New Delhi, June 13 -- In March 2020, as the first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown brought India to a sudden, grinding halt, Monica and her partner, Partheshwar, found themselves staring at a bleak future.

Parth, who had taken a career break following his father's passing, saw his break indefinitely extended. Monica, a practising lawyer, suddenly found her client cases suspended and her income completely dried up.

As their collective savings evaporated, the couple was left with exactly Rs.1,300 in cash. Driven by sheer necessity, they took a desperate gamble on an old family secret: a traditional, oil-based chicken pickle recipe handed down by her grandmother.

Five years later, that desperation has transformed into a thriving bootstrapped ...