Mom decides Sunday is for sleeping in. By 7:15 AM, she is making poha because “the kids will wake up hungry.” 9 AM: The entire family is dressed for a “quick visit” to the temple, which takes three hours. 1 PM: Lunch is a feast. There are seven dishes because “Sunday is special.” 4 PM: Dad decides to “relax” by fixing the leaking tap. The tap breaks. Water floods the backyard. 7 PM: Relatives arrive unannounced. Mom pretends to be happy while mentally calculating how to stretch the dal . 10 PM: Everyone collapses into bed. Mom whispers, “I need a vacation from the weekend.”

In traditional setups, generations live under one roof. Grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins share finances, kitchens, and often, a single television remote.

It’s the time for neighbors to drop by unannounced. In India, a "guest is God" ( Atithi Devo Bhava ), so the tea kettle goes back on the stove, and a tin of biscuits or spicy namkeen is brought out.