Realisation

It was her turn. She nervously wiped off a line of sweat from around her ears. She looked around,all the contestants lined up,their faces gaping with excitement. Everyone wanted to win. She too wanted to win. She needed it, probably more than anyone else there. Or who knew, everyone had their own stories,own struggles,own hardships, probably more than her. She looked at the dish she had prepared for the competition.She was still thinking of a name for the food, as it did not follow any particular pattern. She just mixed and matched the ingredients, some from her own knowledge, some of which her mother and grandmother had taught her. She tried to make her mind understand the fact that she did good. If she even ends up being a runner up or atleast staying in the top five categories, she can end up making a name for herself, and probably open a restaurant, which was her dream project. Her eyes stayed transfixed on the dish she had prepared. All her journey,her forty year old journey,flooded her mind and she, for a few minutes did a time travel to her past. All her memories came to her and they seemed to engulf her, completely. She went in and in, forgetting the competition,her win,her food, oblivious of the fact that the eminent judges kept calling her name to present her dish to them.
She remembered the dingy lanes where her mother and grandmother cooked. The aromas of the masalas travelled across the courtyard to the whole area,taking with it fond remembrance of the food that is getting cooked.
She remembered the refugee camp,where she had started to cook for the first time, after partition,after leaving half of her family back,even her grandmother, whom she never ever met after that tragic breakdown of the country.
She remembered the numerous hotels she worked at,when she needed money, working as waiters,chopping down the Vegetables and secretly looking out for an opportunity to cook something, something new, something offbeat, something better than the regular ones.
She remembered when her husband left her, and she had to forcibly open a roadside food stall, because that is what she was good at, and how it went well,but the shoo had to be closed due to some documents that were not in place.
She remembered her son,coming up to her, one fine day, pitching her with the idea to sign up for this nationwide cooking competition. Her son felt that although it was the women folk who largely cook at home, the main chefs at top restaurants at mainly men.
She remembered the special mixed vegetable curry her mother used to cook, along with that special thick goat curry,that aroma,she could still feel around her. She believed that her mother was with her when she felt that aroma.
She remembered that today, when she was cooking this dish, that smell, that exact smell came from the mixture she was cooking. She remained bewildered,but,yes that was the smell. This time, the aroma was real.
She suddenly rose from her momentary slumber,and looked at the front. Every one were looking at her. Her name was being called,she breathed in a mouthful of air,bought a radiant smile on her face and moved forward towards the judges,the dish in her hand. She knew the name she would pronounce to the judges.
She waited for the results. She was not at all nervous now. Even if she lost, she knew for sure that she would do something or the other with the skills she had. She felt more confident now. She would try and join some hotels or get the necessary documents to re start her stall. She can even start a home delivery. She would have never thought herself, surviving,after the partition, working at a roadside stall,day and night. But she managed to survive. Managed to deal with it, managed to come this far,to this nationwide competition, following her passion, raising a child on her own. Who would have thought! She did it, she survived! And she knew she would continue doing it.
It was time for the results. She stood there, smiling, as the names poured in. The names of the winners. She was trying to understand if her name was being spelled out. But her mind was somewhere else. She knew what was needed to be done. This was certainly not her destination,her journey is wheeling its way further and further and further…