Anand’s story in his own words- Comic Con Saga

 Anand wanted me to write about his adventures — but I wanted him to use his own words.

(Funny as it sounds, when he was little, he would often point or gesture instead of speaking. Worried about his speech delay, I would gently remind him, “Use your words.”)

So he did use his words — only this time, he wrote them for his mom.
Below are Anand’s stories, written by him, pretending to be me.

Hey, what the hell are you doing, interfering with movie and tv show characters?"

"It's Comic-Con, man. It's like a multi-verse.

A…multi…verse? Where does Anand come up with these terms? I don't even know how to say it or what it even means!

If you think costumes are only for Halloween parties, you thought wrong. If you had any costumes you wore for Halloween this year, definitely save them. That's what Anand did after he and I went to a Halloween party hosted by my husband's colleague in Shirley, MA.

Comic-Con has also been another rare event in our family's lives. Far more rare than plays, concerts, and musicals, to name a few. And what would spark interest in Anand to attend Comic-Con? A program called OpenSky, but that's not all. Anand has been watching bits and piettuces of movie scenes at home for reasons he won't share with me. And of those "bits and pieces of movie scenes" happened to be from Ted 2, a 2015 fantasy and comedy movie starring Anand's favorite hero, Mark Wahlberg. Just like the South Arcade concert, I had no idea how serious Anand was about Comic-Con when he put it on the calendar! He also knew what he would expect: large crowds and people in costumes. Comic-Con tickets are so expensive, so I have to thank OpenSky for making a trip like this possible. Most Comic-Con events happen elsewhere in America, preferably in California, Florida, or any state that is hundreds of miles away from where we live. This Comic-Con took place at the Amica Mutual Pavilion and Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI, which was less than 50 miles from where we live (Anand and Dad agreed on going to malls that are less than 50 miles).

Anand agreed to take lots of pictures and he got a lot of them with those in costume. He was a little hesitant, worried some would say no, but thankfully, it went smooth for him. While there were a lot of food vendors, they were really expensive and some only take cash, but Anand was able to get some food using his debit card. He could've had something from the food vendors if Anand made some tip money (or side money) at work (when Anand helps customers at work putting groceries into their cars, sometimes they would give him tip money as a way of saying "thank you").

Getting a pic with famous celebrities at Comic-Con was also expensive, but this was all Anand's first experience at Comic-Con, so he didn't know what to expect. Anand could've stayed longer, but felt a lot of sweat from his "Noble Knight" costume, so Dad went to pick him up from Comic-Con. The next evening, I saw him making a poster of his Comic-Con adventure, since he already made a poster about the South Arcade concert he went to in October.

This has been another milestone for Anand, going to Comic-Con in costume, the second milestone after the South Arcade concert. This man is really stepping out of his comfort zone, taking the train to Boston, taking a ferry, attending a concert, and now his first ever Comic-Con experience. Next stop, Anand's first Gala!

A Banarasi for a festival meet

Anand’s Concert Adventure — Mom’s Side of the Story

 There are so many things I do not know about my sons. We get to know things about them randomly. I didn’t even know that a group called South Arcade (from the UK) existed — or that Anand loved them!

On July 12th, Anand decided to buy a ticket for their concert in Cambridge, scheduled for October.
His favorite movies have been on my calendar for months — which is normal, because you see those ads on TV. But this concert? I had no idea how serious he was until he booked the ticket and added the event to our family calendar.

It was a Wednesday evening concert, right in the middle of the week. Anand had no idea how he would get there — he just wanted to go. For things like this, he usually goes to his dad because mom tends to ask too many questions (and might say no!).

Making him independent and having him take public transport had always been on my list. And, somewhere unrelated to this, after a big argument in September — as always — something shifted. Anand became public-transport independent!

I wrote earlier about how he started taking the commuter rail, subway, and even the ferry, exploring the city on his own.

Finally, October arrived. The best part — we didn’t have to drive him to Cambridge for the concert. Anand would take the train!

My husband and I both had to be in the office that Wednesday, each with important meetings. But there was no panic in the house, no arguments, no stress — just a plan. Anand would take the train and go to the city.

He took the local GATRA bus to Franklin Station, the commuter rail to Boston, and then the Red Line to Cambridge. He hung out at the Cambridge Mall, ate somewhere nearby, and settled into the concert venue by 6 p.m.

He kept us updated throughout — his departure, his arrival, everything. We even discussed backup plans in case the concert ran late. The last train would get him to Franklin Station by 1 a.m., and one of us would pick him up.

After 7:30 p.m., pictures started appearing on our phones — his happy face glowing with excitement.

At 9:15 p.m., I got a FaceTime call. He was over the moon, talking about how amazing the concert was. I quickly checked the train schedule and reminded him that there was an earlier train he could take home.

He took the Red Line back to South Station and boarded the Franklin train. He kept sharing his live location, so we knew exactly where he was. We met him at Franklin Station at 11 p.m.

Oh, how happy and excited Anand was! I took a few pictures — the joy on his face was priceless. I couldn’t wait to hear every detail of his evening.

The next morning, he airdropped all the pictures and — to my surprise — asked me to write about it. That was so unlike Anand! I encouraged him to write his own story, but he insisted that I should do it.

That’s how this blog got delayed.

Keep dreaming. Keep pushing. Things do get better.

A few weeks later, there was another concert — one of its own kind.
A mother, who herself has a child on the spectrum and is also a professional singer, decided to organize a concert in a special-needs-friendly way.

Many families from the Desi Moms Network could finally experience something like this because it was designed especially for our community — sensory-friendly, welcoming, and completely free for these families.

For several parents, it was the very first time they could take their kids to a musical event without worry or hesitation. The joy in that room was beyond words.

It was truly one of a kind. She was phenomenal on stage, performing with her amazing crew — creating not just music, but memories and hope for so many families. 

A Tussar silk for the evening

Anand and his concert adventure - in his words

 Anand wanted me to write about his concert outing and I insisted he should. I deliberately delayed So he wrote for his mother.

So here it is — his story, his words, written straight from the heart (and for his mom!).

Please read with extra love…

Concert outings are very rare in our family. Well, I mean, in Anand's point of view. Almost everywhere we go, Anand always has his noise cancelling headphones on, whether it's listening to music, or going to places that are extremely loud, such as movie theaters, party events, or nightclubs, to name a few. But what surprised me the most was when Anand had some exciting news: on July 12th, 2025, Anand purchased tickets to see a pop punk band from the United Kingdom, South Arcade, who were on an American Tour live, performing at the Middle East Restaurant in Cambridge. There was an obstacle that Anand had to address: the day and date that South Arcade would perform was on Wednesday, October 15th, which was a work day for him. Around September, Anand requested time-off on both Wednesday and Thursday, since the concert would start at 6:30pm. Another obstacle was taking a train back home. The last train leaving from South Station to Franklin was at 11:55pm, but neither me or Dad would be awake at that time, so we asked Anand to keep us posted whenever possible. After taking the Green Line to Boston, the Red Line from South Station to Andrew (where Anand walked around South Bay Center), Anand has two plans, one to take the Orange Line to Assembly Row, and another to Wellington (then walk to the Gateway Center and Encore Casino). Anand says he's "spent hours studying roads on Google Maps," and he was right.

The day of the concert finally came, and Anand couldn't stop thinking about it. Dad and I were at work, Ajey was home, but neither of us could drop Anand at the station, so he booked a GATRA ride. Anand kept in touch with us when he was on the train, at South Station, then at the Middle East Restaurant. Anand agreed to take a lot of pictures of the band and the concert, but he also knew what to expect. Loudness, people inadvertently bumping into each other, and huge crowds were, as he said, "totally normal at concerts." When the concert ended at 9:35pm, Anand facetimed me and Dad while we were watching TV, and he was yelling with joy, saying he had a amazing night of his life. Drenched in sweat, Anand improvised and took the Red Line from Central to South Station, then safely boarded a train to Franklin, coming home around 11:32pm.

This has been a huge experience, more so than taking the subway to Boston and boarding a ferry to Hingham Shipyard. Willingly attending a concert by himself at a nightclub became an even BIGGER step forward. Next adventure: first Comic-Con experience in Providence, Rhode Island.

A Banarasi for a Gala at Iconic Boston Library Oct 16th 2025 Posse Foundation

A House Full of Stories - a story-teller in making

 We grew up in a household full of books and magazines.

We read a lot of Hindi literature while also staying up to date on what was happening in the world. We all listened to the news, read newspapers, and those weekly and biweekly political magazines.

Our dad loved reading English novels too. In the evenings, he would translate them into Hindi for us, and we would wait eagerly for the next day’s chapter. Since we all went to Hindi-medium schools, we needed his translation :)
Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes made us wait for the next evening’s story.

With all those household chores, helping mom, taking care of four daughters, and a full-time job — I honestly don’t know where he found the time!

I’ve often been asked how I manage to do everything I do — I think I got my parents’ genes. Finding time for what you love is something I learned from them.
Over the years we cleaned out our parents’ house and let go a lot stuff, the library was the one thing that stayed.

I read a lot of Hindi literature but later I switched to non fictions.  Later, I tried reading some of those suspense thrillers myself but didn’t enjoy them as much. I think my dad was the best storyteller — not the stories themselves.

Now, our conversations often revolve around the family tree he’s been working on for the last five-plus years. I’m not too interested in the relatives, but his stories about them are always intriguing.

My grandma (Dadi) used to read storybooks during the day and narrate them to us in her own style at night. With so many grandkids, she needed something new every day — and that was such a brilliant way to replenish her stories.

What do you remember from your childhood? What did you read? Do you remember your grandmother’s stories?
If you grew up in India, do you remember those kids’ magazines — Nandan, Champak, parag, Amar Chitra Katha, Chandamama, and Indrajal Comics? 

A Tussar SIlk for the annual gala for Federation for Children with Special Needs. I am one of the board members. 

Some of the board members 

 I donate my Indian cooking lesson for the raffles. Such a fun experience sharing my culture and cuisines to new families every year.

The change of season and change of mood.

The first week of fall and I can feel the difference in so many ways. It was like yesterday when I had to put my shades on because the sun was rising up and I drive east all the way to work. And now it’s dark when I leave home, and sunrise is delayed. The air is crisp and a little chilly. I still don’t need a sweatshirt yet, but full sleeves feel good. The weather change can be a reminder that we need to be flexible. The things which were necessary yesterday are no longer important today.

I still can see green everywhere, but some of the trees are already changing color and are ready to get rid of the old leaves.
Last Saturday, Action Museum had a caterpillar lab when I took my group there, and I saw a larva becoming a pupa, leaving the old skin.

I think it’s nature‘s way of reminding us to let go of things which don’t serve our purpose. It might be values, philosophy, habits, lifestyle, and sometimes people.
The cleaning of the house, letting go of old stuff, is another reminder. Like our spring or fall cleaning, we need to declutter our mind too. This might be a time to look into adopting a new lifestyle, upgrading the philosophy, trying a new hobby, or changing the genre of movies or books.
Just stepping away from day-to-day chores and mindset, taking a break, and thinking differently.

Let’s adopt the change in season and do some more - inside and out.

A simple cotton for work. Festival season upon us, time to take some of my silks out.

Small Steps, Big Adventures: Anand's Train saga

Anand loves going to the mall and walking. I don’t know what the connection is with mall walking, but that’s his thing. For years, his dad would drive him, and Anand would walk for 90 minutes, change in the mall restroom, and then they’d head back home.

While Anand walked, Dad would sleep or read in the car. I, on the other hand, was never very thrilled about the idea, so I usually did my own thing. A couple of times I tagged along, but honestly, it just wasn’t fun for me.

I’ve been nudging Anand to take the train and go wherever he wants, but with Dad always ready to drive, why would he bother trying something new? This little “mall routine” even became a point of argument between Anand and me (or really, between me and Mr. Husband). Dad’s philosophy was always, “Anand will do it when he’s ready.” Mine was, “He won’t be ready unless we push him a little.”

Finally, in one of those arguments, Dad gave in. He told Anand that if he wanted a mall trip by car, he first had to take one train ride to Boston. Honestly, I think he only said it to shut me up.

Little did he know how Anand would react. A couple of months ago, Anand did try a solo train ride from Boston, but he switched lines, ended up taking different line, and panicked. Dad had to drive a few miles to get him. After that, Anand swore off trains.

But this time, because Dad put his foot down, Anand had no choice.

So, last weekend, Anand—reluctantly and a little annoyed with me, convinced it was all my idea—took the train into Boston. He walked around on his own and came back safely. The trip went so smoothly that by the time he got home, he was already planning his next adventure.

This Saturday, he pushed it further—he took the Green Line from Newton into the city. Roamed around Seaport enjoying a trip to Museum of Icecream and took the commuter rail back.

Then on Sunday, he added another layer: he took the ferry from Boston to Hingham Shipyard. He had it all planned—tickets booked by Thursday, schedule sorted. He even had lunch at his favorite spot: Wahlburgers headquarters.

Google Maps and Google Earth—you’ve been lifesavers. I’m so grateful.

It’s been an experience for all of us—learning when to let go, when to give a gentle nudge, and when to push a little more firmly. 

Festival season and Sarees :) a simple Kanji Cotton for a meet.

Paint and sip saga we didn’t sip much but sure painted a lot

 Having kids with needs in the family means parent’s  social circle social life is limited to the therapies classes appointments and woking on resources for their child.

And if mom is also working, even the responsibilities are shared, it mostly falls on mother. I always talk how women are brainwashed or raised with “the caretaker“ concept.  To take time out for something they enjoy or to do something for themselves. It’s such a foreign concept .

My mission is always about supporting them first then their children. keeping that in mind I organized a paint and meet up for the mothers.  Grateful to the grant we got.

The place was booked couple of weeks ago and the planning began. We had space for 20 people, but we stretched our limit added a few more. that day 25 of us showed up to hang out, chitchat, enjoy some  snacks and  drinks. 

The 3 hours ona sunday afternoon turned into laughter, jokes, conversation, and beautiful hydrangeas on the canvas. One of the mother had her cell phone right next to her with very attentive mindset, but slowly she could let go the worries and enjoy the grown-up company.

On the way back, I kept thinking how wonderful to have this kind of opportunities and places where we could belong without our kids or family responsibilities. Knowing very well that we are connected because of our children, but we still find various other threads to keep us together and keep us connected.

I also learned a few lessons not to take everything on me, include others in planning and sometime let them decide the course of the day where I can just sit and enjoy.

We’re gonna do another event soon and that would be just the rain and repeat cycle.

The mom’s exactly know the expectations in preparation. I might be able to sit back and relax and maybe take out the artist in me and nurture it because this time my painting was the worst. I couldn’t even bring it home. It was that bad.

I take solace thinking I didn’t paint well but enjoyed the company.

I cannot thank the instructor and the owner of Pinot palette. They were wonderful, kind and patient. They exactly knew that these mothers were not there for painting.but to breathe, laugh and feel like ourselves again. They provided us a no judgment zone, empathy, and some funny moment for that we are grateful. 

The dream team

My master piece  

A simple cotton for work - Saree Monday