THE BEGINNING

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.” That is exactly how life revealed my love for cooking to me. I had always enjoyed food. I grew up eating amazing food cooked by my mum. But once I left home, I did not have home cooked food prepared with love for many years. I was eating food but with complete and total unawareness. I never thought twice before putting anything inside my body. I was the slave of my tongue and my relationship with food was limited to how it tasted. I did not have any awareness about the pre and post consumption processes around food i.e. how the food was produced, prepared, what all has conspired to have the food on the plate before me and what effect it was going to have on me.

As much as I loved eating food, I never thought that I would actually enjoy cooking it. But then I came to Australia and I had no choice but to prepare my own food. And all of a sudden it opened a new chapter in my life. I started making my own food and developed a very intimate relationship with food. I found myself constantly on phone with my mum and sister in law, experts in traditional Indian cooking, and discussing recipes and techniques with them. I was chopping and grinding and grating and cutting and peeling and slicing and frying and steaming and roasting and during all this I was discovering the beautiful textures and scents and colours of fresh foods. I felt present. I felt peaceful and yet alive. Cooking turned into a symphony for me where just like a conductor, I was directing and controlling what was happening on four different flames at the same time. I discovered how preparing food put me in a very present and mindful state. Cooking became a Sadhana. To add to this, I met an incredibly magical soul who altered my consciousness, from whom I learned so much about awareness, love and gratitude towards all beings, and Ayurveda. This catapulted my relationship with food to another level and I increasingly felt the desire to share my experiences in form of a blog.

Some disclaimers – I am not an expert cook or an expert on health. So, whatever I write in my blog is just what appeals to me and what works for me. About recipes I share here – I do not have any intention of sharing restaurant quality dishes or quick recipes. The blog may definitely contain recipes which are very common but the endeavor is to be able to post new, innovative and rare recipes. All recipes will be vegetarian and sugar free. One essential piece of great wisdom from the Bhagawad Gita which I try and apply during cooking is:

“Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou kada chana - You have the right to perform your actions, but you are not entitled to the fruits of the actions.

Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani – Do not let the fruit be the purpose of your actions, just enjoy the process of getting there.”

Keep cooking – don’t worry about the results. Being present, feeling the textures of the foods, inhaling the scents with a constant sense of gratitude and the realisation that you are one with the food is far more important than the end result. I do this and the end result is always good. Another aspect about food which I will include in my posts is about food sadhanas, (practices which help develop awareness and presence) the inspiration for which I got from the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra and the book “Ayurveda: A Life of Balance” by  Maya Tiwari.

The name of the blog is a line from a very beautiful food prayer from my Marathi motherland. For most part of my life, I used to laugh and ridicule people who sang this or any other food prayer. I used to label them as “typical”, “pious”, “silly” or “conservative” during my young and stupid years. But now I realise the extraordinary beauty of it. It is funny how as time passes, so many things which you judged as silly, now make complete sense and so many things which were important to you in the past, now seem so silly. So, the prayer goes something like this:

“Vadani kaval gheta, naam ghya Shri Hariche
Sahaj hawan hote, naam gheta phukache
Jivan kari jivitva, anna he purna Brahma
Udarbharan nohe, jaanije yadnyakarma”

Chant the name of the Divine when putting a morsel into your mouth

Doing so is the simplest way of offering/sacrifice/oblation to the Divine

Food sustains us and is the manifestation of Brahman (ultimate reality/the Absolute) itself

Having food is not just filling the stomach but is a type of sacrifice to the Divine

And now, taking Shri Hari’s name and taking Lord Ganesha’s name, I commence this blog J.