It begins not in your kitchen, nor on a restaurant menu, but in the sun-cracked fields across India. Before you enjoy rice at home, imagine a farmer. He works all day in muddy fields, bending over countless times to plant tiny rice shoots. His hands are rough, and his back aches from years of hard work, but he does it all hoping for a good future for his family. In India, rice farming is still deeply manual. It's a seasonal gamble, one that hinges on a timely and generous monsoon. When the rains come late or leave too early, the crop suffers. When they come heavy, the crop drowns. Yet, farmers persevere, often taking loans from private lenders, buying fertilisers at inflated prices, and waking before first light to prepare for another unpredictable day. Once the crop matures, it’s harvested again by hand. Sweat replaces rain as farmers under the Indian sun cut, dry, thresh, and pack the grains. But here’s where the story bends. Before the rice reaches your table, it must pass through a maze of middlemen brokers, transporters, traders, and wholesalers. With each layer, profit shifts upward, but not to the farmer. Worse still, the rice may be chemically treated, artificially polished, or repackaged to meet ‘market standards’, often reducing its natural flavour and nutritional value. By the time it reaches your local supermarket, the rice carries the invisible fingerprints of every hand that has touched it, cleaned it, bagged it, and stored it. The original price? Buried under packaging, logistics, and shelf appeal. And finally, the table. In a hurry to prepare dinner or a late-night snack, rice is often prepared without a second thought. Sometimes, extra is cooked just in case. Much is wasted leftovers tossed, surplus boxed but forgotten, and in some cases, entire meals left uneaten. A single uneaten bowl may represent three months of work, ten litres of water, and a farmer’s crushed expectation. So, what can you do?● Pause before you order. Think of where your food comes from.● When buying packaged rice, look for the '+F' logo, which indicates the product has beenfortified with essential vitamins and minerals to improve its nutritional value.● Support local grains and native varieties.● Eat consciously, not just conveniently.● Respect leftovers, and learn the joy of reheating with intention.● Know that food is labour, not just content. In the rice bowl of India, rice is not just a crop. It’s culture. It's a legacy. It's a livelihood. Let’s not treat it as disposable. Next time you scoop a spoonful, remember: it didn’t start on your plate.