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,........

© The Better India