Moms who do it solo

f Mother’s Day was ‘ invented’ to give a big thanks to moms all over the world, then, in a weird way, it really is all about them. It’s not about the broader spectrum of parenting per se… we celebrate just the woman who gives us birth. So, in came a different, and rather unorthodox, thought. Single mothers. Women — separated, divorced or widowed — who bring up their kids single- handedly, without the help of a “man” in their lives. They are effectively the single- unit parenting structure: providing for the kids, bringing them up the best they can, ensuring their child doesn’t feel he/ she is “different” because they come from a singleparent household. No mean task that because, all said and done, society, even in modern times, can be cruel, insensitive and very judgemental. The magical thing about the brave ladies we spoke with is they’ve nurtured their kids into regular, sorted, grateful ones. A shout- out for single moms: Happy Mother’s Day.

Goa is one of my favourite places on this planet, so I was thrilled to read about the villa life — a new addition to the home- stay sector — out there in our Travel section. Can’t wait to visit one. Soon. In Bollywood, thespian Shabana Azmi waxes eloquently on her current starring status in the industry. Journalist Paul Salopek tells us why he’s travelling the world on foot, and why he thinks “whether we’re on the 40th floor in Manhattan or in a foxhole in Nagorno- Karabakh, there are 7 billion people in the world and 95 per cent of the time we all talk about the same thing…” Talking about trails, we also hit the food trail in India — as part of a culinary adventure called Tasting India. Did you know Finstagram — fake Instagram account — is now trending? Find out! All this and much more. Enjoy reading wknd. and have a great weekend.

THE Brave Ladies We Spoke WITH Have nurtured Their kids into regular, Sorted, grateful ones