She is an unassuming, shy, yet smart woman, who commands the respect of the women who work under her, as well as the patrons who frequent her ‘mess’ for breakfast and lunch. Whenever you enter her eatery in Vythiri, Wynad, you will find her bustling about in the kitchen, serving the hungry patrons, calling out instructions to her employees, or totaling bills at the counter.

I walked into her eatery, stomach growling with hunger, in the afternoon, on my way back from Bangalore where my mom, younger son and I had gone for the weekend to visit my elder son who was doing a summer internship. I was awe-struck at the transformation the place had undergone, and called out – ‘Vishnupriya!’. Her female staff (now dressed in uniform jackets and hair caps) looked at me, completely taken aback – they were not expecting a city woman, clad in jeans, sunglasses perched on her forehead, keys swinging from her hand, to be so familiar with their boss, as to call her by her name. I could even see, out of the corner of my eye, one of them nudging another one, looking at me, whispering, wondering who I was. Vishnupriya looked up from the cauldron she was stirring, and a smile lit up her face, and she came out in a rush and took my hand affectionately. “Madam!”, she exclaimed, “it has been so long since you last came here!” Indeed, it had been. I looked around, and congratulated her on achieving her dream.

I remembered how it used to be – wire mesh on two sides for walls, wooden benches and long tables with vinyl covering, asbestos roof that dripped condensed water in the winter – sometimes into your food! And a bathroom that was far away, way down below; getting to it was an adventure in itself, and certainly not for the faint hearted. The way was steep, and often slippery with dew – and the little pebbles and small stones did nothing to help.

But now – stood a modern, concrete structure, with spanking new glass-topped tables, solid wooden chairs, a smart counter, and a spacious restroom area with western toilet, gleaming sinks for washing hands, and mirrors. Just like any modern restaurant.

My husband and I had discovered the Arya Bhavan ‘mess’ when it was still in its spartan state; we were out for an early morning bike ride, and were on the lookout for a spot of breakfast. The place looked homely and inviting, and so we went in. We saw a heavily pregnant woman rushing about, tending to customers, instructing her employees, and checking on the food being prepared in the kitchen.

She came to us with a smile, and chatted with us as she took our order, and then brought us our food – which was absolutely delicious; one could tell that it was made with love. It was wholesome, home cooked food.

I asked her if it was her first child – she looked quite young; she tilted her head backwards and giggled mirthfully. “Oh no madam, all these kids you see here are mine”. I was shocked, counting three precocious children playing in the eatery, and my eyes widened – and before I could say anything, she said,” yes, it’s my fourth”. I could have choked on my food, managing two was tough enough for me. But she was totally nonchalant and went about her work as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

It then struck me that our rural women are actually so much stronger, more practical, and more empowered than us – in spite of our superior education and our modern outlooks, and what not. They lead simple lives, but very productive ones (I am not referring solely to the production of offspring), work hard, and remain happy in spite of not having big luxuries in life, indeed, even in the face of hardships. I noticed that her staff was entirely female, and she proudly told me that she runs a “Vanitha mess” – a 100% women owned and operated eatery. The sole male I saw, occasionally serving the customers or sitting at the counter, happened to be her very supportive husband. He is a priest, and helps out the wife when he is not conducting religious rituals at the temple.

Swami, Vishnupriya’s husband

The food at Vishnupriya’s mess was so homely and tasty, that I wrote a post on Facebook about it, and it got shared by loads of people – many of them actually went to her eatery while passing through Vythiri, and sampled the food. When I went there the next time, she came out of the kitchen running to tell me, that many customers told her that they read about her eatery on Facebook, and wanted to have lunch there. She thanked me profusely, but I brushed it off. She deserved every bit of that praise and the increased business. She told me about her plans to modernize the place, and build a proper washroom, and I wished her luck.

It so happened that I got busy with a lot of other stuff, and could not travel to that side for several months. And then came the day when we decided to visit Abhimanyu in Bangalore – and on the way back, we stopped once more, to have lunch at Vishnupriya’s.

Today her eatery is frequented by increasing numbers – she told me that some people often book meals by calling ahead, because they don’t want to be told that the food is over – a very common occurrence at her place! In fact, it was packed when we went in, and I thought we would have to wait to be seated, but then a large group finished their lunch and went to settle their bill.

She does not serve anything fancy – it’s idlis, dosa, puttu-kadala, upma, puri-bhaji – standard fare; her ‘sadya’ lunch is absolutely sumptuous: it’s quite a spread, much more than what is normally served as meals in other restaurants. And you can eat as much as you want. The food is served on banana leaves, and piping hot rice and sambar is dunked on it, along with several accompaniments – dry vegetables, pickle, pappadam, salads, payasam, and a plaintain. I relished every single morsel when I ate.

I was not only surprised, but delighted, and proud to see her growth. I feel privileged to be her friend, though she refuses to call me by my name – I will always be “madam” to her. But I feel humbled in her presence; she is a persevering, ambitious, and smart entrepreneur; with no fancy degrees from ivy-league colleges, and dressed in a humble cotton dress – she is an inspiration to women anywhere. May her tribe increase. She is the embodiment of Annapoorna – the Hindu Goddess of food and nourishment. If you happen to pass through Vythiri any time, do check out the Arya Bhavan Vanitha Mess (Pure Vegetarian) – I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed. Mind you, she closes up after lunch – no evening tea or dinner. Evenings are reserved for her family.