My son, Prithvi, had just begun attending play school in 2019. He loved every minute of going there, after about a month of crying and sniffling when I would leave! And then came the pandemic. Covid 19 lockdowns meant I could no longer take him outdoors. My son speaks very little. He couldn’t quite express his confusion at being forced to remain inside but he felt it deeply. Our last year of living in Mumbai, where homes are small and the rent is high, made his life even more restricted. Recently we have moved to Noida, in Delhi NCR. The city provides ample space for children to step out. I have a young girl who lives with us and her primary job is to be his playmate. Missing out on school and not having kids around is unhealthy for a toddler, so I have made it a point for Soni to be around him. So while most prefer to send kids outdoors when the sun is down, we’ve taken our time to savour the sun in the day time across different parks. Soni and Prithvi make for a great park time ...
Stories of our lives, lived realities, urban motherhood and unmet ambition. Hope to connect to more people like me who can never find someone like themselves in mainstream discourses. Born cynic with a touch of optimism.