Just A Regular Mommy

  “Zoooom! Daaash! Thud Thud Thud!” 
 Rohan leapt through every flood. 
 Saving cities, chasing crime, 
 All in his superhero pretend play time.   With milkshake in his mighty grip, 
 He dreamed of a real hero trip— 
 “Mom, I want to meet a superhero soon, 
 With robo-arms and rocket zoom!”   Rewa smiled and took his hand, 
 “Let’s go find some—just as planned. 
 They may not fly or shoot a beam, 
 But they’re more real than what you dream.”   At the gate, she paused to say, 
 “There’s one, and more, right here today.” 
 “The guard,” she said, “braves all, with all his might, 
 To keep us safe day and night.”   “The labourers who build with strength and grit, 
 Lift twice their weight, and never quit. They work so hard with little rest, Don’t you think that is ‘superpower’ at its best! 
"   "And look – the traffic police you see? He keeps the roads safe and free. He’s out in sun and smoke, Stopping cars with just a poke!"   “There’s Shakuntala  Ba...

  Tucked in trunks, or almirahs deep, Where time and moths together sleep, Lies not a jewel or golden prize— But a photo album, soft with sighs.   A battered cover, a plastic sleeve, Faded corners, a torn motif— But open it once, and there you'll see, A world that was, and still might be.   No filters, no endless scroll, Limited clicks, all heart and soul. Each snap taken with thought and care, Moments captured rare and fair.   A birthday with balloons askew, A cake half-eaten; faces old, yet new— One can see in that frame, so much delight, A one rupee chocolate made things right.   Your parents smiling wider than you, When you blew candles and they sang ‘Happy birthday to you!’ Their joyful faces now look familiar, They look like yours on your kids’ birthday this year!   A wedding dance you don’t recall, In some cousin’s hall, or no hall at all. You swayed in joy, no care, no plan— Why don’t you dance now, grown-up man?   That little face on the garde...

My house? It's not messy— It’s just aggressively...  documented. Papers everywhere— Blank ones, signed ones, Photocopied from a photocopy of a dream. You name it, I’ve got it. Blank sheets, printed ones, ones I can’t remember printing. Need a PAN card? Bring Aadhaar. Need Aadhaar? Bring PAN. Need both? Well, now get those attested.  Did that twice! But why does it still not look right? Bring your great-grandfather’s voter ID and three passport photos —smiling, but not  too  much. And a marriage certificate that proves I made at least one wise decision. Maybe. And bills? My husband collects them like Pokémon."Keep it! Might need it!"—for a toaster we returned in 2020. But my favorite papers? My kids’ toddlerhood scribbles. Art that’s 80% glue, And 100% adorable. Of course, mothers are weird! So yes— I’m drowning in a paper jungle! But hey, that’s life! Messy, legal, and slightly stapled. Cover photo courtesy : istock.com  

  "Mummaaaa! My friend said that Santa has met with an accident and he cannot work on Christmas this year!" I was caught off guard. The news came out of nowhere when I was doing some mundane chore and she suddenly recalled that she had forgotten to share this MoD ( minutes of the day! ) with me. "Can't be," I argued to hold the fort of my 'Santa is real' story. "Santa is a magical being. No one can ever hurt him," I added further. "You mean he is not real?" the analyst in her inferred. "I did not say that. I said he is magical. Magic can be real,"  I did not sound very convincing to myself, forget selling the story to her. "Hmmm. My other friend says he is fake," she was now in a mode to complete her investigation. I did not know how to maintain my argument. So I resorted to a diplomatic reply, something that parents do on a slippery slope like this one. "Well, Christmas is approaching anyway. You will find ou...

  Being a mother lets you try on different roles - teacher, BFF, confidante.... but also, clown, detective, commando...   I was outnumbered. One is to two. I could not match the agility of the opposing camp troops. Nonetheless, I was physically more powerful. Still, I could not afford to lower my guard around the two large cola drink bottles bought for the evening’s get together. A raid on my refrigerator, where they were stored, was imminent. I could analyse that from the sporadic giggling sounds. And hence I asked hubby to help patrol the area as I prepared dinner in the kitchen. This resource could not be trusted completely though, given the heavy influence of the opposing troops on his emotions. But I gave him a benefit of doubt. On and off, they kept approaching with their headstrong demand of first having a glass full of cola which gradually scaled down to a request for a sip. But negotiating on certain things was out of question, including this one. So, they retreated t...

  Yes, spending time with your toddlers is fun. Especially supermarket visits ;) It was exactly midweek, noon of a Wednesday. I had taken a day off from office to spend a complete day of my girls' vacation with them. I had it all planned - a visit to the supermarket ( as Wednesday is their discount day and I had to replenish a truck load of foodstuffs and cleaning agents for every damn thing in the house. Last supermarket invasion of this kind was about three months back! ), followed by getting  mehendi  done for my girls by the  mehendi  guy who sits at the market's exit ( both of them simply love it and I make it a point to get it for them on long holidays ), and then to get their favorite donuts from a store in the same mall complex. So, off I started with a battalion of my two little 'helpers' and my actual helper, their nanny. Now, I bet that every mom who visits a supermarket with a toddler(s) cannot expect the trip to be complete ( rather end somehow! ) w...