It's hard to parent a parent who is growing older, more frail, and dementia sets in... and just around the time one grapples with midlife and its fallouts.

When an illness meant I could not work as usual, my love of poetry inspired by my mother's love of poetry helped me set up Promising Poetry.

Suddenly, a whole new world opened before me, and before I knew it, there I was, ensconced as her assistant at Hari Sri school, sitting by her, learning the ropes all over again.

“Financial independence is a must for everyone, especially women if you want an equal partnership in marriage. Lifespan and relationships do not come with a guarantee," my mother had said.

By living life mostly on her terms, my mother taught me to do the same. I inherited her intensity, her self assurance, stubbornness and assertion, and I learnt later that she was insanely proud of me.