Lakshmi Iyer's Blog, page 3
April 11, 2025
Documentary Premiere: Love, Chaos, Kin at CAAMFest 2025
The documentary on our family premieres at the CAAMFest on May 11th. The screening is at 2:00 pm at the AMC Kabuki 1 theater in Japantown, San Francisco.
April 9, 2025
Birthday Baby!
“It’s birthday eve, wake up.” I caress Laddu’s forehead as I cajole her into waking. Her sleepy eyes look at mine before fluttering shut. “In a minute…” she mumbles as I leave. All week long, I have been celebrating this child of mine. She is a gawky tween. A child on the cusp of teenhood.…
March 21, 2025
Sweet Sixteen Darlings
“Can I pretty please get a picture of the two of you?” I run behind Ammu as she dodges me and disappears into the neighboring room. I look at my phone camera app and see the other twin bending over to tie her shoelaces. I click and she looks up. I click again. “Mom!” the…
March 8, 2025
Melo Movie: A Ponderous Exploration Of Grief And Love
This ten episode #kdrama #MeloMovie on @Netflix written by Lee Na-eun, directed by Oh Chung-hwan and starring Choi Woo-shik, Park Bo-young, Lee Jun-young, Jeon So-nee, and Kim Jae Uck is pure cinema. Over ten hours, we are acquainted with and eventually get to know intimately all the characters. What is love?What is grief?What is passion?What…
March 7, 2025
The Art Of Representation
I load the dishes after a take out dinner of mooli parathas and chhole. Pattu is at the table by the kitchen, her MacBook open, a note card by the side muttering to herself. The whole scene is incongruous. I have never seen any of my girls actually do school work at home. I finish…
February 22, 2025
Discordant Time
“We made a TikTok on my friends account but don’t worry we didn’t show our faces” I am walking around my home sipping on coffee when I see the text. My youngest also sends the said video. I watch it not quite sure what to expect. It is cute. The music is preppy and the…
February 10, 2025
Superbowl LIX And Subversive Art
In the run up to the Super Bowl LIX, I spent hours on TikTok and Instagram watching reels about the makeup of the Eagles team. Given my political leanings and where I live, there was no question whom I was rooting for. Being a #Swiftie, I have been plugged into the Chiefs as well, notably…
February 7, 2025
Musings On Love
The doorbell rings. I realize with a start that I forgot to open the garage door for the kids. I make coffee while my girls wash up and sit for coffee and snacks. I cut myself a slice of cake and as an afterthought, break off a piece of the yezhu suthu murruku from my…
January 29, 2025
Joy As Resistance
It’s a little past my usual breakfast time. I open the pantry and decide on an English muffin. I pick the yellow serrated knife slicing it cleanly in half and pick up the crumbs left behind. I set out the butter and debate for a moment before settling on strawberry preserves. Breakfast is a ritual…
January 22, 2025
Democracy To Dystopia
The sun glinting off the packed snow on the sides is blinding me. The roads are a hazy white, a fine layer of salt ground to dust by the cars that ply on them incessantly. I am driving slowly. My mind is heavy. I am heading back home after dropping my youngest at her school…
