This is not any normal day…. Bansuri was busy……she entered the kitchen with a beautiful jar of a 35-year-old rare pickle.

‘ This is very precious … Keep it properly’’… and Sheela make halwa for prasad.’  she instructed her kitchen staff.

 She was beaming with pride. Sanjeev her husband, a celebrated chef, was getting the biggest award in the culinary field.

How time flies … she thought.

She returned to her bedroom, her designer saree was ready…. she loved it…She opened her wardrobe to hang the saree …. she saw her Chef's coat hanging in the corner….…she felt as if it was yesterday when they both passed out from a prestigious culinary institute…. she was very talented. He was hard-working, … She stood first and Sanjeev was fifth in the class……wonderful days !!

Mumma!!

…. her daughter came looking for her new dress,  Bansuri came out of her thoughts……her dress was ready but she didn't like it. Heena is a very demanding girl….she wants only the best.

She gave tea to her husband……and smiled …...without looking at her he said " What's wrong with her dress…?

 ‘’Today Papa is getting an award…and Mumma wants me to wear this yellow behenji type dress …??  Heena complained.

She felt Heena was being disrespectful…. she looked at Sanjeev for support but…he was laughing.

‘I am going to the mandir then I'll go to the parlour’

Why parlour?….’. you will remain the same’……. he said mockingly

‘This is not funny’’ she said’….and left.

In the car, she felt a mild pain in her chest…she ignored ……she couldn't let anything spoil this day…. for this day they both had worked hard.

No, not both …Sanjeev worked hard …she thought.

‘But I was always there, I helped him in every step…supported him through tough times……. she was talking to herself……

‘So, what….it was my duty…every wife does this….’

She brushed away any such thought… but memories came flooding.

She remembered countless moments when she came out with perfect recipes and amazing presentation ideas…. `` Sanjeev knows I am wonderful…what else do I need??…she smiled … God knows what was happening to her today.

It was still fresh in her mind when she got the call from the Grand Hotel….it was an honour to work there ….it was like any chef’s dream come true…. Sanjeev also applied …he stood second.

 That very night Sanjeev proposed to her in the restaurant.

She said yes!!…. she was on top of the world…. appointment letter and the ring !!…. how can I be so lucky she thought.

Post dinner GM sir asked her… when are you joining Bansuri?

Before she could say anything, Sanjeev said…. she is not interested anymore…we are getting married soon…. I don’t want her to work.

But ,surprisingly she  agreed…. smiling …. she felt lucky …Sanjeev cares for her.

Everyone looked at her face with disbelief…but she chose to be a happy wife…. Sanjeev got that job…

Chef Bansuri in her never died…She sometimes misses the action in the kitchen but she doesn’t complain …

When she came back from the mandir…. Sanjeev was sitting on the verandah…. he was not in his best mood.

Now what happened? She thought.

‘’You have time to do unnecessary things all day’’…. as usual, he was grumpy…’’ Do you remember tomorrow Japanese guests coming for lunch’’.

Unnecessary………? She went to mandir for him.

She went to the kitchen…… and ensured everything. She works the whole day…. plan and do things for all …. if they can't thank her, it's ok…. …. but nobody has the right to insult her …. she felt pain in the chest…. this pain is becoming frequent…I must visit the doctor.

Sheela, her favourite maid wanted to leave early today to go for some shopping, so she allowed her. She chose not to go into the bedroom…..where Sanjeev was sitting anxiously…..she wanted to avoid any arguments today.

A few hours later Sheela’s husband called … she didn’t reach home…. he sounded worried.

‘She left early today…she was planning to go to the city’ she told her husband.

  She realized that she had made a mistake by telling him about the city. Sheela must have gone  without his permission…. Bansuri knew that Sheela’s husband  was a useless fellow.

She felt responsible for that unavoidable fight in Sheela's life…

Sanjeev also made her feel guilty .

She felt hurt.’  He doesn't understand me ??’

The award ceremony was grand….it was the day she waited for.

Sanjeev was on the stage…. holding a beautiful trophy … She felt very proud…. Sanjeev was giving his speech.

‘My greatest inspiration is my mother. She was the best cook’….Bansuri smiled….her mother-in-law was a horrible cook….Dahi bade he is talking about used to be hard like a rock……she clapped anyways…he was saying...I want to mention the biggest support in my life……she looked around with pride…..she knew it was her…..she was standing with him all through…It was she who did the research for his celebrated book … tried all the recipes tirelessly and made notes …she even visited those Adivasis and lived with them in their village to learn their cooking methods…Chef Bansuri was always like a shadow to Chef Sanjeev. She felt proud of herself.

‘My hard work and my team are my biggest support system…. now he was thanking his kids and friends…. but not her…. she felt a sharp pain in her chest…. she felt like a heavy stone was kept on her heart.…. she couldn’t breathe…tears started rolling down…. all cameras on her……oh, a proud wife…. everyone thought.

‘Excuse me’ …... She removed herself from the maddening crowd……she locked herself in the washroom….she wanted to scream….and tell everyone that she had worked day and night for this man….she felt as if she was inside a maze of tunnels….running…..trying to find a way out….hard she tried but she could never find a way out…… it's scary… it's dark inside…..she started running inside the tunnel….looking for a new route…but this also reached a dead end…….she was screaming for help… endless maze of tunnels….eyes flooded …. she was running like mad…’ please take me out…...she was pleading the God…suddenly she came out of her trance with a loud sound of clapping.

‘’Ohh!! I should be there’’…she wiped her face…she heard a few ladies talking outside the washroom

‘I envy Bansuri…she is very lucky’

‘God chooses few to be lucky like her’ the other woman answered.

She touched up her makeup and with the biggest smile on her face joined the crowd as the proudest and luckiest wife.

On the way back she was quiet…. his phone didn’t stop even for a moment …. people calling him to congratulate…. she was happy to see him happy……but she was still stuck inside the maze…...…. she was tired….’ I can't run…. she felt the desperation of coming out of those endless tunnels.

Later in her dressing room….as she removed her makeup and looked in the mirror…….’ oh, I look so ordinary….my face looks dull’’…. she noticed dark circles and patches on her skin….’. what have I become’……

Suddenly she felt the same heaviness in the chest…she felt difficulty breathing……

She knew she deserved better … tears rolled down her cheeks…she knew she was hurt but it was not the first time when she felt like this….’’ it's my mistake…. I let them treat me like this’’…. … whole night she kept running in the maze of tunnels …. desperate …

She got up late…. she was feeling very tired…. she knew she can’t waste any time…… today's lunch was very important for Sanjeev…. she quickly entered the kitchen……. everything was in place…. she felt good about herself…. not only she was a good cook but an excellent manager too.

Sheela entered the kitchen…. she was looking stressed.

‘Is everything alright……?? I didn’t know that you went to the city without telling your husband…. he called and I told him…I am sorry Sheela…. Bansuri was concerned.

‘No, madam, don’t say sorry…. You know my husband is a thankless leech…I work all day and earn money…he thinks he is the God……he is wrong…. I went to the market to buy new Chappals’….. Sheela started crying….’. My husband doesn’t care for my needs… Marriage is not living in the same house…. sleeping together…. what do I want from him??.... some care.…some respect’’…Sheela was delirious. She wiped her tears and said – ‘‘Leave it, madam, you will not understand my pain…. you have a privileged life ….a beautiful house,  a caring husband…  everything perfect…. you are lucky madam.’’     `

Bansuri felt without makeup she also looked like Sheela ….all of a sudden she started to feel suffocated and dizzy…..  she turned to hold something for support and her hand hit the jar of pickle…...that same expensive, exclusive pickle!!

With a bang the jar hit the ground and broke into pieces…. a pungent unpleasant smell filled the kitchen…. looking at the broken jar,  Bansuri started laughing…. everyone was shocked……she was delirious…’. look…. only the jar was beautiful…inside everything was rotten…good the jar is broken…. I was holding this rotten thing for many years thinking it was precious….…she was laughing like mad......she saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Finally, her running stopped, the pain vanished and She was breathing again…. She went and took out her chef coat.

‘‘SHE WAS SMILING’’