Mugdha Singh, Author at Arré

Death is All Around Us! Why Indians Need to Start Talking about the Will More Openly

The uncertainty that Covid-19 has brought has made most of us acknowledge our mortality. People in their 30s and 40s are rushing to draw up their wills. So why are Indians so wary of them? If you so much as mention one, you risk getting reprimanded, because, thoo thoo, who talks about death like that? Can we really afford to look away now?

Mugdha Singh June 29, 2016

POV

That’s Me in the Corner: A Survival Guide for Introverts This Diwali

Truth be told, I have always been a bit of a goofball when it comes to social gatherings. Why can’t we, for instance, have a virtual Diwali party for introverts instead? So easy to mark attendance, send a colourful heart, and then log out.

Mugdha Singh June 17, 2016

Modern Family

Mere Paas “Maa-si” Hai: Do We Thank Our Almost-Mothers Enough?

Mothers are a separate species, the collective reason for a warm, comforting glow in the lives of so many of us. But after I lost my mother, I found pieces of her in other women in my life. Some of them look like her, some of them sound like her, and I realise that my mother continues to live and look after me through all these “maa-sis”.

Mugdha Singh June 13, 2016

Coronavirus

I’m Done with WFH & Cooking Experiments! Lockdown Fatigue is Real

The first few months of the lockdown weren’t so bad for People Like Us. We didn’t have to meet annoying colleagues, we saved money by not going out with friends. But now, as Lockdown 2021 seems imminent, we may be experiencing “Lockdown Fatigue”. We are trying to find any excuse that allows us to go out.

Mugdha Singh June 11, 2016

POV

What We Should Talk About When We Talk About Nationalism to Our Children

When my five-year-old niece confused India with South Africa while watching a cricket match, I realised that none of us are born with a sense of nationalism. Instead, it is something that is taught to us, piece by piece, line by line, until it becomes a part of our identity.

Mugdha Singh May 29, 2016

Technology

Dear Blackberry, you were more than just a phone

Gadgets today look, sound and feel like each other, but only a decade ago, one of them stood out from the rest, most incredibly for seeing the future but failing to jump on its wagon.

Mugdha Singh May 15, 2016

POV

Mama’s Shawl, Papa’s Wallet… Is It Alright to Give Away Your Dead Parents’ Belongings?

Our loved ones live on in us and in our memories, but they also live on in the little and not-so-little things they leave behind. Discarding the things that belonged to my mother and father has been a wrestling match between sentimentality and practicality.

Mugdha Singh May 11, 2016

Pop Culture

The Shades of Grey that Make Harvey Specter Fascinating

As the final season of Suits airs today, I can’t process the fact that this will be the last time I will see Harvey Specter sit down in his office with the finest scotch in hand, surrounded by signed basketballs, and an enviable LP collection. To paraphrase one of his evergreen catchphrases, anyone can do his job, but no one can be him.

Mugdha Singh May 4, 2016

Modern Family

My Sisters and I Cremated Our Father. And Every Daughter Must Be Part of their Parents’ Final Journey

I struggle to understand people’s apprehension toward daughters performing the last rites of their parents. The act of seeing the last physical trace of your loved one be engulfed in the fire is essential to getting closure, to realising that we will never see them in the physical realm anymore.

Mugdha Singh March 16, 2016