After completing her morning rituals, Rukmini headed to the kitchen to help her mother prepare breakfast. The aroma of freshly ground spices and steaming hot idlis (rice cakes) filled the air. Rukmini loved helping her mother cook traditional Maharashtrian dishes like misal pav and vada pav. Today, they were making a special breakfast – a traditional Indian thali with steaming rice, dal, and a side of raita (yogurt with cucumber and cumin).