Originally reported and written in September 2024, this story has been republished as part of our archival content.

When Yash Parashar switched on his phone after a long flight to Australia, he received a notification from his mother, Usha Shrotiya. She had sent a photo of a few dry fruit bars. Tears rolled down his face as a few days back he had jokingly told his mother that he can’t take laddoos made by her to his workplace.

“I would rely on cereal bars for my hunger pangs. Mummy would insist that I carry laddoos to work instead of these bars. It was not possible as it is inconvenient to carry the fragile sweets in bags,” he adds.

Usha took it as a challenge and had been trying her best to turn these laddoos into laddu bars. “We were not confident that she would be able to make bars out of it. My wife and I would jokingly throw those bars at each other to check its stiffness. Instead of taking it personally, she remained passionate and took it as a challenge. I was impressed to see her dedication,” shares Yash.

And why not? This was the first time in 62 years that Usha got an opportunity to prove herself.

It took her at least 80 failed attempts before coming to the perfect composition and structure to turn these laddoos into bars. Today, her quest led them to start ‘Mama Nourish’, a food startup that is striving to save traditional and time-tested recipes made by our grandmothers by giving them a modern twist.

A step towards unfulfilled aspirations

Hailing from a small village in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh, young Usha aspired to become a daroga (policewoman). “I had filled in the form for the post. My father supported my decision but my mother was protective about me. She opposed my decision........

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