“You have put on so much weight” is one line that can, unfortunately, dampen the spirits of even the most positive people around. And in our country, the line is used so casually, without even an ounce of thought given towards how it will make the recipient feel.

And I can personally vouch for this as someone who’s gone through the beats of body shaming and judgment for a long time now. Contrary to my way of being pre-marriage, I’ve been at the receiving end of some of life’s toughest obstacles, including four miscarriages, the loss of both my father and father-in-law, and, of course, the infamous Coronavirus, all back to back in a span of six years.

Every year, my visits to the hospital surpass any outing that I’ve had with my husband. So you can imagine the toll that all of this, accompanied by people’s frivolous comments on my life, had on my mental health. There were several times when the loss of a baby and the pain that followed made me question whether it was all even worth it.

But I guess after every tribulation comes a phase where one realizes their true potential. In my case, the takeaway from the chaos was that I was finally able to discover my identity. Earlier, everything, right from my idea of marriage to even my likes and dislikes, was naive and shaped by external opinions and factors. Marriage, for instance, I felt was all about material validation before my husband showed me what true love meant!

His first priority is and has always me and never society’s expectations from us as a couple. And throughout our testing times, he’s handheld me towards becoming a better version of myself. The independence and importance I was provided, in hindsight, made me realize that all of it was, in fact, a blessing in disguise.

And today, I stand tall as a proud wife, taking her life by the day and dedicating time to the little joys. I’ve restarted painting- a passion, I’ve also had the fortune of teaching! My students are all young children who wait for me to come back from my breaks and look forward to my classes. From longing for one kid to a whole plethora of them craving my presence, I guess the universe truly has its way of balancing joys out!”