This is the week leading to the karthigai deepam festival in Tamil Nadu, and orders for adhirasam are flowing in at various retail outlets of Chennai’s popular The Grand Sweets and Snacks. At the factory in Perungudi, K Uma is considered an adhirasam expert. She was recruited when she was 18 for the “sole purpose of mastering the making of the sweet”, and has been at it for more than three decades now. She takes MetroPlus through the process of making it.