Roti or food is the most basic or physiological needs of humans as per Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. So obviously the one who makes the roti is the real power centre of a household! I realised this when I was visiting a village for work. On being asked which crop he will sow and which tractor will he purchase this year, the sarpanch replied the one who makes the roti will decide… after all she is the one nourishing and keeping them alive! This instance took me back to childhood days, when we visited our extended family during summer vacations. My jethi was the power centre there. She made all the important decisions, of which the most important one for me was how many mangoes will each cousin get? She is partially blind with age now, but till date the family pursues ventures that she puts her finger on. Such is the empowered existence of many rural women in our country, who nobody knows but they are slowly making one silent decision at a time just like a roti!