Balancing Act

WHAT DO YOU CALL a feminist who is a mother? A femimom? A mominist? Or just a confused woman balancing many roles in her life: working professional, mother, wife, daughter... Meet Tara Mistri, stay-at-home mom and frustrated architect—a baker of biscuits and maker of bricks. Inspired by and in total awe of the Salk Institute in California, Tara hankers to replicate its clean lines and perfect symmetry in her own life. But, with two small children to look after, her set squares and scales are used for scraping plasticine out of the carpet and her career looks like it may remain on the backburner forever. Then, one day, she is offered a job and finds herself on the horns of a dilemma. Goaded her own personal demon—a nagging (Yakshi who just won’t leave her alone—Tara’s struggle to balance life and love, work and playdough will have readers nodding in recognition, wincing in sympathy and laughing along with her.