‘My Mumma Writes Stories…For Me & the World’: Meet the Mothers at The Better India

6 am, Monday morning 

Is today the parent-teacher meeting? Did I mix up the dates?

What’s trending in the news today? Did last night’s story go up in time?

It’s health week; the school asked for healthy snacks. What should I pack?

That story has reached a million views! Incredible!

We need to crack the math problem before school today. There must be an easy way to do it.      

From the minute she rises, a gazillion thoughts vie for centre stage in her mind. She then manoeuvres through her mental checklist with razor-sharp precision. It takes all of an hour to bring the world under control and counter the chaos calmly.    

‘She’ is a mother. 

This Mother’s Day, we knocked on the virtual doors of the moms who make up The Better India. They lead teams, ideate campaigns, and script stories that cross a million views. Until today, you’ve commended them as journalists. Today, you get to know them as the wonderful moms they are, the multifaceted powerhouses of The Better India. 

1. ‘Mom…I want to become a mother, like the one you are to me.’

“Mumma, when will I become a mother?” Aanchal Bajpai’s toddler daughter asked her. 

Aanchal was amused. “Why do you want to become a mother?” 

“Because I want to do it like you,” the little girl replied. 

Her answer suggested that she admired the trail that her mother had forged. 

As a consultant client servicing manager, Aanchal’s day involves numerous calls. Finding quiet in the middle of two toddlers is a tough feat. But Aanchal emphasises that motherhood has taught her to master the art of chaos. 

“I took a long maternity break to be fully present for my two little munchkins. And when I finally returned to work, they didn’t take it well. They missed having me around all the time, and their little hearts couldn’t quite understand why Mumma suddenly had ‘office’.” 

But she points out, “When your children begin to recognise and admire the things you do — the juggling act, the effort, the love — you find yourself wanting to do it all a little more patiently, a little more lovingly.”

In Aanchal’s reminder, every mother can find comfort, “You are not just raising children. You are leaving footprints for little feet to follow.”

2. ‘Mom…you are my superhero.’

Co-founder of The Better India, Anuradha Parekh’s motherhood years have been a moodboard of experiences. “I often say that I had two babies back-to-back. One was The Better India — a dream that turned into India’s largest positive news platform. The other was my son, Taksh — my heart walking outside my body.” 

She continues, “The Better India was born just a year before Taksh came into my life. Back then, we had no playbook — not for entrepreneurship, and certainly not for parenting.” But her sense of passion and purpose was palpable. And guided by these rhythms of instinct, Anuradha navigated motherhood and work.  

Her learnings during these years are anecdotal. She recalls when baby Taksh started babbling during one client call. “The person on the other side laughed and said, “I love that your co-founder is already getting involved.” Their words made Anuradha realise that motherhood didn’t need to be hidden in the shadows of entrepreneurship. “It could walk right beside it.” 

She often wondered how Taksh perceived her work. So, one day, when she overheard him animatedly telling a friend, “My mom tells stories that help people,” Anuradha smiled. “That simple sentence reminded me why I do what I do,” she points out. 

Then, there was that day Taksh (a six-year-old at the time) walked into the room where Anuradha, nervous about a funding pitch, was sitting and showed her his hand-drawn poster. It said, “Mom, you are my superhero”, and had a tiny version of Anuradha wearing a cape. 

Calling the dual responsibility of being a mother and a founder simultaneously “messy, magical, exhausting, and empowering,” Anuradha emphasises that its gravitas lies in the overlap —“That tender space where Taksh grew up watching purpose, passion, and perseverance in action.”

3. ‘The best way to teach them to do better is simply to be better.’

Years ago, Leila Badyari Castelino, content lead, TBI – English, confided in a friend that she would never trade her career for motherhood; she didn’t want her ambitions stifled. “If I ever have a child, I need to have a career too. I never want them to think a woman belongs only in the home,” she’d said. 

When she did become a mother, in the middle of the pandemic, she wondered whether ‘having it all’ was indeed possible. Was an ideal balance an abstract concept — a fevered delusion? Well, she says, in retrospect, time changes your take on this.

“For years, I wrestled with the idea of balance, wondering if I was doing enough, being enough, in both roles. But slowly, I’ve let go of the need to get it all ‘right’. I’ve made peace by doing my best each day, as it comes.” And she recently found validation for her efforts in something her daughter Delilah said to her. 

“A few afternoons ago, I walked into the living room. She was sitting at her ‘desk’, toy laptop open, phone in hand, and her little doll neatly tucked beside her. She explained that she was ‘a mother, and a police officer who had a lot of work’.” Delilah put the case into point of how she, like her mother, was ensuring work and home were well looked after. 

Leila never realised how allegorical her routine had come to be for her daughter, who was picking up on every nuance. That’s when it hit her. “Perhaps, the best way to teach children to do better is simply to be better. Because they see everything — even the things we don’t realise we’re teaching,” Leila concludes. 

4. ‘Mumma, if you can manage it all…I can too.’

Wake up at 5.30 am — get ready — get seven-year-old Mishti ready  — drop Mishti off at school — rush to the office — rush back to pick her up — serve Mishti’s food — listen to her adventures of the day — get back to writing stories — repeat the next day. Manabi Katoch, chief editor of TBI – Hindi and Regional, maintained this hustle for years.  

While Manabi presumed Mishti was too young to understand, the little girl was picking up on every nuance. Today, her grades, her impeccable scheduling and her methodical nature hold up a mirror to the lessons that she learned from watching Manabi. 

“Mishti knows my endless sheets and my knack for planning everything well in advance. That’s how she learned to hustle herself, especially now, during her hectic Class 10. She plans her syllabus ahead of time to ace her exams. I never taught her these things. She simply watched and learned,” Manabi shares. 

While Mishti idolised Manabi’s stoicism, she hadn’t a clue that Manabi was quite nervous at pulling off this ‘supermom’ thing. When Manabi was tasked with transitioning from a remote role to an office role, while taking an expanding team under her wing, she recalls asking her boss frantically, ‘How will I manage everything?’ 

‘I know you can do it,’ she was told. And so, Manabi did. Today, in hindsight, she’s glad of being pushed into the deep end. “Her [my boss’s] one call didn’t just build my career — it helped my daughter grow up seeing a stronger mother who could do it all,” she shares. 

5. ‘Holding a baby in one arm and a laptop in the other is a blessing.’ 

“Modern parenting is no longer about lullabies and diapers; it’s about being present, mentally and emotionally, in every moment,” points out Meghna Bhati, product manager at The Better India. “It’s tough and unpredictable and mandates all your attention, energy, creativity, and sometimes a superpower or two.” Her honest admission barely scratches the surface of the emotional whirlwind that motherhood is. 

But Meghna hopes to do her best. 

She interprets the work-from-home as a blessing, adding that she was joined by her husband, who took a sabbatical, and her brother, who opted for work-from-home. “Two amazing men backing one superwoman — breaking every possible stereotype while casually smashing baby food goals and diaper duty like pros!” 

The support at home was mirrored at work, too. “From the moment I announced my pregnancy to the postpartum days, I’ve had constant check-ins, genuine concern, and endless encouragement,” she shares. Her team has helped her navigate the conundrums of returning to work as a new mom at each stage. 

“Thanks to my rockstar manager and an organisation that understands what real-work-life balance looks like, I’ve managed both worlds — without guilt, burnout, and without missing a single milestone,” Meghna points out. She adds, “I’ll never miss Ehaan, my son’s first crawl, first babble, first little tumble, and his ever-growing list of adorable firsts, and I’ll never miss out on the joy of contributing to exciting projects at work.”

Don’t be misled by the missing superhero cape when you spot her. Notice the laptop in one hand and the baby in the other. This balance is as good as any cape.  

6. ‘I can be there for their every milestone.’

In January this year, the English editorial team at The Better India dressed in shades of pink and changed their Google Meet backdrops to mimic their attire. If you’re wondering whether that’s how we brainstorm story ideas, not quite. The team was celebrating deputy editor (English) Pranita Bhat’s baby shower. In retrospect, the occasion demanded a double celebration…Pranita had twins. 

She’s now on the proverbial roller coaster — a very intrepid one. But Pranita rests assured that she has her team to count on when navigating work or deciphering Gen-Z slang (when her kids become fluent in it). 

As she segues into the memories of her pregnancy, she is all smiles. “Motherhood truly begins the moment you find out you’re pregnant. When I shared the news with my team, amidst an already transitional phase, they not only celebrated with me but also stood by me every step of the way. Their support made all the difference, allowing me to balance work and medical appointments easily. I was even able to work right up until the day before my delivery!”

As she prepares to “show up fully present as both, a mother and a professional”, she carries a quiet hope that her babies will imbue values of resilience, discipline and ambition. “I hope they grow up knowing it’s possible to chase your dreams while staying deeply rooted in love, care, and responsibility,” she adds. 

7. ‘Mumma, I want to write about kind people like you do.’

“Mummy, you should write about this uncle. He’s so old and still working hard.” Preety Taunk, senior sub-editor, TBI – Hindi, was amazed at her daughter Khushvika’s intuitiveness. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree; Khushvika gets her introspective nature from her mumma. 

Watching Preety navigate stories from selection to publishing, her daughters pick up on the subtleties. They’ve come to admire altruism. Preety’s best memories lie at the intersection of motherhood and journalism. “Whenever Khushvika sees something good, she points it out to me and suggests I do a story on it. Four years have passed with The Better India; in these years, my daughters have understood that people doing good work are special,” Preety shares. 

8. ‘I get to hold my baby while I work.’

You’ve loved The Better India’s social media game, and probably wondered who the creative genius behind the posts is. Look no further than Sanchari Pal, associate director – content & strategy, TBI-English. But you should know that she’s being supervised by a ‘tiny boss’ as she works her literary magic.

Baby Kiara learnt early on that the way to Sanchari’s heart is through a good ‘story peg’ and she can often be heard pitching stories to her teddy bear. “The other day, she declared, “I big girl! My work too!” Sanchari shares, proud of how Kiara is internalising this truth, “that work can be love, persistence, and showing up — even when your ‘office’ smells like spilt milk and baby wipes.” 

A big believer that motherhood doesn’t have to be at odds with one’s professional pursuits, Sanchari credits the work-from-home opportunity for giving her an uninterrupted front row seat to Kiara’s formative years. “I get to hold her while I work. What a gift.” 

Motherhood is a capricious dynamic; some days are sunshine — “There’s her sticky high-five after a successful post” — while others aren’t as breezy — “I’ve cried over cold chai on tough days, wondering if I’m half-assing both roles.” But every day, in all its messy glory, has textured Sanchari’s understanding of life. “So I’ll keep juggling. Kiara is watching me build something — not just a career — but proof that women can thrive in the glorious, imperfect in-between.” 

9. Changing diapers in between scripting videos that cross a million views

Shrutika Chand, video producer, TBI – Hindi, is watched closely by her one-year-old son as she slots her day’s tasks. The little boy then proceeds to mimic her, furiously typing away gibberish on his toy laptop. 

Shrutika’s take on motherhood contests the notion that once they become mothers, women should recalibrate their entire lives. It’s important to find a semblance of balance, she notes. 

“There are days when you are just exhausted. Finding your peace and calm is not easy because your brain is constantly processing things,” she explains. But, in her case, a naughty smile from her son is all it takes to perk up her mood. 

In the last year, Shrutika has resorted to some hacks: “If going to the gym is too much for me, I’ll take a 20-minute walk before the baby wakes up. Instead of hurrying to write scripts in the early hours of the morning, I script after the baby sleeps. If I can’t find the time to read every day, I make time for an hour on Sunday.” 

10. ‘Mumma…I want to be a journalist like you.’

Vidya Gowri Venkatesh, consultant senior editor, TBI – English, is no stranger to mom guilt. “It’s always latched on to me no matter what I do,” she is honest. But she finds the antidote in the admiration of her five-year-old daughter Vedasree. 

The little girl watches and learns as her mother breezes through interviews and edits the brazen stories you read. “I want to be a journalist like you,” she often says. The remote work culture at The Better India — something Vidya calls a blessing — is the reason Vedasree is so closely privy to her amma’s (as Vedasree fondly calls Vidya) work. Vidya adds, “In a way, it [remote work] is validation for mothers. It goes to say that we shouldn’t give up our careers just because we became mothers.”

Edited by Leila Badyari Castelino

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