Sona has been posting about this Indian-Latin fusion place called Taco-Mahal for weeks. The conversation always goes the same. She’ll post a delicious photo or video on instagram or twitter or Facebook or via text message or group chat. It’s followed…
Insider Tips for International Pillow Fight Day From UFC Pillow Warriors in NYC
We went to the tenth annual International Pillow Fight Day last Saturday, armed with pillows, and putting to use our expert pillow fighting skills. It was a lot of fun! You would think that in a place like New York City, where…
Hot Lava! A Doorless Helicopter Tour of Kilauea Volcano, Big Island, Hawaii
This morning I wake up to the news that Kīlauea Volcano on Big Island is erupting. Towns are being evacuated, videos show bright red lava spilling onto highways, grassy areas, and the governor is requesting national emergency status. My immediate…
Papa in the City: Slinging it to Coney Island!
August. First day of my classes. Kavya still has three days before her summer ends. It’s ten in the morning. Kavya welcomes me home dressed in her bathing suit. “Papa, the bulb in the corridor is confused,” she says, a…
Sona and Shaiyar Survive (and Thrive!) On Their Solo Trip Cross Country
It’s funny how different things go the second time around. When we first flew with Kavya, who was all of three-months-old at the time, I fretted for days. Planes are death boxes. They’re filled with germs. People get annoyed with…
Papa and Kavya Fly to California. Hell Does Not Break Loose
We are a family of elbows, feet, and arms. We lean across each other, pressing our bodies in, just so we can all look out the window at fog, blackness, clouds, blue skies, starry nights, bright sunlight, cityscapes, sunsets and sunrises. It doesn’t really matter what’s outside. As long as it’s something we can all see together. This summer, the house is divided. It’s just the two of us. Me and Kavya, our first ever Papa-Daughter flight from Newark to San Jose via Atlanta. All in all slightly under 8 hours.
Artistic Rendering of What it’s Like to be a Papa, Again
Since people have been asking me what it’s like to be a Papa again, I thought instead of using words (sooo 1990), I’d use a visual depiction with Kavya’s help. She’s an artist. The portrait she drew on the top-left is pretty realistic—my legs have indeed started growing out of my neck, and I was wondering about that throbbing pain in the side of my jaws. I’ve also lost several fingers and WHERE DID MY MASSIVE MUSCLES GO??????? Also, is that a sun visor or a dress in front of my face?
Happy Valentine’s Day!
The first time I met Sona, we drove around a dodgy part of Beverly Hills trying to find an Indian restaurant in the days before iPhones or GPS systems. Just as we were about to give up, a Gaylords restaurant appeared out of nowhere. We were both starving and our first move as soon as we sat down is indicative of our entire relationship: I went straight for the gulab jamun, Sona went straight for the chai. Eventually, we got around to the food.
Our Last Christmas As A Trio in Atlantic City!
It’s been a few years since we’ve stayed on our home turf for Christmas. Last year, we were in California visiting my parents and a heap of cousins from India, who insisted on doing every tradition we knew about Christmas….
Jet Lag is Stupid And Other Helpful Advice When Traveling With A Little Human
We took Kavya on her first visit to California when she was a little over three months old, to Hawaii when she was under 2, and she’s always adapted to the local time pretty quickly. She sees sunlight and is down…
Date Night in Union Square, Where We Discover the Lost Art of Sitting Down and Doing Nothing
Whenever we’ve had the occasional date night, it’s usually been for some specific event in the City, and it’s always family we trust who has watched Kavya: her Massi in Manhattan. Sona’s parents in New Jersey. So when Sona bought…
Pumpkin Scones and Pajamas: Sona’s Bed-In Birthday!
When me and Sona were backpacking in India during our six-month honeymoon in India, one of the funnest (it’s a word) places we visited was Diu, in Gujarat. Not because there was anything particularly exciting about it, nor was the food…
