The author recalls her grandmother who wasn't related to her by blood - her father's stepmother - but who was an extraordinary and loving woman.

It was World Saree Day earlier this week, and it reminded me of what a saree means to me, personally and politically, taking me back to when as a new bride, a saree had been 'mandatory'!

“I didn’t want to become a bichari. And I didn’t want to wear a badge of disability. I think that was what gave me the strength to get up.”, says Guneet, who was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa that resulted in 100% loss of vision over a period of time.

Life and its idiosyncrasies loosen our connection with the curious child within us. We start associating magic with fantasy, and forget that magic is actually very much a part of our everyday lives.

I knew no one would understand why I needed to do this; and finally, I had stopped feeling guilty. I had one life to live, and I needed to do whatever brought me peace.