Where were you born, raised, and where/what did you study?
Born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, raised and educated in
Mumbai…graduated from Science College, majoring in Chemistry and Physics and
then went on to post-graduate in Special Education at the Center for Mentally
Challenged.
You recently released a book on Sindhi Cuisine - can you tell us
about your inspiration behind this book?
October 2005, I was in India. “Mom is critical, come soon” said
my brother over a long distance call. Travelling formalities took some time,
when I reached; Mom was there no more. All that remained were her beautiful
memories. There were chutneys and pickles, sweets and spices, a bottle of
peeled garlic, a jar of pickled carrots, frozen samosas in the freezer, all
still fresh in the fridge. Mom was a great cook; her life revolved around her
kitchen, everyone who tasted her food came back for more. I wanted to preserve
her memories and rekindle her art of cooking. I quickly ran to my bookshelf to
get my scribbled notes. I wanted to share her culinary art with the next
generation. My cookbook began to breathe.
3How long did it take you to compile this collection of recipes
from the very first one to its published form? Was it difficult setting out to
get your book published?
I had collected mom’s recipes for many years, scribbling down
the method that she used, trying out each dish under her guidance. But the
process of writing a recipe book is very tedious. It took me more than two
years to compile them in a proper form. Writing a recipe book is not just
jotting down the method and sharing with the world, a lot of research is
involved. Sindhi food is intricate, thoughtful; satisfying labor of love, and
it’s a matter of choice like all cuisines are. It’s sad that young children
haven’t been brought up with it, and they will never enjoy it the way we do.
There is definitely a tough competition between Sindhi cuisine and other varied
cuisine; the reason being non-exposure and non-availability of numerous
ingredients. I had to understand the history behind the ingredients used in
Sindhi cooking, the type of special food used during festivals, the tradition
of using certain kind of food on a particular day and its’ importance in the
Sindhi culture. The recipes had to be tried, tested and checked for proper
measurements of the ingredients.
However, It wasn’t difficult to find a publisher. The first
publisher (Popular Prakashan) I approached informally (at a book launch),
accepted it immediately because they were impressed with the content and variety
of dishes mentioned in the book. Normally, people are familiar with only
handful of dishes like Sindhi Curry, SaiiBhaji, pilafs, but there are many more
dishes, that are simple to make on daily basis and yet so nutritious. Sindhi
food is comfort food that warms the heart. It is wholesome, delicious, very
gourmet Indian and compliments the good life. Publisher had great faith in my
work but it took them another four years to get it out in print. I think
editing and other formalities do take time.
How many copies have been printed and where or how can one get a
copy especially from outside India?
Do you have an online or Kindle version available as well?
Yes, it’s available on Kindle too
What are your hopes for this book?
I am very happy with the response the book is getting and I am
hoping that my book is found in every Sindhi home.
After the partition, Sindhi were
scattered all over the world and because of the non-availability of the
ingredients in their new environment, they adjusted to a new fusion food. The
process of globalisation has also reawakened an interest in, and focus on,
regional identities and the roots of our culture.
All these changes have led to a growing
interest in regional and local foods. If correctly handled this interest in
regional foods can and will create new opportunities for food lovers. Sindhi
food is also quite popular around the world because Sindhi are well known for
their hospitality and a Sindhi woman expresses her love for her guest by
stuffing them with food till they drop dead!
I have written this book mainly for young people who grew up
enjoying Grandmother’s cuisine. They enjoyed the Sindhi food whenever they
visited their grand parents home. In the families, where Sindhi food is cooked
regularly, the youngsters realize the value of the spices used in Sindhi
cuisine and their health benefits. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. With
the Global fusion and international taste, the original flavors are
disappearing. There are just handful of people who really know to cook the
right and original recipes, I hope to succeed in communicating with Sindhi
youth and help revive our age-old tradition, culture, and food to next few
generations ahead.
We have noticed there were no pictures in this collection of
recipes - how do you think readers may feel about that? What was the reason not
to print pictures of the food with the recipes?
True, there are no pictures in the book and many people may be
disappointed. Pictures were not added so as to keep the cost affordable for
everyone. (as I mentioned earlier, I wish to see my book in every Sindhi home) On
closer examination, it has been noticed that the content is so good that very
few people actually miss it. In todays trend, digital pictures are splashed all
over the net, and it is easy to get the picture of any dish you want. In fact I
have created a board on Pinterest, on #SindhiCuisine at http://www.pinterest.com/pushpz/sindhi-cuisine/ especially for
those who would like to see how the dish looks like. People are encouraged to
send in their food pictures after trying out a recipe from this book.
Gradually, I will have a picture of every dish mentioned in the book on my
Pinterest board
8What are your other projects that is keeping you busy and what
are your plans next?
Most of my time is spent in reading and writing. I maintain
seven blogs that keeps me quite busy. Besides that, I am the coordinator and
trustee of Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan, Center for Mentally Challenged. We
have two centers in NaviMumbai, where we train more than 180 Special Children
in special skills programmed as per their ability. I plan to build a
residential home for mentally challenged in near future where such children can
lead a secure and sheltered life.
9 What previous writing accomplishments have you achieved and what
writing projects are you doing currently?
I have published 2 books on computers for kids, a set of 24
modules on mathematics for pre-school and two stories in 'Chicken soup' series.
Presently, working on book on ‘Teaching Computers to Special Children’
You have a blog -
what is the address and what do you generally write about?
I maintain seven blogs writing on various topics such as food,
travel, special education, Mumbai city, poems and fiction. All blogs are
inter-connected. You can visit my blog on food at http://papadchai.blogspot.com
