We grew up in an era where Hindi films shaped our ideas about life. In those movies, mothers sacrificed everything for their children while expecting nothing in return.

But real life, I would later discover, was far more nuanced.

After my mother moved to Bangalore to live with me, our evening chai sessions became a space for candid conversations — revisiting old memories and, sometimes, setting them straight.

One evening, I asked if she knew I had once asked Papa to remarry and bring me a kinder, gentler mother. I even confessed that after a particularly sharp spanking, I had wondered how I could hire a goon to “do away” with her!

She already knew. Then, with a mischievous look, she admitted she had often thought of pushing me off the terrace!

Shocked, I asked, “But isn’t a mother’s love meant to be unconditional?”

Her reply stayed with me: “All relationships — even between parent and child — carry expectations. Relationships need investments, and with investment comes an expectation of returns.”