Tenzing's family

That story was set in Kerala. Now travel northeast, to a village in Meghalaya.

'My name is Tenzing. I love the mountains we live in, though life is sometimes hard. My father runs a small grocery store. After my mother became busy in a local handicraft cooperative, making our beautiful traditional fabrics, wood carvings and other things to sell to tourists, my father joined in cleaning the house, looking after our small vegetable garden and other household chores. Often he helps my grandmother cook for us all.'

Read that again. When the mother's work outside the home grew, the work inside it was shared out differently. Nobody's duty was fixed for ever.

'Grandmother always has all sorts of interesting stories to tell me, full of humour and wisdom; no one seems to understand people better than her!'

'Grandfather helps me with my homework and takes me to the school bus stop. He also does a lot of social work in our colony and is always helping others. When there is a power failure, he goes and registers a complaint at the nearby office. When our neighbours' house was damaged in a storm, he collected money from the whole neighbourhood to help with the repairs.' The grandfather's work reaches beyond the family: the chapter is stepping from 'family' towards 'community'.

'We are lucky that my parents can take care of our basic needs like food and clothing. When any special expenses come up, I have often seen them discuss them together. Mother says we should always try to save some money for unexpected needs in the future.'

The book asks: Why does Tenzing's father talk to his wife about special expenses? How do you feel about his share in the housework? What roles do the grandparents play?