Aiesha Ali, née Kate Hallam, 27, is a former Miss England, who now lives in Bengaluru with her husband, famous singer Lucky Ali. This is the tale of Dani, their nine-month-old blue-boyed boy, whose happy chuckles are ample evidence that mommy and daddy, although from such diverse parts of the world, are doing things right together...

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO KATE
Kate Hallam had an idyllic childhood growing up in Buxton, a simple country town in Derbyshire, UK, surrounded by hills, forests and farmland. “It’s a friendly place where everybody knows everybody,” she smiles. This sunny personality was perhaps instrumental in making her Miss Great Britain in 2003 and Miss England in 2005. In addition to her stunning looks, of course. Not a surprise for someone who took home the gold trophy in a bonniest baby competition on holiday in Ireland when she was all of three, as she was the most chatty and smiley little baby there.

Mumbai-based jeweller-homemaker Avani Toolsidass, is one lucky mum. Her film-maker husband, Mridul, nearly mirrors her role as mother to eightmonth- old Meera. Whether it is taking care of the baby’s basic  needs or doting to the point of obsessing, it is difficult to say which one of them is the softie here! Avani shares snapshots of her filmy love story and fairytale motherhood....

I was born and brought up in Hyderabad. My forefathers were erstwhile jewellers to The Nizams of Hyderabad and that in itself was a huge inspiration! Besides, being a girl, jewels fascinated me no end, and so, it was only natural for me to aspire to be a jeweller and take the family legacy forward.

Born in Dehradun and brought up in Mumbai, our leading lady Pooja Dargan Piparaiya has been a constant traveller till she finally made Singapore her home. But, it was the birth of her daughter Gia that took her on a completely different roller-coaster ride. She tells us how it’s been an amazing one…

ME, MYSELF & HUBBY
I met my husband, Dhiraj in 2001, around the same time that I had just begun work. It was quite a coincidence how we met. It was a breezy and mild Mumbai afternoon; I was meeting a bunch of friends for a quick bite near Marine Drive. Dhiraj knew a friend of mine and happened to call him. He came over to the place where all of us were and got introduced. This random meeting led to a friendship for quite a long time before the relationship grew. I admired Dhiraj, for he is a courteous and considerate person with an easy-going nature. People often ask, ‘how did you both meet?’ I have my version of the story and he has his. The difference is, his is short and sweet and mine is still continuing!

Delhi-based town planner Anisa Draboo has been a full-time mum to her two kids Shaza, four, and Zaid, 12 months, and so far she loves what she’s doing. But the 33-year-old also misses her full-time job, which has been an important part of her life. She talks to M&B about designing a blueprint that will help her balance life, work and kids...

Before and after
Anisa Draboo hails from Kashmir but has made Delhi her home. “Personally, I would have preferred raising my kids in Kashmir but that’s not possible for practical reasons.However, it’s nice to bring up the kids in a city like Delhi as it has some very nice schools and there are a lot of places to explore.

It may sound like a cliché, but mums, no matter what background they come from, always share similar goals. M&B brings you the story of Nadia Chauhan, joint managing director and chief marketing officer of Parle Agro, a fastidious business woman, who is also a fascinating mum to her daughter Nia, 23 months.... Now, that’s what we call refreshing!

Taking the lead
Over the years, we have brought you inspiring stories of mums, who with their unconditional love for their families and unrelenting pursuit of success in every field – be it homemakers or career women – have touched our lives and inspired us. Today, we add one more to that list. Twenty-five year old Nadia Chauhan has big responsibilities on her petite shoulders. When it comes to work, she uses a single-minded approach to get Parle Agro’s business strategies implemented and widen her company’s portfolio of food products.

From compering at the US Open to painting in the patio of her beautiful Delhi home, and writing her second book, 33-year-old Tina Sharma Tiwari has her hands full! But with their naughty antics, her super active boys – Jaivijay, 4.5 years, and Dev Aditya, three – make sure she lives well over 24 hours a day! Here’s her story... as she narrates it!

I am a sports journalist and author (and also a closet artist!) After several years in the wilderness during my late teens and early 20s, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I came to the realisation that to be happy, I had to do what I love for a living. And I had always loved sports. So I changed careers and cities to start afresh and what happened next confirmed my strong belief in destiny and serendipity.