Book: “Must for Mums Delhi”; Author Rina Mehta; Publisher: Oxford and IBH; Price: Rs.210
Summer is upon us and, in no time, so will the school holidays be. So, all Delhi moms – and exceptional dads – who are beginning to sweat at the thought of keeping the children busy, here’s an idea: go buy this handbook.
Having done the rounds of Mumbai and Bangalore, the latest in the “Must For Mums” series now comes packed with information on what the Indian capital and its satellite towns have to offer to their kids.
Be it big schools, nurseries, sports centres, summer workshops, counsellors, clothes and toy shops, party venues or simply good advice, the book covers a lot of ground.
Being a mother of two and having worked in leading advertising agencies herself, author Rina Mehta knows exactly how crazy things can get for moms, especially working ones hard pressed for time to network. And she makes their job simpler.
For easy browsing, the book covers nine different zones, including Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad.
I, for one, discovered to my utter delight that there were four places right under my nose in my south Delhi apartment block where I could take my daughter for painting, craft, storytelling or dance sessions.
The addresses, phone numbers, names of contacts are all in place along with the timings and minimum age at which various places take in children.
For overenthusiastic parents, there’s wise counsel. They may be keen on theatre or horse riding classes for the child, but it would be a good idea to wait till he or she is six.
The book does seem to focus on the better known, more commercialised or media savvy places compared to smaller but equally competent setups in the nooks and crannies of Delhi. But given the author’s attempt to cover a city of 16 million and beyond, one should gloss over that inadequacy – at least in the first Delhi edition.
Besides bookstores, “Must For Mums” has found a strategic place on the shelves of a leading supermarket chain in the capital. But that’s certainly not the main reason why it should sell well!
rounak