The 2024 Desi Planner cover!

This is the first year of motherhood for me, which comes with a lot of reflection about our childhood (mine and my siblings) and my baby’s childhood. I’ve been thinking a lot about how he is going to grow up and how his core memories will look different from our core memories of growing up in India.

While neither Shreshtha nor I quite mastered kite flying, it was always one of the happiest times and seasons of our childhood. We had older cousins that would “compete” with and have friendly neighborhood rivalries with other kids in the neighborhood over who flew their kites with most skill. And more importantly, who could skillfully cut the flying thread off another kite!

During kite flying season (in mid to late Summer), playtime would move from the streets and alleys to the rooftops.

We have especially fond memories of visiting our maternal grandparents’ (Nani-Nanu’s) home in Uttar Pradesh where they lived in a big home with 9 of our cousins!

I can still see the bright and beautiful colors of kites dotting the bright blue sky when I close my eyes.

The cover for the 2024 Desi Planner is personal.  It also represents a bringing together of people, of a simple time in our lives when all we worry about is our kite flying skills, and of a whimsical and joyful part of our collective culture.

Aastha