Kids? Not now

A rising number of city couples are postponing having a child indefinitely Couples the world over are choosing not to have children or are postponing them indefinitely. Bangalore has its share of people who feel the same way. For 35-year-old Amit Mansukhani and his 29-year-old wife Namrata, kids were never a priority. "Initially we had decided that we'd think of a family at least seven years after marriage. We both married young and did not think we were mentally and emotionally ready to have kids then," says Amit. "Time was at a premium and we were both busy with our careers. Couples first need to know each other really well and have a stable relationship before they can think of children," he adds. His wife is a yoga expert. She finds the idea of carrying a child for nine months traumatising. He adds, "Also our folks live far away and we might not have a good support system to help us if and when we do have kids." Sanjana Iyer, 34, has been married for over seven years and children have never been top of her list either. "Yes there's been a lot of pressure from my orthodox and conservative father-inlaw but we never succumbed. There definitely still is a fair amount of social stigma when you don't have children and you tend to get singled out. You've got to ignore that and just get on with your life. We have two dogs who we both are completely nuts about," says Sanjana. Cartoon and yoga expert Samita Rathor Ibrahim showers all her maternal instincts on her three dogs who moved with her from Bangalore to Delhi. "With so much happening in my life, I simply am not ready to have kids," she says. She says she's lucky her mother's cool with the idea of her not wanting kids. Her husband Vehrnon Ibrahim is also ok with the idea that he will never father a child. "I might have fatherly instincts, but you can't give in to all your instincts!" he says. Rani and Madhusudan are dedicated to their dogs. "Kids are a dead investment," says Rani. Their dogs are like their children and even sleep in their own beds! cavalesangeeta@indiatimes.com