As the sun softens, the house erupts. Children return from school, throwing down bags and demanding bhel puri or chai (tea). The mother transitions from a cook to a referee, breaking up fights over the television remote. The father returns home, and the ritual of "unwinding" begins: he removes his shoes at the door (never inside the house), washes his hands and feet, and asks for a glass of water. The exchange is minimal—"How was office?" "Fine."—but the presence is everything.

In an Indian home, food is how affection is measured. If you aren't being urged to have a second helping, something is wrong.

Meera, the college-going daughter, dunked hers for exactly 2 seconds—crispy, not soggy. Papa crunched his dry, scattering crumbs like evidence. Grandmother dipped hers until it collapsed into a sweet sludge at the bottom of her glass.