Marriage is often described as the joining of two individuals’ bodies, minds, and souls. Upon getting married, you are expected to share everything with your partner, including time, money, and all other aspects of life. Your life should revolve around your spouse from beginning to end. But is it necessary to spend every waking moment with the spouse? Are you not supposed to have a life apart from your spouse? And do these rules apply only to women or men as well? Although both men and women may face this situation, women are generally expected to give up everything once they get married. Des ..read more

I have not received any appreciation in the past. Probably never will. This is the experience of ample women across the globe. The expectation to be thanked for all the sacrifices she makes to keep others happy has faded. Yet the urge to hear few words of acknowledgement always lingers. There is never a day when she pushes off her own burdens. She knows not to give up on people she loves. Women in general, are givers by nature and hence, give without asking anything in return. They have been the care givers and lovers since centuries however receive no appreciation. Just like everyone else, w ..read more

It was almost midnight. I was dead tired and fatigued. I was feeling drained out and fatigued. My head was hurting badly. Sleep seemed far from eyes. I was tossing and turning in the bed I noticed his eyes were gaping at me, perhaps he wasn’t getting sleep either. Our eyes locked and soon I felt drawn toward his mysterious and irresistible charm. With parted lips, he looked up through lashes. His side glancing at me stole my heart. I could read his rising emotions and feelings. He glided towards me stretched his hands and placed them on my heart. My heart almost skipped a beat and with a palp ..read more

Dear Ex, Remember the laughter that danced between us, light and carefree, echoing in stolen moments? Silly jokes whispered with flushed cheeks and the warmth that bloomed whenever our hands brushed. We understood each other, spoken and unspoken, in simple phrases like “Did you eat?” or “Need a break?” Those memories, frozen in selfies and etched in laughter lines, remain bright threads woven into the tapestry of our lives. This isn’t about rekindling flames, but honouring the embers that still flicker. A quiet thank you for who you were, for the moments we shared, and for the lessons we lear ..read more

Dear Mr. Ex, I often wonder how you are. After all these years, do I still think about you… Get that smug look off your face. Surely, you knew that I was not a desperate, haven’t gotten over you kind of girl. I am yet to find a closure to our story. It was so sudden- that night, it was Valentine’s Day and you declared your decision that we must stop seeing each other. Imagine the feelings I experienced. What it would have been like for a young girl out on a date on Valentine’s Day. Stars in her eyes, her heart full of excitement and in a flash, it was all shattered. Like someone threw her off ..read more

We often hear of relationships doomed by distances, of love wearing off when physical proximity ceases, and of growing apart. Most of my life I grew up witnessing the opposite of this. Thus, my belief in growing together whether distant or near stands tall. When I think back today, I owe a lot of my value system to being a part of army life. This is the love of steel-hearted women who breathe life and passion into the soldiers of the armed forces. A book by Swapnil Pandey, The Force Behind the Forces, is apt here. The love of these gritty women powers the men to confidently step out and face ..read more

Half a decade ago marriage was a bargain between two famlies. Most of the women were married off to a man who was either well off or who could fend for his wife and family. Today the parameters of marriage have changed. Women no longer marry for the sake of economic security. Their expectations from marriage have changed in the course of years because of their changed status. As women grew independent, their patterns of choosing partners have changed dramatically. Now women choose men who they feel can satiate their emotional as well as physical needs. Intimacy is no longer the physicality th ..read more

Dear Rahul I hope this letter finds you well, navigating life’s twists and turns with grace and resilience. I understand that hearing from me might come as a surprise – it’s certainly not something you expected. As I sit down to write this letter, a flood of memories rushes through my mind – moments of joy, and laughter, but also moments of pain and heartache. And you know what’s hitting hard the most, addressing you as my ‘ex’. For me, you are still my teenage crush and my first love who taught me what love is and made my world a little brighter. I know our relationship was nothing less than ..read more

“Laju bete, a woman’s life is full of pain. It’s just the beginning.” My mother was a simple woman, not a philosopher. That’s why when she said this to me when I complained about period pain at the age of fifteen, her words stuck with me. Even if she had never said that, witnessing her life was a cautionary tale in itself. She was what you call a ‘karma yogi’—single-handedly serving a joint family consisting of four children, two old in-laws, and four of my father’s unmarried sisters and one unmarried brother. I remember being scared of growing up, getting married, and reducing my life to ser ..read more

Love, the most important and most confusing thing one can come across in his/her entire life. Psychologist have concluded that the need to feel loved is a primary human emotional need. But we must also agree, that it’s the most confusing word. We love people: mother, father, spouse, friends. We love animals: dogs, cats, bunnies. We love nature: flowers, trees, weather. We also love objects: Cars, houses, food. We love activities as well: swimming, reading, rafting. Parents indulge all the child’s wishes, calling it love. A man is involved in an adulterous relationship and he calls it love ..read more