Pushpamala, dressed as Mother India in an elaborate costume popularised in Indian mythological films and television, with two extra papier- mache arms and wearing a mask, walks in a stately manner to the cooking area followed by Manasa dressed in a full PPE suit with mask, gloves and foot covering, carrying a tasseled velvet cushion with the cookbook with the recipe and Pushpamala’s spectacles. Mother India pauses at the doorway of the exhibition hall and blesses the audience. She slowly walks to the cooking table which is set against a large painted backdrop of a city used in popular theatre, with a blackboard on an easel by the side. She pauses, turns towards Manasa and picks up the spectacles and wears them. She takes the cookbook, picks up a chalk and copies the recipe of the ‘Urgent Saaru’ on the blackboard. There are squeaking sounds of the chalk on the blackboard. The cooking commences. The vegetables are chopped and placed in the grinder jar with the spices. Each ingredient is displayed to the audience.

There are chopping and grinding sounds. Mustard, jeera and curry leaves are tempered in a pan- there are sizzling sounds and a fragrant aroma of spices frying. The ground ingredients are then poured into the pan and cooked for a while. There are sounds of stirring and the fragrance of cooking, the wetness of steam rising. Mother India bends down sometimes to pull down her mask and smell the aroma to check if the Saaru is cooked. When the Saaru is done, Mother India departs. Manasi serves rice and the cooked curry to the audience in small leaf cups as the prasada…

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