In India, we have two main scripts for marriage. Script A (The Bollywood Romance): You meet someone. Your eyes lock. You feel electricity. You fight the world to be together. The movie ends at the wedding. Script B (The Practical Arrangement): Your parents find a “suitable” match. Same caste, same salary bracket, same diet. You…
You wake up in the morning. For the first three seconds, everything feels normal. Then, the memory hits you like a truck: They are gone. Your chest feels heavy, tight. Your stomach turns. You feel a literal ache in your bones. You can’t eat. You can’t focus. You feel like you are physically dying. And…
There is a fight. Voices are raised. You are trying to explain why you are hurt. You want a response. You want them to say something. And then, it happens. They look away. They cross their arms. They pick up their phone. Or they just walk out of the room. For the next two days,…
In India, there is a famous saying: “You don’t just marry a person; you marry a family.” It sounds romantic in movies. In real life, it often feels like you married a committee that has an opinion on everything—from how much salt you put in the dal to when you should have a baby. For…
It starts with a biodata PDF sent to your phone. Then a photo. And then, suddenly, you are sitting in a coffee shop (or a drawing room with a plate of samosas), staring at a stranger. You are sipping your tea, trying to smile, but your brain is screaming. Is this the person? Will I…
Let’s be honest. You probably cleared your browser history before reading this. In India, we treat sex like a ghost. We don’t talk about it at the dinner table. We don’t learn about it in school. But when the lights go out, we are one of the biggest consumers of adult content in the world….
Stop for a second. Don’t move. Look at your body right now. Is your chin tucked down towards your chest? Are your shoulders rounded forward? Is your spine curved like a cashew nut? If yes, you are in the “Tech-Neck” position. And it is not just hurting your back; it is actively telling your brain…
You are at a birthday party. The music is loud. There are 20 people around you. You are holding a drink, laughing at a joke, and someone is taking a group selfie. You smile for the camera. But inside? You feel like you are on a different planet. You look around and think, “If I…
It’s Sunday evening. 7:00 PM. You haven’t done any work today. You slept in late. You watched a movie. But as the sun goes down, you feel a pit in your stomach. A heavy, dark dread settles over you because you know Monday is coming. You aren’t just “tired.” You are empty. In India, we…
If you grew up in an Indian household, you have heard this phrase more often than “I love you.” Translation: What will people say? It is the unofficial motto of the Indian middle class. We are raised to believe that an invisible jury of “Chaar Log” (four people) is constantly watching us, grading our performance,…
