Weekend Trip to Rishikesh, India

My husband and daughter’s birthday fall just one day apart in May and we always try to celebrate these two days by going on a short trip.

Last year, we decided to go to some hilly area to get a respite from Delhi’s heat but we were not looking for the usual touristy location. We just wanted to relax and spend two days close to the nature and hence we zeroed on the area around Rishikesh - a city in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand, in the Himalayan foothills beside the Ganges River.

As we wanted to spend these two days in a tranquil and serene environment we looked for places around the city rather than main Rishikesh city.The place has some great resorts to choose from and after doing our research we finalized a boutique resort “Raga on the Ganges". This resort is around 30 Km away from Rishikesh on the Devprayag road and there are various options nearby like rafting, trekking etc. It is built on a hill and offers gorgeous view of the valley along with River Ganga.

Working vs Stay at Home Mother - Do we really need this debate?

Being a working mother, I get asked a lot of time - how do you give time to your kid? Doesn't she feel lonely or left out? It must be very hard for her?

To all these questions, I have only one answer - Quality is important than quantity. I feel confident when my daughter showers me with hugs and kisses, tells me how much she is proud of me and how well I take care of her. That reaffirms my belief and also the fact that I do not need to give justification to others.

I am not a judgmental person at all and do not like to be judged too. But then I don't feel offended also when I get bombarded with these questions. This confidence stems from the fact that I have a wonderful inspiration in front of me - my mom! Just like my daughter, I was also an only child and my mother used to work full time. But still, she structured her work life so beautifully around me that I did not feel left out or yearning for her love even for a second. I knew that I was the center of her universe and her will power and ability to balance everything so well instilled the Quality vs Quantity belief in me.