Humans of Bombay

On that stage, I was not ManushiI was simply Miss India. The Miss World Competition was in China that year and when I was crowned Miss World, seeing everyone scream India was overwhelming. Representing India on the global stage, and knowing that we won was unreal, I cant put that feeling into wor...

Shaan was only 4, when he found a sanitary napkin in my bag. And Shaan being his curious self asked me, Mom, why do you wear a diaper? At that time, for a second, I went blank Kya bolu usko? But thats when I remembered, while I was growing up, this was a very hush hush topic at home. Whenever I ...

TW: Depression & Self-harmIt was early 2015, I was 19 & was away at an NCC camp. There, one evening, as we sat by the campfire, I saw someone staring & after a while she smiled at me. I instantly felt as if a warm light had embraced me. It felt good. But the next morning, I felt disgusted. Im str...

TW: Graphic ContentLast year in Dec, Madhavan complained of stomach pain. His stomach also began enlarging. After a few tests, the doctor said, He has a rare genetic disorder. Madhavan had Gaucher disease. His body was unable to break down fats. Because of this, his spleen had swollen up. They sa...

Growing up in a middle-class family, I knew that, Jitna tha, utne mein main khush nahi rehta. I wanted to become the 1st businessman in my family. But I knew Id to start small. During my graduation, I started selling products as a freelancer. I learned the nitty-gritties of business. And while I ...

TW: War George: We had heard rumours that Saddam Hussein was going to invade Kuwait. But no one believed it until in Aug 1990, when we saw an air strike base come up near our house, there were armed men everywhere. At first we thought, What is going on? But slowly, it became dangerous to even ste...

Who wouldve thought a routine checkup would end up revealing, Youve Leukemia. Just 2 weeks before I was leaving for my Europe trip, I received a call from the lab. They had found something unusual in my blood. Scared & confused, I immediately called up my husbandMahan.We first met 7 years ago thr...

Ab yeh mithai bechnewaale degree bechenge? These were the jibes we were subjected to when we expressed an interest in establishing our University My father ran a sweet shop and was the one who invented motichoor laddoo. Id also go to the shop to help, but growing up, I diversified into an Automob...

TW- Sexual Assault(2/3)Then one day, I fell sickI was puking nonstop. Didi & Jiju took me to the hospital, where the doctor said, She is 6 months pregnant. Everyone was shocked. Thats when I hesitantly told them the truth. My sister hugged me & cried, while Jiju dashed out to find my culprits. He...

TW- Sexual Assault(3/3)I was shocked, but when I saw his eyes, I knew it was my firstborn. He looked heartbreakingly like my rapist. At that moment, all I thought was, Iski kya galti thi isme? I accepted him. It took some time, but gradually, we became a family. But one day, Shankar saw that Ravi...

TW - Sexual Assault(1/3)It was just another morning, I had sent my son, Ravi to school when I heard my doorbell ring. I thought, Abhi kaun aaya hoga? When I opened the door, I saw a young boy standing there. When I asked, Aap kaun? He handed me a note. And once I read the note, I could feel a shi...

I had to stay back a year in 7th grade. None of my friends were with me. I remember being afraid. But thats when, Sid, a distant relative who also happened to be in the same class, walked up to me with his best friend, Saud. They said, Come sit with us. And just like that, we became friends.From ...