At 14 months, Vivaan is clearly the most adorable kid on the block! The incessant barking of Messy, the Labrador – his maternal grand pa's pet. A steady flow of strangers – shoot coordinators, make-up artists, photographer and his assistants. Mum terribly caught up with changes between shots. The unfamiliar territory of his grand mum's new house. Nothing, just about nothing, unnerves this li'l rock star!

Niharika Bhasin, 27, sees new meaning in her life with the birth of Vivaan. His selfless love and generous kisses make him a hot favourite with the family... adding a stronger dimension to her personal bonds too!

Words and shoot coordination: Swati Chopra Vikamsey
Visuals: Ryan Martis
Makeup: Recinda Martis
And boy, is mum Niharika Bhasin proud? She fondly looks at him every now and then, reassuring herself of his well-being. But it does not bother her to be tied down. “Motherhood is beautiful,” she says. “The sheer excitement of seeing your baby grow each day and bloom adds more meaning to your life. It gives you strength to overcome all other petty issues that come along. You love doing childish acts for that one innocent smile on your baby’s face!” admits Niharika candidly between getting that oh-so-perfect look for the cover. 

The 27 year old comes from a simple, conservative Punjabi family in Mumbai. She was introduced to husband Nitesh three years ago and has been happily married since then! Life after marriage was comletely new and full of adjustments but great fun, especially because she had alot of support from the husband as well as her family. “The support helped make life easier. I enjoyed the new relations I formed each day. This was the time when my husband and I actually felt and realised what our relation was all about. Especially since ours was an arranged marriage, it was an important time for us to get to know each other better. My husband travels a lot for his business so I travelled with him often. A few months into our marriage, my family encouraged me to start working. Having done my Jewellery Design course before marriage, I am now self employed as a designer and operate from home. Family, daily chores and baby grooming takes away a lot of my time so working from home gives me the flexibility to handle all of this together. I feel a special sense of gratitude towards my in-laws to persuade me to carry on with designing. It truly helps me de-stress,” says Niharika calmly.

Though work helps Niharika find a place of her own, family has always been important. “Both my husband and I strongly believed in planning our family well in time so that as young parents we could enjoy better with our kids, and give them all the energy and support that is possible. So a year into our marriage, I conceived Vivaan. The morning we discovered the pregnancy, I went through quite a few mixed emotions. It was happiness to start with, but there were loads of questions and nervousness that followed!” she reveals.

Nitesh is more procedural by nature, the sweet wife discloses, adding, “The morning he heard of the news, his list was ready in a minute. Starting from getting a blood test done for assurance to finding the right gynaec for me. I could see this excitement in his gestures. I believe he too went through mixed emotions along with happiness. I could see his eagerness to perform his new duty well. Our impression that life changes drastically after a baby didn't really hit us too hard. It was gradual, healthy and we both adjusted very well.”