The Coochikoo

Ten-year-old Kabir stood blocking the front door, his arms crossed over his chest like a miniature bouncer. His older sister, 14-year-old Riya, rolled her eyes. She was wearing a simple knee-length dress, getting ready for her friend’s birthday party. "You can't wear that," Kabir announced, trying to deepen his voice. "And you have to be back by 6 PM. Papa isn't home, so I am the man of the house. I have to protect you." From the kitchen, their mother watched this scene unfold. It was cute, in a twisted, heavily conditioned sort of way. Kabir meant well. He had seen this in movies and heard it from older cousins. But his mother felt a chill. Was this what "protection" looked like? Control disguised as care? Look, boss, Raksha Bandhan is right around the corner. We will buy sweets, tie fancy threads, and post heavily filtered photos on Instagram with the hashtag #SiblingGoals. But if we dig a little deeper, we need to ask ourselves a very serious qu...

It's 10 PM. You just got back from a tiring day at work, and your phone buzzes. It’s the class WhatsApp group. The teacher has casually announced: "Tomorrow is the Eco-Friendly Rakhi Making Competition." Panic sets in. Your kid is looking at you with hopeful eyes, expecting you to produce a masterpiece out of thin air. You immediately think of grabbing that shiny plastic rakhi from the nearest stationary shop, tearing off the packaging, and calling it "upcycled." But wait, yaar. We need to talk about the reality of 2026. We Indians celebrate big, but our celebrations are choking the planet. After the festivities end, around 620 million rakhis, mostly containing plastic, are dumped every year. These discarded rakhis are loaded with plastic beads, synthetic threads, glitter, and foam. They end up in landfills or mixed waste, where they can sit for hundreds of years, contributing heavily to environmental pollution. The good news? The country is changing. In places ...

When a school announces a "Rakhi Making Competition" for a nursery or kindergarten kid, we all know it’s not really for the kid. It’s a direct exam for the parents. Your 4-year-old just wants to eat the Fevicol and play with the scissors, while you are sweating at 11 PM trying to make a perfect quilled peacock so Sharma ji’s kid doesn't beat yours. But here is a reality check. Our kids today are glued to screens. We hand them a phone just so they sit still. But it is costing them. According to recent 2025 studies, Indian children spending over two hours daily on screens are more likely to show delayed problem-solving abilities and a lower engagement in hands-on learning. The Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) strictly recommends a maximum of one hour of screen time per day for children aged 2 to 4 years. Why does this matter for a Rakhi competition? Because excessive screen time replaces crucial hands-on physical play, which leads to delayed fine motor skills. We are talk...