The Indian day does not begin with an alarm clock. It begins with the kook-koo-ka-kaa of the crow or the distant aazaans and temple bells. In a typical household, the mother is always the first one awake.

"I hated the joint family as a teenager," admits Fatima, a graphic designer from Hyderabad. "My aunts always judged my clothes. But when my husband lost his job during Covid, I didn't have to ask for help. My uncle just paid the school fees for my kids. That security is priceless."