
The best of 2020
We end the year by celebrating the voices that rang through this gloomy year
On a balmy March evening, the Tweak team left office not knowing that we wouldn’t be seeing each other in person for many months to come. Pillows and dining tables replaced our work desks, and only Shyam the succulent kept us company during our sacred midday ritual — unveiling of the lunch dabbas. Working remotely took everything online – from brainstorming to shooting videos to firefighting the inevitable hitches and glitches along the way.
We always wanted Tweak to be a space for Indian women to challenge old ideas and discover new ones, where laughter is sacred. And while we may have struggled to keep our houses in order, children in check and parents pacified in person, we wanted to ensure we retained this space of levity and love at a time when we needed it the most.
Like most people, our yearly planner went for a toss but the organic cherry on our ‘best of 2020’ gluten-free cake was the launch of Tweak Books in association with Juggernaut.
What’s In Your Dabba arrived at the right time to save hopeless chefs from their own lockdown kitchen disasters. The second release from Tweak Books When I Grow Up, I Want To Be… is filled with stories about real Indian role models who have moved mountains, broken records and even changed the very course of history. These local superheroes served as the real-life stories to inspire kids, entertain and engage their minds when playing cricket in the park was no longer an option. Read more about Tweak Books here.
It seems that retreating into our homes created the opportunity for us to finally have some of the difficult conversations we had been avoiding. Our Tweak family shared personal experiences of reconnecting with their partners, facing fears of loneliness and having uncomfortable conversations about sex and sexuality. Like the story of Shalini Chopra and her former mother-in-law, Madhu Ghosle*.
When her marriage ended, Chopra had to big farewell not just to her husband, but also the only mother figure she had had in her life. Cut to the announcement of lockdown and she got a call from Ghosle, asking if she could move in with her. Half an hour later, Chopra was parked outside her old house. The 45 year old and 71 year old have been living together since, and couldn’t be happier. Read more about this unlikely duo’s heartwarming relationship here.
They aren’t the only mother-daughter duo who wowed the audience this year. After appearing in their first Netflix show together, Neena and Masaba Gupta sat down with us for a no-holds-barred interview on everything from parenting and self-care rituals to dating apps and feminism. For those of us in social isolation away from home, it was endearing to watch them giggle and argue like you would in a fight with your Ma.
If there’s one thing that Neena Gupta reminds us, it’s that the struggle to keep your identity and individuality intact while being a doting mama is very real. So this year, we turned the spotlight on women who seem to be able to juggle professional achievements with personal goals and self-care. We know what we see on Instagram is never the full story, so we asked these inspirational women to give us their cheat sheets – dirty diapers and all. Read and be inspired by the CEO Moms here.
And if you’re wondering what to give your own mother in exchange for her support and love this year, take a cue from Tweak India founder Twinkle Khanna. In a Mother’s Day video that broke the internet and made it to our best of 2020 countdown, Khanna was honest about what they really want but can’t tell their kids. A day free from all ‘mom’ duties. Free from tasks and never-ending questions about when lockdown will lift, what’s for dinner and what’s 15 +73. “In fact, for the rest of the day, I would prefer it if you don’t even call me mummy but call me aunty so I actually feel free of all responsibilities,” she saids.