Jewels of my success

Every Christmas, the womenfolk of the residential society I live in, hold a potluck.

It is quite a ritualistic occasion with all of us bringing in our best delicacies. Yours truly, being a cook of some repute, has been one of the contributors who is always looked up to. It is a nice feeling, and more than me, my daughter enjoys the acclaim a lot. Last year, unfortunately, I was too sick to even get out of bed, forget cooking anything and take part in the potluck. I could sense the disappointment in my daughter’s face. On the D-day, I sent a note to my friends, through my daughter. While I expected her to be grumpy, she seemed quite happy and smiling. But there was greater surprise waiting for me! When my daughter came back, she was accompanied by few friends of mine. To my surprise, they were wax eloquent of the fruit pudding I had sent for the potluck. “Fruit pudding?” I felt I heard the name for the first time! The mystery behind the smile of my daughter earlier in the day was revealed. Due to my bad health, she took up the onus of creating something tasty and healthy, a trademark of my cooking. Thanks to numerous impromptu dessert sessions we have spent together, she got the idea to create a nice and quick fruit pudding. A usual bowl of homemade yogurt mixed with fresh fruits and garnished with pomegranate seeds – and the result was wholesome and delicious. A simple and healthy habit that I had maintained, and that’s all it took her to bring back the acclaim and smile of the potluck to me!

Neha Sharma