Scribblings by Nancy

Control!   Does this resonate with you? Honestly, control is something we all yearn for -control over marriage, parenting, relationships, work, and so much more. But the irony is, the tighter we grip, the more things tend to slip through our fingers. I’m not a control freak by any means, but lately, I’ve realized how much we all crave this sense of control. I seriously get frustrated when my son chooses to play video games instead of tackling his never-ending homework over the weekend. I get so pissed off that I put my foot down and sternly remind him how important it is to stay on top of his schoolwork. But it’s exhausting to go through this every single week. He only seems to listen when I become that “dinosaur mom” , a version of myself I really hate to be. So, I chose to let him be. I chose to let him make his own choices and face the consequences. But it’s not easy. Can you imagine how a bird teaches her baby to fly? She doesn’t catch the baby’s wings and force it to fly....

I’m always amused by those old Malayalam movies where a character steps off a rattling bus into a sleepy village, and everyone he meets greets him warmly. Neighbors ask how he’s doing, even the shopkeepers pause to enquire about his life. He walks down the same familiar road he took as a child, leading to a house that has remained unchanged over the years a safe, constant place, his home. I’ve always yearned for something like that. But my life has been quite the opposite, I’ve moved to a new place every decade, and the idea of one unchanging home has always felt out of reach. In my life, change has been the only constant. Whenever we move to a new place, it feels like walking into a room full of strangers. You’re awkward, trying to find your place, and you have to introduce yourself and start building relationships from scratch. And without fail, there’s always that one question: “So, where are you from?” Well… that’s where things get tricky. I was born in Munnar, Kerala, and that’s w...

Every day, women show up for their families, their work, their dreams. But today, the world finally pauses to celebrate them.  Now, I’m not someone who waves the flag of feminism in the way it’s often perceived. Maybe because I grew up with equality. At home and in school, we were equals no special privileges, no biases.I was more of a tomboy back then, and honestly, I didn’t even realize how different boys and girls were supposed to be, according to society. For years, I ran around with scraped knees and short hair, never thinking twice about how girls were ‘supposed’ to be. But then, one day, society made sure I knew.At a family wedding in my hometown, I was humiliated in front of a group of people by an elder in the family. Why? Because my hairstyle was deemed inappropriate for a girl. That was the first time I felt the sting of society’s dos and don’ts for women the first time I realized that the freedom I felt at home wasn’t necessarily the norm everywhere else. But today, I d...