Fluky Wisdom

An Instagram reel has been trending, featuring a scene from Life in a... Metro starring Irrfan Khan and Konkona Sen Sharma. Intrigued by the scene, I started watching the movie. While the film weaves together three parallel stories, Irrfan Khan’s storyline stands out—it’s heartwarming and makes us believe in the simplicity of love. The same Irrfan Khan who nailed his roles in Qarib Qarib Singlle and Piku . What makes his portrayal of love feel so unique and deeply romantic—not in a clichéd way—is his honesty, sincerity, light-hearted charm, and the quiet respect he shows toward the women in his life.  In all three films, his character wins over strong, independent, short-tempered women—Piku, Shruti, and Jaya—who have built walls around themselves, are quick to go on the defensive, and are easily triggered. Yet by the end, each of them realizes: it just takes the right man to dissolve all the doubts and break down those barriers. After all, women don’t need grand gestures. Just so...

Toddlers and emotional quotient? Really? With all the tantrums peaking between the ages of 2 and 3, and their logic-less meltdowns, how much do they really understand and sense our emotions? Well—much more than we expect. I’m just amazed at how empathetic a two-year-old can be, and how fiercely we should protect that quality. Sometimes, their love feels like the warm hug we all adults need in this chaotic, busy life. My very active, naughty child has become quite a pain in the... you know what I mean :) But the way she senses when something isn’t right is just amazing. She also knows what makes me—or us—angry. She knows exactly whom to approach to open her chocolate (definitely not Mumma), whom to go to when she’s hurt, and who the go-to person is to get pampered. But she also knows how to appease the angry ones—through kisses, naughty side glances, songs, and more kisses. Once, when I said, “Mihira, I’m angry,” she looked at me with deep concern and asked, “What happened, Amma?” The...