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.

The city has some rich historical monuments and the weather is nice. Plus, there’s a lot of greenery,” says the good-looking mum. Anisa studied architecture and earned a degree in city and regional planning from Cornell University in the United States. She later worked with international organisations like the United Nations and Oxfam. “I decided to take a break last year, when my son was born. I do some freelance consultancy on the side. Recently, I have been missing my job and I know that gradually I have to begin somewhere,” she avers.

Having to get back to her impatient toddler, she quickly fills us in, “I got married in 2003. My husband Raza works for an event management company. After four years of marriage, we decided to have a baby. During my pregnancy, I never suffered from any nausea and worked throughout. I actually took my maternity leave just three days before Shaza was born,” she says with pride. As she was working for an international organisation, Anisa was allowed to take a nine-month maternity leave, which is wonderful as most women in India get only three. “I had a natural delivery. I had joined Lamaze classes and the techniques I learned to cope with labour really helped. I was prepared and ready for childbirth. Shaza, my first born, was a peaceful baby who slept through the night. She was emotionally secure. However, my son is the total opposite,” she quips.