His cookbook Utsav A Culinary Epic of Indian Festivals made a bigger headline than some of the movies screened at the last Cannes Film Festival. And now in a role reversal of sorts, celebrity Chef Vikas Khanna has turned director and his labour of love would be premiered at the 69 edition of the international festival. As an author, his book became a bestseller but it now remains to be seen how his film with profound message would be received.
For this short yet significant film, the Michelin-starred Chef had to come out of his comfort zone to meet heads of various religions and show to the world at large how community kitchens are run and how they bind people together. At a time when religious intolerance is increasing the film’s message that it is food which eventually binds people together irrespective of their faith, nationality or ideology holds considerable relevance.
“Our subject binds people together,” says Vikas as we get down talking about his 15-minutes long Kitchens of Gratitude .
On turning director
I am a chef; the subject of food is always inviting but here it was more important as I had to get religious leaders of different faiths speak about food. All of them – Mata Amritananda, the Dalai Lama and Pastor Craig Mayes – say that all faiths have one tenet that is breaking the bread. Now when we are eating we don’t know the faith of the person who has made it. This documentary shows how food experiences can break the wall that divides people. At home do you ask the caste of the farmer who has grown vegetables? Food has the power and potential of achieving world peace.
On the unifying force of food
My exposure to different cultures has made me realise that every faith have this concept of sharing food. Christians call it soup kitchen. Buddhists make feast and the food cooked there is served by monks to all visitors. Among Muslims there is Iftari where everyone stands with food in their hands. They cannot break their fast till their neighbour has not satisfied his hunger. A Muslim cannot eat to his full till his neighbour is hungry.
On the catalyst
At Junoon (his restaurant in the U.S.) we work in a kitchen with 36 nationalities. Interacting with them over the years has made me realise that a common thread runs through all religions and that the beauty of food is that it brings people together. We abstain from cooking beef or pork in our restaurant out of respect for the people who have raised us. It has nothing to do with religion. We have so many Muslims working for us. This is due to our sentiments, emotions and our integrity. It is an Indian restaurant and I want to remain true to it.
I am using my celebrity status to convey the message of leaders of different faiths.
On experience with seers
Mata Amritananda feeds so many people in orphanages at public places. Her generosity is incredible. In the U.S. she is adored so much. I treat the Dalai Lama like an elderly figure; at times as a friend. He complimented me for making this documentary as nobody asks spiritual leaders about food. Everyone says they want to achieve different level of consciousness. But it is food which is the biggest necessity.
On home truths
Born and raised in India I have always felt that kitchen is the central force of Indian families. The seed of this documentary were sown when I first saw how food was served to thousands of people during langar at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Fortunate to have seen the generosity of human spirit since childhood, I have seen rolling of the bread which feeds people physically as well as spiritually. There is so much of goodness but somehow we believe in headlines that tell us that the world is not a good place to live in. I feel the power of food in every morsel; table and we call it the table of gratitude.
On the research
In Pakistan I saw cooking pots dated to the Harappa civilization but could not find a small pot meant for cooking for one person. Even at that time community kitchens were run. It was food which brought people together.
On the American connection
When I first landed at the New York Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter, it was Christmas. And the first thing I heard was the pastor speaking about the concept of sharing of food. It was amazing… Breaking of the bread has a wider concept as it can break walls and leads to conversation between rivals. We had to show how eating together of people of different faiths can bring harmony.
On the same plate
To show that all faiths have the same message we went to Grand de Mosque, the biggest mosque of Paris, to shoot. We will screen our documentary in Paris. The message we want to convey is that food has the biggest strengthto bring divergent groups together.
On the biggest challenge
The biggest challenge was how the show Mecca, Vatican on a single frame. Small documentary it is, but has a bigger meaning in today’s times. My cousins recently told me that we cannot live in India anymore. Such talks are silly. Our kids need to hear such stories.
Remember that Indiahas nurtured multiple faiths. People of different faiths have always been welcomed. Now the world is saying that the United States is a melting pot but India was always like that. It is home to thousands of Muslims, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs. We have welcomed immigrants. Jews were immigrants in India. Parsis took refuge in Gujarat when they were fled Iran.
Similarly Tibetans settled in India. Our diversity is our biggest strength. The concept of sharing and caring has always come from India. So many great religions like Jainism, Hinduism, Sikhism have originated in our country. Our pluralistic traditions are known the world over. We are the second largest Muslim country.
