Jeo Baby’s The Great Indian Kitchen does not minimise women’s hard work in the kitchen to “mamta aur pyaar”. Instead, it follows the “show don’t tell” route to narrate the story of women whose entire day revolves around the four meals demanded by the men who feel entitled to their labour.

I’ve come to understand that my Sindhi identity is deeper than the bling and the money and the kadhi chawal. Its roots are about being rootless, about restarting life from zero.

My Aunt Astrid had an affair with a married man, who finally picked his wife over her. She showed me that carrying bitterness in your heart is counterproductive, especially when you know what you are in for once you agree to be the “other person” in a relationship.

As I near my 40th birthday, I have realised that I am neither the sort to go crazy with champagne, nor be forlorn and regretful. So I’m celebrating “The Year of Magical Doing”, where I prioritise writing letters, reading short stories, collecting recipes – basically, doing everything I loved as a kid.

Ravish Kumar exists beyond the TV screen, but speaks as if seated on the couch next to you, rarely talking down to your wisdom. The Ramon Magsaysay award winner has changed Indian news by refusing to perform for it, by declining to withdraw from his image, his roots, his Bihari tongue and identity.

As a person named Parita, I feel inclined to point out that it isn’t too much to expect our parents to give us simple, common names that have meaning and which everyone can pronounce. Forget Kias and Tias, if you want to be truly radical in 2019, call your kid Pooja or Rahul.

When I’d get caught up in a gyre of low self-esteem, pity, sadness, and loneliness, I’d scoop oodles of cream into the custard or binge on tubs of ice-cream. Food became my favourite weapon to beat stress and soon my cravings took over my life.

The norm has always been for women, however accomplished they may be, to play second fiddle to more powerful men in their lives. Now, a new, if somewhat rare, breed of man has emerged, willing to step into those shoes and subvert this gender imbalance.

Food blogs are constantly adapting to every new diet trend, perpetually coming up with questionable keto, vegan, and Whole 30 spins on traditional favourites. While their creative thinking is laudable, surely we can all agree that spiralised zucchini makes a salad, not a pasta dish?

There was a time I’d walk away from an altercation feeling confused, foolish, and chastised. On occasion, I’ve even been grateful that the man in question was being such a good sport about the embarrassing “misunderstanding”. Not anymore. I refuse to be gaslighted.