My parents moved to Bijnor, a small district in Uttar Pradesh, when I was just two years old. For the next 18 years, I lived in the same city, surrounded by the same people, frequenting the same shopping places, and experiencing the same weather and environment. It was a life filled with comfort, security, and the goodwill of my parents.

The first real change in my life came when I moved to Roorkee at the age of 20 for my post-graduation. It was my first taste of hostel life, surrounded by strangers in a completely new environment. It felt like stepping out of a cocoon—the cocoon where I had grown, sheltered and nurtured like a comfortable caterpillar. The moment I left that cocoon, my metamorphosis began. It was time to grow, to discover my own path, create my own rules, and take full responsibility for my choices. I was evolving into a butterfly.

At first, the transformation was tough, uncomfortable, and strange. I had never seen myself in this new form, this entirely different version of me. But soon, it became beautiful, and as I embraced the change, I started to love this new phase of life even more than my old one. And I knew it was just the beginning, with even bigger changes waiting on the horizon.

Now, as my kids are in college, I find myself going through a similar metamorphosis again. We create different cocoons in life, and parenting is one of them. But just like before, the transition into this new phase—a butterfly once more—is painful but profoundly rewarding.

When I was a kid
I did believe
I could fly
like an aeroplane
a bird or a butterfly
never feeling strange
but soon
things had to change
this belief blew up..
I grew up! …..
I grew up
only to start doubting
copying
comparing
with a hope to be
better than the best
Unknown of the rest!
And now
after long
this feeling is coming so strong
that I am that little girl again
who believes in flying
above all those trifling things
‘I have got wings!’