Domestic abuse sounds like something that always happens to someone else, not to ourselves. I could not accept that an educated woman like me was being subjected to it. I was ashamed.

You may feel lonely at times because you don't have someone you can fall back upon at any time. But what about making this person who is always with you, your best friend?

Women's friendships are crucial to their lives - these often lift one up and sustain us in dark times. A touching personal account.

Amma, you should have seen the look on their faces. We used our ‘quote of the day’ on them and they were shocked. We told them, it's they who are weird, not our friend. Isn’t that right?

Friendships, relationships, cannot survive unless we make the effort to 'be there' for them in all their ups and downs. Communicating on social media is just not good enough.