KHEYECHISH?—“Ate?”—is her mom’s daily question, usually met with a groan. Today, she admits: “I haven’t eaten all day… or days.”
Earning ₹18k a month, with ₹11.5k on rent and ₹6.5k stretched over groceries and unpaid rehearsals (where dinner’s free), she survives on vada pav buffets. But today? No rehearsal, no dinner. Just hunger.
Shashidhar, the neighbourhood crow (named after her dad), usually mocks her with smug caws. Today, he’s oddly kind. Inspired, she heads to buy ingredients for Alu Posto and Phena Bhat— ironically, famine-born dishes. At the store, the bill laughs louder than her purse. Defeated, she walks out empty-handed.