Wearing a dress—which was torn in more places than one could care to count—using a rag as a muffler, and carrying a stick, the woman who lived alone on the hill was on her way to the city again.

As Shila was preparing to wash the vegetables, she was planning to cook in a new way today. A few days ago, in the ‘Women’s Corner’ of the ‘Aaja’ newspaper, an article had been published about cuisines and a new recipe was floating in her head.