Super! My calls with dad lasted 18 seconds. That was how much he spoke. With mum it is longer only when she has something to tell. I am not the sharer.
Brilliant piece. As always. It always feel “damn why didn’t i write this- this is so me”.
This was so relatable. Sometimes I am on long work calls and end up skipping lunch. When it's 1.30pm, I realise that it's time to call maa, which means that I have to quickly concoct an imaginary lunch menu for her. Maa won't just ask whether you have eaten, she'll also want to know the precise details of my lunch. What's fascinating is that she's able to discover my lunch lies very often; it seems to be a maa-secret-code. But things have changed ever since she's gotten a smartphone. She's barely attentive on calls (because the call is on speaker and she is simultaneously browsing FB) and is kinda glued to YT even when I am back home in Cal. Considering that she is the only non-work-related person I actually call, this can be annoying at times, but I am happy she is discovering new things.
P.S. I thought this edition would turn into a LinkedIn-bro-trying-too-hard column where something basic gets turned into management advice. Thankfully it didn't. 😁
<<A Real Example from Linkedin for context: A lizard fell on me the other day and it made me realise that if a creature
built with such a solid suction mechanism could fall, even startups built with solid
If I ever write anything that feels like a LinkedIn life/management advice post, please call me out!
Your mom being distracted on phone calls because of social media is funny and, dare I say, some form of karmic justice? My mother loves vlogs too. I don't always see the attraction of the content she follows but I think it's great that she enjoys it.
So beautiful and relatable! We miss the nuance of a tired ‘did you eat’ in our “busyness”. As always this one too hit the heart. These days i try to speak to both my parents everyday. My mother is tenacious in this. There are days when i can wait to put the phone down, but there are others when i really enjoy the stories she shares, her almost childlike emotions - innocent, as if she’s never felt it, that make it all worth it. Feeling the weight of time more and more as it passes. Writeups like this one reassure me, once again, that Im not alone. So, as always, thanks so much for sharing!
Also, Rohan - I have a teen who shares quite a lot with me :) We aren't as close thanks to the distance of screens/devices between us -but, I know he shares some bond with me lol Your essay made me emotional not as a daughter but, as a mother.
ha ha ha! I want to share something with you. My mother is a very private person. So, when one of my micro-essays got published in a literary journal, I shared it with her cousins - young and old. They congratulated Her! And she came around to ask me about it. After months of it getting published, I offered my mother my laptop for her to read it. She took longer than I expected so, I went over to look at what on earth was she doing?! Turns out, she was scrolling down to read the comments LOL and then said, “Asif (her cousin) ko bheja tmne?” LOL
Lovely essay Rohan. You transported me to this wonderful space where I assessed my own relationships - with my mother & also with my father ,who passed away very early! I love your writing style & how seamlessly you can be very vulnerable & also insert humour in the same breath! Keep writing!
'I’ll visit soon — all of me is available to them, but only for a while' honestly made me well up. Thanks for writing this beautiful, heartfelt piece :)
Thank you for being so vulnerable and telling us about what, I suspect, resonates with many of us. I know it does with me. My mother is long passed, but I let our relationship drift under the pretext of her not knowing of my world of work. Its of course too late for me now, but its not for you. You have acknowledged the issue, which itself is a major part of the solution- now go out and fix it. All power to you!
Magnificent. You're writing for the ages, not just your subscribers now.
Thank you, Amit. I owe you a world of gratitude. My writing life has been shaped by you and the community you've created. It is an invaluable gift. <3
Tugged at the heartstrings. Wish you and your mother the very best.
Thanks a lot, Anchita! Appreciate it. :)
This is a superb, superb essay, Rohan. It’s so simple and so perfect.
Thanks a ton, Maanav! I'm glad it felt that way. Writing it was agonising.
Super! My calls with dad lasted 18 seconds. That was how much he spoke. With mum it is longer only when she has something to tell. I am not the sharer.
Brilliant piece. As always. It always feel “damn why didn’t i write this- this is so me”.
Thanks a lot, Savvy! Please do write your version too. :)
Gorgeous and the story of most of us, even if we don’t acknowledge it :)
Thanks so much, Priya. Your comment means a lot! :)
This was so relatable. Sometimes I am on long work calls and end up skipping lunch. When it's 1.30pm, I realise that it's time to call maa, which means that I have to quickly concoct an imaginary lunch menu for her. Maa won't just ask whether you have eaten, she'll also want to know the precise details of my lunch. What's fascinating is that she's able to discover my lunch lies very often; it seems to be a maa-secret-code. But things have changed ever since she's gotten a smartphone. She's barely attentive on calls (because the call is on speaker and she is simultaneously browsing FB) and is kinda glued to YT even when I am back home in Cal. Considering that she is the only non-work-related person I actually call, this can be annoying at times, but I am happy she is discovering new things.
P.S. I thought this edition would turn into a LinkedIn-bro-trying-too-hard column where something basic gets turned into management advice. Thankfully it didn't. 😁
<<A Real Example from Linkedin for context: A lizard fell on me the other day and it made me realise that if a creature
built with such a solid suction mechanism could fall, even startups built with solid
PMFs can fail 🙃)
If I ever write anything that feels like a LinkedIn life/management advice post, please call me out!
Your mom being distracted on phone calls because of social media is funny and, dare I say, some form of karmic justice? My mother loves vlogs too. I don't always see the attraction of the content she follows but I think it's great that she enjoys it.
Thanks a lot for reading! :D
So beautiful and relatable! We miss the nuance of a tired ‘did you eat’ in our “busyness”. As always this one too hit the heart. These days i try to speak to both my parents everyday. My mother is tenacious in this. There are days when i can wait to put the phone down, but there are others when i really enjoy the stories she shares, her almost childlike emotions - innocent, as if she’s never felt it, that make it all worth it. Feeling the weight of time more and more as it passes. Writeups like this one reassure me, once again, that Im not alone. So, as always, thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you, as always, for your kind words, Reshma!
Your description of the phone calls is lovely. I hope it stays that way for a long time. :)
🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
This is so uncomfortably, heartbreakingly beautiful. If only we could send our letters to our mothers!
Thanks a lot, Sanobar. This was an attempt to do exactly that, in fact. :)
Also, Rohan - I have a teen who shares quite a lot with me :) We aren't as close thanks to the distance of screens/devices between us -but, I know he shares some bond with me lol Your essay made me emotional not as a daughter but, as a mother.
ha ha ha! I want to share something with you. My mother is a very private person. So, when one of my micro-essays got published in a literary journal, I shared it with her cousins - young and old. They congratulated Her! And she came around to ask me about it. After months of it getting published, I offered my mother my laptop for her to read it. She took longer than I expected so, I went over to look at what on earth was she doing?! Turns out, she was scrolling down to read the comments LOL and then said, “Asif (her cousin) ko bheja tmne?” LOL
Hahaha, that is so sweet. I am sure she was very proud.
And I hope your bond remains just as strong when he is no longer a teen.
Just beautiful, Rohan. And my eyes are moist with a lump in my throat while I type this. You hit too close for comfort this time.
Ah, I'm sorry, Gargi. And thank you! :)
Lovely essay Rohan. You transported me to this wonderful space where I assessed my own relationships - with my mother & also with my father ,who passed away very early! I love your writing style & how seamlessly you can be very vulnerable & also insert humour in the same breath! Keep writing!
Thanks a lot, Ajay! Appreciate it. :)
So heartfelt, Rohan. Thank you for the honest writing!
Thank you for reading, Doel. :)
This may well be your finest one yet. Well done. :)
That's very kind. Thanks so much, Shreya!
And you should have signed off the incest email with,
Best Retards...
Lovely piece
Thanks, Poli. <3
'I’ll visit soon — all of me is available to them, but only for a while' honestly made me well up. Thanks for writing this beautiful, heartfelt piece :)
Thank you, Aakriti.
Almost like my own journal has come to life. Thanks for this beautiful piece.
Glad it spoke to you, Vidushi. Thank you for reading!
Thank you for being so vulnerable and telling us about what, I suspect, resonates with many of us. I know it does with me. My mother is long passed, but I let our relationship drift under the pretext of her not knowing of my world of work. Its of course too late for me now, but its not for you. You have acknowledged the issue, which itself is a major part of the solution- now go out and fix it. All power to you!
Thank you so much, Sushil. Sorry to hear about you mother’s passing and I appreciate the kind note. :)