New Delhi, Sept. 12 -- I grew up in mofussil Jamshedpur, a township that I still call 'my home,' a place where the dreams and molten hopes of kids get forged into steely resolve. My hardworking but loving parents initiated me into the value of hard work in this quaint town where, as legend has it, the idea of 'industrial India' was conceived.

Our home was frequently bustling with guests-it was an era before 'digital' had made inroads and grocery shopping was done in person. My mother would often ask me to dash to Raju ki dukaan (Raju's shop), our portly neighbourhood kiraanawala, to fetch Milkmaid. Raju bhaiya, with his toothless smile, would hand me a tin and I would race home.

My mother would whisk up Anarsa (a Bihari dessert), which ...