Escape The Refined Food Traps

Refined foods look modern and easy, but they strip away strength at every stage of life — escape begins with one simple swap, one meal at a time.

---

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

Not long ago, our food in North Karnataka was simple and complete.

𝐉𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐫𝐢 kept us full for hours.

𝐑𝐚𝐠𝐢 𝐦𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞 gave bones their strength.

𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐤 cooled the body and healed digestion.

𝐉𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐲, 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬, 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐮𝐭, 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 — they gave steady nutrition every day.

This was not called a “diet.” It was just food, and it worked. People worked hard, children grew strong, and illness was rare.

Then came refined foods: polished rice, sugar, biscuits, packet milk, and refined oils. They looked modern and easy. But they changed our plates, our bodies, and our health.

---

1. 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝: 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐀𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐈𝐭

In North Karnataka, our elders lived on jowar bhakri, ragi mudde, bajra, pulses, groundnut chutney, sesame laddoos, jaggery, seasonal vegetables, and daily buttermilk.

This food was slow-digesting, mineral-rich, fiber-rich, probiotic, and climate-suited. Farmers worked sunrise to sunset without weakness.

Jowar’s fiber slowed sugar release and kept hunger away.

Ragi and sesame provided calcium and iron — no need for milk.

Buttermilk cooled the body and fed the gut with probiotics.

Jaggery sweetened while adding minerals.

Cold-pressed oils (groundnut, sesame, coconut) gave stable energy and antioxidants.

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞.

---

2. 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞

Then came the polished, packet world: polished rice, white sugar, refined sunflower oil, biscuits, bread, noodles, packet milk.

Refining means removing husk, fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. What remains is naked calorie: fast starch, fast sugar, unstable oils.

White rice = starch without fiber → blood sugar spikes.

Maida = digests like glucose water → instant insulin surge.

White sugar = no minerals → only dopamine hit.

Refined oils = oxidized fats → free radicals, inflammation.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦, 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲.

---

3. 𝐌𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩

Blood sugar spikes → insulin floods → 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬.

No fiber → digestion too fast → 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫.

Gut bacteria starve → 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Sugar hits brain dopamine → 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

Refined oils oxidize → 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞.

Refined foods are not harmless — they trigger disease by mechanism.

---

4. 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐬

(a) 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬

Traditional: ragi porridge, dal water, mashed vegetables.

Now: biscuits, packet cereals.

Effect: 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬, 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲.

Mechanism: refined carbs ferment fast in baby gut → gas, bloating → disturbed microbiome → weaker immunity.

---

(b) 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧

Traditional: bhakri + groundnut chutney, jaggery laddoo, buttermilk.

Now: jam bread, chips, sugary colas.

Effect: 𝐜𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬, 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬.

Mechanism: sugar feeds bad oral bacteria → cavities. Blood sugar swings → attention drops. Lack of fiber → constipation, repeated infections.

---

(c) 𝐓𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬

Traditional: millet upma, sprouts, horse gram (huruli).

Now: noodles, bakery food, fried snacks.

Effect: 𝐚𝐜𝐧𝐞, 𝐏𝐂𝐎𝐒, 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬.

Mechanism: high glycemic foods → excess insulin → hormonal imbalance → acne & PCOS. Dopamine rollercoaster → mood instability.

---

(d) 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 (20–35 years)

Traditional: jowar bhakri, dal, greens, home-churned buttermilk.

Now: pizza, bakery food, tea + biscuits.

Effect: 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐥, 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬.

Mechanism: refined carbs → liver fat storage. Refined oils → oxidative stress. Junk eating + stress → poor sperm count, PCOS, low fertility.

---

(e) 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲

Traditional: ragi mudde, sesame laddoos, leafy greens, fresh buttermilk.

Now: bread, packet milk, sugary tea.

Effect: 𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡, 𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.

Mechanism: refined carbs overwhelm pancreas → gestational diabetes. Calcium stripped diet → weak bones in mother & child.

---

(f) 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 (30–45 years)

Traditional: bhakri, pulses, vegetables cooked in cold-pressed oils.

Now: hotel curries in refined oil, fried snacks, polished rice.

Effect: 𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭, 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐥, 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞.

Mechanism: refined oil oxidation → chronic inflammation. Belly fat worsens insulin resistance → diabetes.

---

(g) 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 (45–60 years)

Traditional: millet rotis, dal, vegetables, daily buttermilk.

Now: sweets, white rice, curries with refined oils.

Effect: 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤.

Mechanism: decades of insulin resistance → diabetes. Oil oxidation → clogged arteries. Inflammation → arthritis.

---

(h) 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐀𝐠𝐞 (60+)

Traditional: soft millet rotis, soups, fresh buttermilk.

Now: tea + biscuits, polished rice, packet snacks.

Effect: 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫.

Mechanism: sugar → chronic inflammation. Lack of minerals → osteoporosis. Refined oil oxidation → dementia, cancers.

---

5. 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐬

Milk Trap: Our elders never needed much milk. Ragi, sesame, greens gave calcium. Industrial milk → bloating, skin issues.

Oil Trap: Cold-pressed oils healed. Refined oils → inflammation, heart disease.

Buttermilk Wisdom: Daily buttermilk was our real probiotic. Packet curds and lassis cannot replace it.

---

6. 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩

When polished rice entered, it was seen as “high class.” Jowar became “poor man’s food.” Sugar became celebration. Biscuits became “modern.”

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫: elders on coarse grains walk strong, youth on refined foods live on tablets.

---

7. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞

The escape is not backward — it is revival.

Jowar bhakri, ragi mudde, bajra roti.

Groundnut, sesame, coconut chutneys.

Seasonal vegetables, pulses, greens.

Jaggery instead of sugar.

Cold-pressed oils instead of refined.

Daily fresh buttermilk.

At first the tongue craves refined foods. Slowly, natural taste returns. An apple feels sweet, a millet roti feels satisfying, jaggery feels rich.

---

8. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

Refined foods are traps at every stage of life — from a baby’s first biscuit to an elder’s tea with sugar. They disturb the body, confuse the brain, weaken the spirit, and damage the next generation.

North Karnataka already gave us the escape: coarse grains, jaggery, groundnut, sesame, coconut, buttermilk.

Refined foods give comfort today but steal tomorrow.

Whole foods are not our past. They are our future.

---

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

Refined foods do not show their harm on day one. They work slowly — disturbing digestion in babies, causing cavities and obesity in children, hormonal problems in teens, infertility in young adults, diabetes in midlife, and weak bones and memory in old age.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩.

The good news is the way out is already in our culture: bhakri, ragi, jaggery, sesame, groundnut, buttermilk, fresh vegetables, and cold-pressed oils. These are not “poor man’s foods.” They are disease-proofing foods.

Refined foods give quick comfort, but they weaken generations. Whole foods keep us strong — they are not our past, they are our future.

---

---

---

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩 – 𝐀 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐮𝐤𝐚𝐫

---

It was early morning at my off-grid homestead near Yelmadagi. The mist still hung over the fields, and birds were louder than people. A family from Bidar arrived to meet me — three generations together.

The grandfather, past seventy, still strong but worried for his children and grandchildren.

The father and mother, both in their forties, both living on tablets for diabetes and cholesterol.

Two children, restless, already hooked on biscuits, bread, and chips.

They had read my article on Refined Food Traps and came with questions. What followed was a long dialogue under the neem tree.

---

1. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭

Father: “Doctor, everything feels overwhelming. Where should we begin?”

Madhukar: “Start with oil. Every meal touches oil. Stop refined sunflower or soybean oil today. Replace it with cold-pressed groundnut oil, sesame oil, or coconut oil. These belong to our soil. Within weeks, you will notice less acidity, less bloating, more energy.”

---

2. 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

Mother: “But refined oil looks so clean, clear. Cold-pressed is thick and dark. Will my children accept it?”

Madhukar: “That clear look is an illusion. Refined oils are bleached and deodorized. The dark oil carries antioxidants. Don’t change suddenly. Mix half and half first. Let the tongue adjust. Slowly, remove the refined. Soon, even the children will notice food tastes fuller.”

---

3. 𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫

Grandfather: “In our days jaggery was enough. But now, even tea feels incomplete without sugar.”

Madhukar: “Sugar is a drug — quick high, quick crash. Jaggery is slower, with minerals. Begin by halving sugar in tea. Keep jaggery after meals. In ten days, your cravings will calm down. Energy will feel steady, not restless.”

Mother: “And for children? They demand chocolates and biscuits.”

Madhukar: “Give them sweetness in real form — dates, dry fruits, groundnut laddoos with jaggery. Sweetness must come with fiber and minerals. Slowly, their tongue will shift. Remember, children are not stubborn — their tongue has only been trained by industry.”

---

4. 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬

Father: “We eat rice daily now. It feels hard to return to jowar. Rice is quick and soft, bhakri takes effort.”

Madhukar: “That is the trap. Rice digests too fast. Bhakri is effort, but it gives steady energy for hours. Start with one bhakri a day, even if the rest is rice. Slowly increase. This alone will bring sugar levels down.”

Grandfather: “Yes. One bhakri kept me in the field till noon. Rice never does that.”

---

5. 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐧

Mother: “School tiffins are my biggest worry. They want bread, jam, noodles. If I send roti or idli, they bring it back.”

Madhukar: “Don’t fight them. Replace slowly. Make a bhakri roll with jaggery inside. Or groundnut laddoos instead of biscuits. Keep the form playful. A laddoo looks like a treat. A roll feels like a snack. Over time, taste memory will return. Just make sure at least one item in their tiffin each day is whole and traditional.”

---

6. 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬

Grandfather: “During festivals, every sweet is sugar. Can jaggery sweets really return?”

Madhukar: “Start small. Make one sweet in jaggery alongside the sugar ones. Offer it proudly. Festivals are about togetherness, not refined sugar. Slowly, people will remember the richness of jaggery sweets. That memory itself is healing.”

---

7. 𝐄𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐭

Father: “What about hotels? Everything is refined oil and maida.”

Madhukar: “When outside, reduce the damage. Choose idli, dosa, plain rice with dal — avoid fried items, bakery sweets, soft drinks. Balance it: if you eat hotel food at night, eat bhakri and buttermilk next morning. The trap is when outside food becomes routine. Keep it occasional.”

---

8. 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐀𝐠𝐞

Grandfather: “My teeth are weak. Can I still eat coarse food?”

Madhukar: “Yes. Coarse food doesn’t mean hard food. Soak bhakri in buttermilk, make soft millet porridges, vegetable soups. Whole food can be soft and nourishing. Refined foods in old age make bones brittle, memory weak, infections frequent. Whole foods keep dignity alive till the end.”

---

9. 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞

Mother: “We try to change, but after weeks we slip back. How do we sustain it?”

Madhukar: “Never change everything at once. That is why most families fail. Change one thing, wait until it becomes normal, then move to the next. First oil, then sugar, then grains. Once the tongue accepts the new taste, the trap loses its grip. Sustainability comes from patience, not force.”

---

The family listened. The grandfather nodded often. The parents took notes. The children quietly ate the groundnuts and sesame I had placed in their hands.

When they left, the sun was rising. Their questions were many, but they had one clear step: replace refined oil first.

Sometimes, the way out of a generational trap is not a leap. It is a single small step, repeated until it becomes normal.

---

---

---

𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫, 𝐎𝐢𝐥 & 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧

they came in white.

white sugar.

white rice.

white salt.

white bread.

the polished look of “progress.”

they sold it to us as purity,

as modern,

as clean,

as civilized.

we dropped our bhakris,

our ragi mudde,

our buttermilk,

our sesame laddoos,

like old shoes

not fit for the new world.

and the con began.

–––

first it hit the babies.

biscuits in milk,

packet cereals,

little bellies swollen

with gas and colds.

𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫, 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬.

then the children.

jam bread in tiffin,

chips in pockets,

cola after cricket.

𝐜𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐟𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬.

the classroom is restless,

the stomach louder than the teacher.

teens got hit harder.

oily bakery snacks,

packets of noodles,

cheap burgers.

acne, PCOS, mood swings.

𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞,

𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝.

young adults chased “fast life.”

pizza for dinner,

biscuits with tea,

curries swimming in refined oil.

𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐟𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐟𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬.

the bed is wide,

the energy is small.

infertility becomes a new industry.

pregnancy is no shelter.

sugar tea, packet milk,

refined flour in every snack.

𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬,

𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬.

parents run on pills.

midlife is tablets in the morning,

acidity at lunch,

cholesterol by night.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

the elders?

once strong on jowar and buttermilk,

now sipping tea with biscuits,

bones crumbling,

memory fogging,

a slow shuffle to the hospital.

–––

this is how refined food conquered.

not with guns,

not with kings,

but with packets.

it made us believe white was better.

it made us ashamed of our own food.

it sold disease as convenience.

it turned kitchens into hospitals,

and doctors into gods.

–––

but there’s a crack in the con.

escape is simple.

𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

oil first.

throw out the refined.

use groundnut, sesame, coconut — the oils that smell like life.

then sugar.

bring back jaggery, dates, dry fruits.

sweetness that carries minerals, not poison.

then grains.

one bhakri a day.

ragi mudde.

millets in the pot.

𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐫𝐢 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞.

then children.

pack groundnut laddoos,

sesame chikkis,

fruit.

make their memory of food whole again.

festivals too.

start with one jaggery sweet.

the tongue will remember.

culture will heal.

–––

refined food is a slow poison.

but it is also a weak poison,

because it depends on our ignorance.

once you see the trap,

you can walk out.

one step.

one swap.

one family at a time.

and one day,

when the bhakri smells on the tava,

when the buttermilk froths fresh,

when the laddoo of jaggery is passed around —

you will realize:

𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬.

𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬,

𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞.

and we are taking it back.

---

---

---