Becoming a parent during the pandemic

The Morning

Context

Chaos

Roshni P. Nair

Mumbai

01 April 2020

UNLOCK NOW!

You can always update your display preferences in Settings menu

Prasanth was driving home to KK Nagar when he was stopped by Chennai traffic police. It was past 6.00 pm on 24 March, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown to curb COVID-19 transmission in India. Prasanth showed the bills for essentials he’d purchased, which included diapers for his two-week-old son. He also showed his wife’s discharge summary to prove they were new parents. No dice. The cop wasn’t as interested in enforcing lockdown rules as he was in extracting bribes from people who’d done no wrong.

A seething Prasanth paid the cop Rs 300 and drove off in silence. He had an infant to father and wife Pavithra to support, and the past week had been a nightmare already.

This is a harrowing time for new and to-be parents. Prabha Chandra would know; she’s a professor and researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru and one of the country’s foremost perinatal psychiatrists.

What our readers say

Why subscribers love The Morning Context

Research ideas don't come from a vacuum. The best ideas come from a spark, a contrarian take, an uncommon investigative insight, and one doesn't always get these from traditional media. TMC consistently makes me think about things in different ways, and I've frequently shared TMC articles with collaborators and students. Staying at the cutting edge is hard enough; TMC makes it much easier.

Rohit Chandra, Assistant Professor - School of Public Policy (IIT Delhi)

High quality, independent journalism is rare to find. The Morning Context set really high standards that make me wait for each story.

Abhay Pandey, Managing partner, A91 Capital

Well-written and researched long form reads on a wide variety of topics and a team of veteran journalists - all of this makes my subscription worth it.

Anupam Gupta, Investment research consultant

In today's very noisy and cluttered world, I like that the Morning Context goes below the surface of company PR to deliver fact-based stories on Indian business.

Jessie Paul, CEO, Paul Writer

The Morning Context is my daily opportunity to get smarter about one new company/sector. Discerning analysis, unbiased and approachable.

Miten Sampat, Angel investor & former CSO, Times Internet

In today's polarized world, authentic and unbiased facts are in short supply world over. The Morning Context is a refreshing approach towards truthful, well researched, fearless, and high-quality articles on contemporary topics.

N S Parthasarthy, Co-founder, Mindtree

In a world full of noise, The Morning Context is the calm that stimulates and energises your mind, with stories focused on fact, truth and dogged reportage.

Nikhil Taneja, Co-founder and CEO, Yuvaa

Although it’s a paid subscription, the kind of detailed research and quality of reportage makes it worth every rupee. It’s strength surely lies in having some of the finest journalists writing for it.

Shiladitya Bora, Producer, distributor and founder at Platoon One Films

As one of the early subscribers, I've had the opportunity to witness how quickly the team has grown, the variety of angles covered, and the research in every in-depth story and op-ed.

Amarjit Batra, Managing director, Spotify India

Become a TMC member