Commenting on the experience and inspiration, Kalki says, ‘While I was struggling with my pregnancy and my new role as a mother, it was my friends who helped me. They shared their rough times and dark phases and how they got through it with laughter and contemplation, and that helped me more than those who spoke only of the glorious, blessed babe in arms that brought light into their lives.’
We are also pleased @PenguinIndia 💥 #realmothers #loveinlockdown #graphicmemories @pisma_K_stene https://t.co/m1gCt9fkn1
— Kalki केकला (@kalkikanmani) May 8, 2021
The illustrator of the book, Valeriya Polyanychko, says, ‘We often take motherhood for granted and assume that it’s something that just happens. Kalki’s book uses quick wit and a sense of humour to take the reader down the long and winding road of parenting. Not only did Kalki’s emotional journey deeply resonate with me, but illustrating this book has also been one of the most profound and enriching experiences I’ve ever had.’
Talking about the book she commissioned, Manasi Subramaniam, Executive Editor and Head of Literary Rights, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House India, says, ‘Kalki Koechlin’s book deals with the mother of all issues – the fact that parenting is as exhausting as it is fulfilling, as draining as it is inspiring, and as frustrating as it is joyous. We romanticize motherhood in popular culture, and I’m so glad Kalki has pulled back the curtain on what is essentially the physical and emotional labour of much of the female population.’