The sound of her anklets echoed through the halls.

Tara quickly went towards the grand puja hall. The morning environment was still dark, signifying the arrival of winters. Panting while standing at the entrance, Padma, the grandmother-in-law of Tara, who was making garlands for the big Shiv-Parvati Idol, said in a cold tone, "Aa gayi" (So, you have come).

"Namaste Dadiji," Tara said in a low voice.

"Hmm, aaj teri paheli rasoi hai, toh is avsar mein bhagwan ka bhog banane se shuruwat kiya jata hai," Padma's cold demeanor echoed in the puja hall.

( Hmm, today is your first rasoi, so you should start it by making the Prasad of the Lord).

"Ji, dadiji," replied Tara.

"Toh khade khade mera muh kya dekh rahi hai? Rasoi mein ja aur bhog bana," Padma said in a rude voice.

( So, what are you staring at my face for? Go to the kitchen and start your work.)

Tara, despite Padma's cold demeanor, silently made her way to the kitchen.

In the large kitchen, Tara worked amidst hanging brass pots and earthenware. The kitchen echoed with the sounds of cooking, and at the center were huge mud stoves, sturdy and aged, witnessing the timeless art of culinary skills.

Assigned the task of making Prasad, Tara focused on preparing kheer and puris. The pot of kheer simmered, filling the kitchen with sweet aromas. Meanwhile, she kneaded dough for puris, ready to be transformed into golden delights in the hot oil.

When frying the first puri, Tara paused. In a gesture of gratitude, she offered it to the mud stove. This simple act held a deep meaning - a thanksgiving to Agni devta, the fire deity. It was her way of recognizing and appreciating the essential forces that fueled her cooking.

In this vast kitchen, Tara's dedication unfolded with each stir and sizzle, a story of tradition and respect told through the simplicity of daily rituals.

Tara was busy cooking, and she didn't realize when Kusum came and stood beside her, quietly watching her prepare the kheer and puris. The kitchen resonated with the sounds of stirring and sizzling as Tara worked diligently on her culinary tasks.

Tara felt a hand on her head covered by veil, turning around to see her mother-in-law Kusum.

"Namaste Maaji," Tara greeted, bending to touch Kusum's feet.

"Sada Suhaagan Raho," Kusum blessed Tara.

(May you always be a married woman)

"I am doing everything correctly, Maaji?" Tara asked, unsure about her work.

Kusum observed Tara's efforts and replied, "Yes, Tara. You're doing well. Keep it up. The kheer and puris look promising. Just make sure everything is ready for the morning prayers"

Tara nodded, feeling a bit reassured by Kusum's response.

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Tara placed the sweet-smelling kheer and puris in front of the Shiv-Parvati idol.

"Hmm, go to that corner and bring some dried dung, and light the dhuni in the whole house," ordered Padma to Tara.

Tara gracefully moved through the corridors, the fragrant smoke from the dhuni enveloping each room, leaving behind a trail of soothing aroma. The camphor-infused essence wafted through the air, creating an atmosphere of tranquility.

As Tara returned to the puja hall, she observed that all the men of the house were present, having freshly bathed and dressed in clean white dhotis. Through her veiled face, Tara glimpsed her little Manik in Prithvi's arms, attempting to play with his baba's Rudraksha beads using his small 2-inch immature arm.

Tara, after putting the dhuni aside, stood between Kusum and Meera as the morning puja started. The room filled with rhythmic chants, and the flickering flames added a peaceful glow. Even though the puja was happening, Tara couldn't help but keep her eyes on Manik, her little man in a dhoti.

Her heart swelled with love as she observed Prithvi and Manik participating in the rituals. The innocence in Manik's eyes created a special connection, between them. Amidst the chants, Tara found comfort in these shared spiritual moments, silently recognizing that love and unity were weaving into her heart, transcending the differences.

After the puja, Tara distributed the prasad to everyone in the family. The sweet aroma of the kheer and puris filled the air as the family enjoyed the offerings made with devotion. Following the puja, they gathered for a warm cup of tea, exchanging casual conversations.

As Tara served tea to everyone, she found a moment with Manik. She gently took him in her arms and went inside the kitchen to get some alone time with her little man.

"Aaj aap sundar lag rahe hai," said Tara while giving him a kiss on his cheek. (You are looking beautiful today).

Manik also placed a little kiss on his Maa's cheek and said, "You too maa."

Tara's heart swelled on hearing the word "MAA"; it ignited something special in her heart. Manik was still a shy boy; after complimenting Tara, he just hid his face in Tara's neck.

Tara hugged the little Manik, enveloping him in her motherly warmth.

After a few minutes of a tender embrace, Tara said,

"Achaa yeh lijiye, dudh pijiye" (Here, drink some milk).

Tara gently helped Manik drink his milk. In that moment, she made an unspoken promise to herself - to be Manik's arms for a lifetime, ensuring that he never feels the absence of his own.

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"Tara, you need to start preparing breakfast. Today, all the men will be going to the fields, so we need to pack their meals as well. Get to work," instructed Kusum.

"Yes, Maaji, but what should I cook?" inquired Tara.

"Not too much, make at least 60 rotis, rice, potato curry, dal, and chutney," replied Kusum.

With 13 family members to cater to, Tara had a substantial meal preparation ahead.

"Sorry, beta, but as today is your first rasoi, I am forbidden to help you. Please manage for today," added Kusum.

In the bustling kitchen, Tara cooked a delicious breakfast with the familiar sounds of kneading dough, sizzling stoves, and bubbling pots. The enticing aroma of spices filled the air as she made rotis and tended to dal, rice, and a tasty potato curry.

Tara expertly transformed raw ingredients into a flavorful meal, using the stove to turn dough into golden rotis and simmering dal to perfection. She effortlessly managed multiple tasks, ensuring each dish received the attention it needed.

To enhance the breakfast spread, Tara prepared a savory potato curry, adding a delightful aroma to the meal. The result was a satisfying and tasty feast for the family.

As the morning sun lit up the kitchen, Tara's efforts produced a delightful spread-fresh rotis, aromatic dal, steaming rice, and flavorful potato curry adorned the table. Her attention to detail continued as she garnished the dishes with fresh coriander leaves, adding a burst of freshness. A side of sweet tomato chutney balanced the flavors, creating a harmonious dining experience for her new family.

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In the quiet dining room, after Tara served the breakfast to all the men and Padma, a serene ritual unfolded. Each member took a bit of water in their hands, delicately spreading it around their thalis as a gesture of gratitude to Maa Annapurna, the goddess of nourishment.

Padma, as the respected matriarch, took the first bite, her nod signaling the initiation of the meal. Following her lead, everyone began to enjoy the delicious spread.

Particularly for Manik, Tara performed a heartfelt ritual, expressing gratitude to Maa Annapurna on his behalf.Today was different for Manik. Unlike before, he had his own separate thali. His Baba, Prithvi, who used to feed him till now his Maa started to feed him.

The family relished their breakfast in harmonious silence, appreciating the flavors and sharing this special moment of togetherness and nourishment.

Manik enjoyed his tasty breakfast, savoring the delicious potato curry made by his Maa. He even found pleasure in the dal, a dish he hadn't liked before. The aroma of Tara's henna-clad hands added a special touch to Manik's morning meal, making it a delightful experience for the young boy.

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In a small, separate room tucked away in the corner of the kitchen, Tara, Meera, Kusum, and Manvi, another sister of Meera, gathered for their meal.

"Bhabhi, what have you cooked? It's delicious!" complimented Manvi to Tara.

"Really Bhabi, this Aaloo ki sabji is the best," said Meera while munching her food.

"Kisne ne sikhaaya beta, itna achha khana banana?" finally asked Kusum.

(Who taught you, dear, to cook so well)

"Ji, my Maa taught me all this," said Tara.

After this, they continued eating, but Tara's thoughts drifted back to her mother, who was alone there. She didn't know if her aunt gave her mother food to eat, how her mother was, and what she was doing without Tara.

"𝘠𝘦𝘩 𝘔𝘢𝘢-𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘪 𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘫 𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘣𝘰𝘫, 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘪 𝘣𝘩𝘶𝘬 𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘵𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘢𝘢𝘱𝘬𝘪 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘪 𝘬𝘰, 𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘩𝘶𝘬 𝘥𝘦𝘬𝘩𝘰, 𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘢 𝘬𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘥𝘰 𝘬𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘥𝘰, 𝘯𝘢𝘩𝘪 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢 𝘬𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘢 𝘬𝘩𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘢 𝘢𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘦 𝘫𝘢𝘯𝘢".

(𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 - 𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙪𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣, 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙞𝙨. 𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨. 𝘼𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩)

𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘢'𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 8 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘢.

𝘈𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺.

𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘢, 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘵 , 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 , " 𝘔𝘢𝘢 , 𝘬𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘩𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘪 , 𝘣𝘢𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘩𝘶𝘬 𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘪 " 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘴.

( 𝙈𝙖𝙖, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙, 𝙄'𝙢 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧)

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺, 𝘈𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥, "𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘶𝘱! 𝘑𝘢𝘣 𝘥𝘦𝘬𝘩𝘰 𝘬𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘩𝘪𝘺𝘦, 𝘣𝘩𝘶𝘬 𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘪, 𝘦𝘬 𝘥𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘩𝘪 𝘬𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘪 𝘵𝘰𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘩𝘪 𝘫𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘪. "

(𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩! 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 , 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙖𝙩 . 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪

𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙚)

𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘢'𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘈𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮. 𝘖𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘈𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺, 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴.

"Tara, Tara, where have you been lost?" Kusum gave Tara a slight shake as she seemed lost in a past memory.

Tara remembered a tough time in her past when hunger and difficulties were a daily struggle. Reflecting on her mother's challenges, Tara acknowledged the hardships they endured. However, standing at the beginning of a new chapter, she carried the strength gained from those tough moments. Despite the hardships, Tara embraced resilience, ready to shape a better future. The struggles of the past had become stepping stones toward a brighter tomorrow.

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