By Vidya Pradhan “Hey, here is a story about a girl who would rather read comic books than practice piano,” I said, hiding a grin. “Let me see, let me see,” said my 11-year old son, who is definitely guilty of the same behavior. He grabbed the magazine out of my hands. By the end of the evening the glossy pages were sticky with jam and milk and decorated in curry colors. Such is the power of Kahani .

By Nandini Minocha A very odd title for an article isn’t it? I guess it’s not something most people think about. Unfortunately it is something that affects me and my life profoundly. As a parent of an autistic child, I am often faced with situations where well meaning people around me flounder when they encounter certain types of behavior peculiar to the special needs world. So here is my little primer for all you wonderful people out there who would like to approach my world with sensitivity and kindness.

Let’s admit it – most of our knowledge of Indian mythology comes from Amar Chitra Kathas. And even here, 7000 miles away from home, most of us have a couple of those comics stashed away in our bookshelves. Indian books are our link to our childhood, a sometimes tenuous link with our culture that we would like to hold on to and pass on to our kids. Desi Knowledge, the brainchild of Monica Khosla, is one such company which aims to help us do just that.

By Vidya Pradhan Conclusion of our two part series on adoption:   M is a long time resident of the Bay Area. After several unsuccessful attempts at fertility treatments had left the family emotionally and physically battered, her husband suggested adoption. Her parents, who could not bear to see her suffer through the pain of one more round of IVF, also got on board with the idea. It was M herself who was most resistant to the idea. It is not surprising that a woman’s sense of self is so tied in with her ability to be a mother.

By Rohini Mohan A two-part series on adoption From diaperdom to grandchildren, from soccer practice to graduation, from the tooth fairy to teenage, parenthood is one wondrous, heady, incredible journey. Sure there are tense moments and crazy moments and hectic ones and frustrating ones. I have felt more than once that I am just not equal to the job. But I do know for a fact that I never want to get off this treadmill, because raising a kid is just so worth it. There are those who will not have kids which is a matter of choice. But where do you turn when you want to have kids and cannot?