My friend Vikas Khanna, the Michelin star celebrity chef, is ready with his new book. It’s on food, naturally. And is called ‘Barkat’. Which means abundance. His grandmother’s favorite word was Barkat. “She used to say may you always be blessed with abundance,” Vikas said. The book is published by Penguin Random House, the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world, so it will be distributed in India soon. In ‘Barkat’, Vikas talks about ‘Feed India’, the world’s largest food drive undertaken by him during the pandemic.
The last time he was in Mumbai, I had lunch with Vikas. He didn’t cook them. We dined at a popular northwest Frontier Province cuisine restaurant. He disappeared into the kitchen and ordered for us. An entirely vegetarian meal! He noticed my dismay and said, “I’m not vegetarian – the restaurant is.” He was busy making his film ‘The Last Color’ then. He wrote a book with the same title. A poignant story of promises, love, friendship, and resilience, the indomitable human spirit unfolding on the banks of the Ganga. He was directing the film.
I thought a master chef’s place was in the kitchen. Not behind a movie camera. Vikas said, “He’s doing the same thing. Preparation is everything, whether the master chef is writing a menu or a script. Both are an art. Cooking food is like directing a film.” I disagreed with him. I would like to see Gulzar, Salim Khan or Javed Akhtar write a recipe and cook it with the same flair. Vikas laughed. “Never mind,” he said. “Next time I am here, I promise to cook you a finger-licking good, non-vegetarian meal.” I’m still waiting.
About Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.
With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.
Further
His interviews have featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. He has interviewed almost every famous person. In the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.
Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. In a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work, Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward.
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