Behind every successful Indian household is a matriarch — often the grandmother or the eldest daughter-in-law — who runs the kitchen, manages relationships, preserves recipes, and ensures that festivals are celebrated with the same fervor as they were fifty years ago. She knows exactly how many puris each family member eats, which spice to add for a headache remedy, and when to remind everyone about an upcoming family wedding. Her stories, often narrated during lazy afternoons or before bedtime, are the threads that connect generations.