Dec 2, 2020Life Maid EasyIn this era of lockdowns and home cooks turning head chefs, the housemaid is sorely missed in every middle-class home. Roll the tape back about half a year. Meet 53-year-old Mohana — she works as domestic help in six households in the suburbs of Chennai. Her day begins at 5…Habits4 min readHabits4 min read
Oct 26, 2020There’s More to It than Meets the EyePicture this scene — four rotating chairs set up in a single row, all in front of a single long mirror. The attached dresser table, of the same length, is laden with an assortment of clippers with individual hairs all over them, dryers, bottles of powder in bright hues of…Habits3 min readHabits3 min read
Sep 16, 2020Paper boats destined to sink, still float for a smile“She?”, they asked in astonishment. Yes! I exclaimed in assurance. Puzzled they retorted, “Is her husband okay with this?” and with that bundle of many more why’s and how’s unraveled into a beautiful story that seeped into an otherwise casual conversation on a Saturday afternoon, under the banyan tree providing…Hope5 min readHope5 min read
Aug 28, 2020Somewhere between Manickam and Baasha lies this Superhero..A couple of weeks before COVID-19 took the world by the scruff of its neck and shook it up, I took an auto-rickshaw ride back home from college, as part of my daily routine. Nothing out of the ordinary yet, but little did I know that that ride would leave…Hardwork7 min readHardwork7 min read
Aug 10, 2020When life comes a full circleAt a time when walking a kilometre or two itself seems exhausting, imagine a job where voyaging 23 kilometres by foot is a daily staple. If you’re wondering who this is, I’m talking about Mr. Sakkarapani, the regional postman for the hilly district of Kolukkumalai, Munnar. He’s seventy-five years old…Hard Work4 min readHard Work4 min read
Aug 7, 2020People don’t decide their future, They decide their Habits!It was around 2 AM as the calling bell rung. I was watching “The Last Dance” in Netflix, as I heaped my attention to the standing door. Not quite the time to expect a visitor. I hit the pause button and set to open the door. “Who could it be?”…Habits3 min readHabits3 min read
Jul 25, 2020Sometimes the fight need not be with the other personLalitha, age 37, her routine for almost a month has been like this. Make 15 calls and check on with the patients in the morning, provide assistance to them over the phone. Call new patients who were tested positive for COVID and get them to join for the treatment in…Frontline4 min readFrontline4 min read
Jul 16, 2020Loyalty isn’t Grey. Its black & white!Sujitha, age 27, mother of two children and works as a server in a restaurant. Like every person, Sujitha has her desires and wish list. At the age of 6, she dreamt of becoming a doctor so she could save people, like her grandmother suffering from illness. At the age…Blue Collar5 min readBlue Collar5 min read
Jun 26, 2020Desire for people like us comes with a costIt is my usual routine to walk two and a half kilometres to my work. I start around 9 PM, finish my dinner and slowly walk to my work spot with the occasional cool breeze as I cross the lakes makes the walk feel effortless. But this day something uncommon…Blue Collar5 min readBlue Collar5 min read
Jun 21, 2020Make their day with your kindnessThe doorbell is ringing. The man in the orange t-shirt is waiting with sweat rolling down the side of his face. He rings the bell again, no reply. He feels anxious. He picks up the phone and makes a call, he hears the engaged tone on the phone. He wonders…Gigworkforce4 min readGigworkforce4 min read
