Managing kitchen affairs had never been an arduous task for 35-year-old Vimal Mani, a housewife, as it is these days.

She gets up every morning only to be faced with the dilemma of what to cook in the absence of necessary commodities and fresh vegetables, that had made happy meals in normal times for her family of five members.

Over two months of continuous agitation has left the women of Jammu a distraught lot. Life stands stranded for all, but in the kitchens of Jammu, things have turned topsy-turvy for more than one reason.

While the kitchen menu and budget of an average Dogra family has been badly hit, it has also left women in a fix. Vegetables unavailable, thinking of how to keep the menu varied has become a problem.

Vimla is wary of repeating the same menu due to non-availability of things and a disturbed budget, even as children and elders, who are enjoying a long holiday, have their own set of demands.

With the sabzi mandi, the central market of fresh vegetables, closed for a long stretch, kitchen baskets have turned empty and refrigerator baskets are filled with tomatoes and occasionally, capsicum. Leafy vegetables have become a rare sight in average Jammu kitchens.

“I am at my wit’s end every day on what to serve my family. I have been cooking pulses in different cuisines to avoid monotony,” she said, adding that non-vegetarian preparations, twice a week as per the normal schedule, have also been disrupted.

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