets right from the comfort of our room. That is again a boon to parents of young children, who can't travel to a hill top at 5am in the morning to catch a sunrise. I caught a site of a lonely Fisherman out in his boat in the vast ocean at 4:30am, standing and waiting to catch his lot for the day for 3 hours parked in the middle of the sea on his boat. 

               
The rising sun with its brilliant colours of Orange, Saffron, Golden, Red coloured the brilliantly blue sky. The water in the Sea also caught the colour of the sky and so became Dark with a cloudy sky and Blue with a blue sky.

The journey to Havelock island was booked by a private cruiser called Makruzz. 


Having a the first time experience of a sea port which like the airport has security check, army officers manning the check point, to boarding a ship instead of an airplane was an exciting one. It would ofcourse have been better if the Port could have been maintained well. The cruise was smooth. Well maintained ship with inhouse entertainment and a small cafe. 2hours journey went off well. In the private cruises they do not allow the passengers to go on deck and the windows are also shaded off, so the experience of being on sea is an incomplete one. The first glimpse of Havelock Island though would make you smile from ear to ear.

         
Figure 3: At Havelock Port just after docking of  the ship



 The white sand, clear blue water and sight of fishes swimming in the clear water speaks of how Paradise is described in the scriptures. We had done all our travel booking through Barefoot Resorts and so pickup from the airport to all the travel in between through road and sea was arranged by them. This prevents lot of hassles for tickets. Car Transport in the island is also difficult to get. Either you can hire a 2 wheeler or you have to prebook a taxi. So if you have transport already arranged it makes life much easier on the island. 
Barefoot Resorts and Spa is a property right on the Radhanagar Beach No. 7. It is a property in the middle of a forest and had cottages and tents that make it a complete jungle safari experience. No cars are allowed beyond the reception area and so everyone walks with the bags to the cottages. These cottages are completely made of Natural Wood. Placed on stilts with water surrounding the cottage to keep reptile away. There are huge Poster Beds, cosy sofas convertible to a single bed, large bathrooms with open sky glass roof give a very warm feel. 

There are no lights on the pathways. The guests are given torch lights to use but mostly the stars and moonlight radiate the forest and in few hours you stop using any artificial light. The sounds and colours of the forest silence you for once. The constant sound of crickets, croaks of the frogs, chirping of the birds, colours of leaves from brown, red, yellow, green, The huge, tall, massive, untouched trees each supporting long creepers, with branches strong enough to house some swings, Colours of birds from red, maroon, green, pink, white, grey treat your visual senses. 

              



A 100 mt walk to the forest and you start hearing the waves. And Lo and behold another 100mt away is the beautiful Radhanagar Beach. A Private Beach is what this resort offers. 

            
Figure 4: The Private Beach at the Barefoot Resorts


Quiet, pristine, clean beach. The resort offers Beach towels and a mattress with showers and changing facilities for the guests. We had a great time with the beach completely ours to run, laugh, splash, chase waves, follow crabs, collect sea shells, squeaking when the sea shells move with the Mollusc inside, Making Sand Castles (well, the boys made a tunnel which looked like a dungeon). Do not forget Dollops of the Sun screen (I had spray bottles, caps and shades for all 4 of us in my bag!) 

There is Elephanta beach on Havelock Island which is 20 min away by boat ride. This beach offers water sports like jet sky, snorkeling, scuba diving, glass bottom boat, banana ride and parasailing. Due to younger children who were not eligible with many of the activities, we weren't able to experience all, but managed to see corals and fishes through the glass bottom boat and our elder one had his trill moment on a jet ski.

               
The evenings were spent in the activity area in the reception of Barefoot Hotels with indoor games, light music and wooden sit outs with in house bar. 

The restaurant serves excellent food to suit all palates. The courteous staff makes conversations during the meal which makes it a warm experience. 

Reliance Jio has no cellular network in all Andamans. Airtel and other providers also have very broken network. WiFi connectivity in the islands is quite poor. So if you want a complete no gadget holiday for you and your kids this is the ideal vacation.

The only issue with travel to Andamans is Time Management. There are many islands that you can visit like Ross Island, Viper Island, Neil Island, Barren Island(with an Active Volcano site!). Each of these islands offers a variety of experiences! But there is a different kind of time management required. Many of these Islands are closed post 2pm(No Human life exists on the island post 3 pm. Can you Believe that??) 
The Accessibility is only through boat, so you need to book from the jetty (reaching which is another task as you have to pre-book taxis) and then wait for the boat! Many islands do not have resorts so you may have to visit and come back to main island in a days trip (Which with younger children is difficult) 
Also, if the weather worsens, the boats stop and then you may have to be marooned for sometime and many islands do not have proper food facilities. 
So for professionals wanting a short break (we didn’t visit any of above) covering everything will be tough but soak in how much you can. 
Also be prepared for the unpredictability too in your visit and read and plan well in advance (Because in absence of internet access- no Google or Google Maps to rescue!)

Of course what I soaked in my Peace on the Holidays. Until the next one here’s to Live and its experiences!!

A Day in my Life!

Tick tock tick tock..Its 5 O clock and time to make a start of a new day!

In the dawn I am a runner, an aspiring one, with leotards and athleisure I slay,
Running with the rising Sun, planning ahead for the day;

At 7 with tea in one hand, kneading the dough with the other
I scream my kids name over and over as he sleeps without a bother;

Wash, clean, scrub the boys and hop a little to drop by the bus bay,
There I am sweaty, greasy and oily ready for a 5 second bath that is all I have time for today;

 With work clothes on, I swerve the wheel while I stuff that Roti with ghee,
Remember what Rijuta says...Ghee, nachni, jowar keeps one healthy and fit;

Alkaline, Vegan, Keto and Intermittent fasting what is right or wrong I wonder
My mind wanders to the olive oil ad I saw,
I must choose my grocery wisely I draw;

For some in the house are old and frail,
and some are young, too active to sustain;

I enlist my groceries as I drive,
dictate notes to my mobile as a reminder for 5;

 I reach and start my day of healing,
each patient comes with hopes, pains and history that needs exploring;

 I cut and stitch with practiced experience
and pray with earnest feelings,
I try and match up to each query and doubt
and myths and quacks I try to reason out;

I hasten my lunch
 and type n write notes a bunch,

As the day draws to dusk, Sonny boy calls to remind of my task,
"Mummy get this, get that, dont forget this or that, Can I go, Should I eat?"
Questions continue as I shift gears

With haste I pick up that book, chart or absurd colour sheet for the Number 1
And the soft tooth brush and even softer diaper for Number 2

As I rush Remembering the paste that got over or the urgent oil required at home,
I complete the list and park the car as the maid calls on the phone;

“ I am sorry am not coming today" The most dreaded words coming at the end of day!
 I reach and start an hours task of wash, scrub, cut, chop and fry to make dinner for the day;

 The boy needs to be taught and I convert to a tutor,
 Grammer, English, Science and Maths with love and patience to nurture;

With the little one its the 3rd dress from when I came,
 cleaning and messing is his way of play;

With yet another cup of coffee that lies untouched,
I crave a moment of solace as I stretch the toes and fingers that hurt so much;

 Bedtime brings a joy to the mommy's heart,
 seeing the kids fall to sleep as they listen to the umpteenth story that I create out of dust;

 I remember the day of the week and plan the boys bags,
The laundry, grocery and baking are awaiting tasks at hand;

As the milk coupons are kept and the doors are locked ,
 the email unattended needs to be seen and mailed;

“Why are you tired my love" hubby dear mumbles,
 for which I smile and swear and replan the morning errands as my mind jumbles;

As I call my mom and ask her day" Nothing much darling” she says..

Its then it strikes that this may not last,
and the nest will be empty one day very fast;

Its then and there that I pray to God and thank Him for enriching and filling my day,
And give a kiss to Hubby dear for being a patient companion so needed for Woman of Today!

No I Dont Enjoy Motherhood!

NO I DON’T ENJOY MOTHERHOOD!

  

And the yummy mummy walks in. Pretty in pastel pink dress with long beautifully coloured and rolled hair, perfect matching accessories, long legs and beautiful diamond bracelet with dewy makeup and perfect white teeth. And she looks at a baby on the bassinet, the baby equally soft and pink with beautiful smile tugging at the mama’s hair and then the Johnson moment!

   That’s the visual I had in my head regarding motherhood.

   Cut to present. My hair is greasy and turning white soon! Face is greasy and pimpled too. Dark circles and wrinkles. I cuss under the breathe as I am running behind the 17month old to change his over full diaper as the 6 yr old tugs at my ill fitting dress and for the millionth time screams ‘Mumma Mumma!!’ at a pitch so high that my grandmother must be moving in her grave! When I finally catch hold of the smaller one and remove his diaper, there he goes and pees all over my absolutely new rug and then stamps all over the place with footprints of pee. The elder one by now has climbed on top of the chair and attempts to remove the 9^th chocolate biscuit of the day from the cookie box! I have to choose between the naked baby or the bigger one tripping from the chair. So I choose injury over 2^nd chance of peeing! And then rush to stabilize the chair when the elder one again starts the long discussion (argument) and justifies he definitely needs one more biscuit!

  

The mobile rings in the bedroom and the patient I operated a week back is calling. I suddenly remember I am also a doctor and change my tone to a humanized one and answer politely. As the patient called in the nth hour I presume its important when this grown up man says “Please talk to my mom!” Already rolling my eyes, I continue my polite tone when both the boys end up playing tug of war with my already fragile grey hair. And she asks: “I called to ask whether my little boy (all of 25yrs old, mind you) can have Chicken Masala! My politeness changing to curtness I manage a” Yes”. When she says, “But can I put all masalas!!!” And I continue, “Yes”. And she presses, “But didn’t you know Non veg is bad for the stitches you put during squint surgery!” Now, my hair is falling all over the place and the kids are screaming for attention in the highest decibel of voice possible and I manage to say,” Oh If you think so then don’t give him Non Veg but there is no scientific logic behind it”. The Mom, now fully in power decides: ok then No Nonveg for one more week”. (Why did you call me, I wondered) Now with the mobile off, the elder one with the biscuit half in his mouth and half crumbling over the floor, pesters me to open the mobile lock(One of the reasons I never answer phone with the kids around is to keep them away from it!)

   As I start another discussion (aka argument) over No to phones, I run to mop the pee and the crumbles and soak the rug. By now the bell rings. The man of the house is back. The kids change the focus and pounce on the man. I rush to distract the kids so that the dirty hospital clothes can be changed but the kids do not want my attention anymore. As the kids lick and tug at the clothes, as a doctor mother I have visuals of the worst antibiotic resistant hospital acquired infections in my mind. And so I leave everything else and make the clothes change my mission! Irritated with my pesterly motherly advises the Man and his cubs laugh and giggle and start their riot!

The mobile rings again. Fearing the Mom, I approach the mobile and my fears have risen to a new level where I see the cook is calling. He announces that he isn’t coming for the day! Now having only an hour at hand, I start doing gazillion things at super speed in the kitchen and the pots and pans are flying high. With the power of Super Mom in, I plan to make the greenest of veggies and super nutritious dinner is ready in no time. The kids keep coming in and tugging at my clothes and keep announcing that they are hungry as I cook. This pleases my ears so much as I thank my cook for not coming and giving me this opportunity. In 10 min time as the food is on the plate, the elder one announces that he has a tummy ache and doesn’t want to eat. The younger one throws the food around and enjoys having a spinach smash! I glare and beg, plead and praise and try different tactics to get those 10 spoons of spinach in their mouths! As their mutiny continues I make stories and sing, dance and make up stories about Popeye (Yes, I am old school and so change the story to Sonic Boom and Avengers) and the boys decide that they had had enough! With plates half full and pot nearly full, I now change the attention to the biggest boy and keep asking him if the food is good! With his mouth full he manages an OK! And all hell breaks loose! Realising that wifey dear may be in that time of the month he makes the blasphemous mistake of asking me so and I storm away in the loudest way possible (Possibly called Tramping away I think)

   Now with the dinner done, the next is sleep time and I let bygones be bygones and start reading a story. And then the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th , 5^th and 1^st again and start dosing between the words. And I get a tight slap by my elder one! As I wake up back he says, “Oh I thought you were asleep” I mutter yet another cuss word under the breath and smile and get back to reading again. And the little one has caught Book No.2 and torn its pages. Soon its converting into a Bahubali 2 situation and I wonder whether there is any love left between the 2 brothers.

 Another 2 hours go by as the boys hit bed and I find myself running to the refrigerator and celebrating my success by a chocolate. The hubby politely reminds me of my fitness goals and new year resolutions of avoiding chocolates especially at night and I cuss again, this time loud and put the big piece into my mouth! Then I arrange the gym clothes and plan for the morning in advance so that I can get that extra bit of workout that would compensate for the chocolate. And I hit bed and almost every 15 min throughout the night get hit in the head, tummy, back , bum by a child. My plan to get up by 5 keeps getting postponed as my mind revolts saying “You haven’t slept enough” At 6 both children are up and It was meant to be a peaceful weekend holiday!

   So with no exercise, no morning tea I continue on yet another rampage at home before I try to meet the deadline of “In time” at work! As I leave, the kiddos plead me to call it an off and say they miss me when I am away. With a heavy heart and an empty tummy I drive my way to work when my mom calls. Her question is about the No.1 Kid and the next and last is about the No.2 Kid. Feeling glum about no concern about me, I retreat for not being the centre of attention for my own mom too!

   And then I reach the hospital and put on my apron as the first patient walks in. With a child as young as 2, not yet walking or running, born after 14yrs of marriage, I see love, hope and strength in this mother for her special child! I look back at my previous day and remind myself of the blessings I have at home all hale and hearty and thank the heavens above for the same!

   Motherhood is never easy. Never a cakewalk and certainly not like the advertisements on the screen! It is challenging and demanding more than any other job! You need to multitask, change plans, plan, execute and then get used to failed plans, sudden sicknesses and sudden mood swings.

   Just remember that You are not always supposed to be a fairy god mother with the magic wand and all smiles. You can cuss, fail, shout, scream, howl and apologize and you will still remain a good mother! This is one job that has no competition and your children have this only one mother! So feel free to once in a while say that “You hate Motherhood” You Still Are A Great Mother my lovely ladies!

2018: a big small year for us!

There is a song and the lyrics go like this "Matlabi, ho ja zara matlabi, sabki hi sunta hai kyu, apni bhi sun le kahi!!!" which essentially means "become selfish and put the spotlight on you"

For me this was essentially what I did and that spotlight helped me put things in a better perspective and help me develop a wonderful home and work environment.

This year brought us, not seen before challenges and wonderful high moments too! And Running as a sport has taught me that when you are struggling in your uphill run there is an easy slope waiting on the next side.

This year was about Amey's physical milestones, Anshs emotional milestones and Santosh and Mine quest towards work-life balance and pirsuit of happiness.

We ended the year 2017 with this pic taken from our first puja before interiors commenced at the new home. With tiny tots and work pressures, we juggled between 2 homes and 2 workplaces and hyderabad traffic never made it easier.

1st Jan 2017 I got a new haircut and me and Ansh watched an extremely sensitive film called "Wonder". Also January brought our Annual Hospital Picnic where I took Amey and had to feed him in between games in a hotel room!

Amey grew fast and was ready to start his solid feeds. So one Sunday did a small ceremony called 'Annaprasham' where the first feed usually a rice porridge or payasam is fed. Being the foodie he is, he licked it up! He became one of our family as he slowly started getting involved in Anshs games!

The 6 month infant celebrated hjs milestone at a dinner night for the  family!

We took him in his pram to Anshs cricket classes and fed him cut fruits as he watched the elder one play!

Getting the New home ready for all in the family was quite a task. The selection of handles, wood work, furniture, shower cubicles, paints, drains, kitchen cupboards, fans, all was painstakingly tiring but very rewarding when the kids had their things according to their choice and Santoshs parents had things according to their requirements. We were on cloud 9 with our new abode.

In the next 3 months, we saw Amey crawl, stand and walk confidently and the play area in the community helped a lot to bring him out of the stranger anxiety!

Also, Ansh graduated from Pre Primary and was ready for his 1st grade at school! The graduation ceremony was touching and my eyes were all welled up with emotions as I remembered how much he used to cry every time I left him at school and how now he is a confident young boy!

Also in the summer holidays, we took our first well deserved vacation as a family of 4 in Ooty! For Amey it was the first time he had exclusive time with all 3 of us 24/7 and he thoroughly enjoyed the changes. There were no problems with change of place and food and the vacation got us lot of beautiful memories as a a family!

somewhere in July, Santosh helped me register for Couch to 5k running programme. And both of us felt wonderful to be among a group of runners who helped us set the goal higher and improve our fitness. August saw both of us finishing our small mini marathons!

Amey turned 1 in August, and my parents flew down to be part of the happy day!

Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated with much grandeur at our community and this was the first festival where I owned up and made laddus for all! Ansh made new friends and participated in a dance event for Ganesha too!

As Santoshs Mom was posted for surgery that week, it was a tough 1 week for us. First the difficulty to see the Matriarch of the house in ICU with support, Santosh away to tend and care, worried sisters-in-law at home and kids continuously asking for Dad and Dadi! 

I somehow managed to hold on tight and in between making 3 meals a day, playing with the kids and working full time at the hospital, found some peace and relief with my continued exercise!

 Next, me and Amey went to Ahmedabad to drop Ansh for his annual Dussera break where he enjoys spending time with my parents and the Navratri revelry in Ahmedabad! We missed him dearly but tried to entertain Amey too by taking him out for his own Garba night here in Hyderabad!

Ansh then did his own mini duathalon, and was happy to start his own fitness journey!

Diwali we had a cracker free Diwali, where for the first time I made different kinds of snacks and savouries as a mark of celebration!

We saw Ansh transform from a kiddo to a carer and we see both of them mutually translate love!

As school introduces different concepts into teaching, I was challenged with dressing him for Mythological Halloween in the morning and Scary Halloween in the evening!

The guys even had their own Cricket Tournament at the gated community and were given trophies and medals as encouragement!

Twinning and how! Both love going to new places to eat , and we let them experiment with their palate!

As my father turned 60 this year we were lucky to quickly arrange a photo shoot with my grandfather also enjoying the process!

In between Surgeries and talks and organising conferences, I enjoy how I metamorphose and enjoy unleashing the full potentials of my brain!

As I baked my first cake for Christmas, my heart was filled with gratitude for the PTMs I could attend from work, the emergencies I would attend leaving from work, and the work I could attend with able carers for my kids!

We ended 2018, high on new friends made, new patients healed, new hearts touched, new relationships mended and new hopes in heart to develop love, compassion and resilience to all Life is bound to throw at us!

2019, we are ready to make more memories!