I began writing this
journal to note down aspects about me that only I can express to myself, so
that when my amnesia engulfs my memory, I would be able to discover myself once
again! However, it is quite funny that many of such intricacies about me are
somehow related to my culinary notions! Thus, today again, I would note down
something that tickles out the gastronomic personality within me.
On the ground floor of
my office building is a small shop called “Ramu’s Kitchen”. The shop is famous
for one item it sells the most… “The Rice Bowl”. Ramu is the owner of the shop
and the chef behind the classic recipe of the Rice Bowl. Served in conical
shaped melamine bowls, the recipe comprises of two large scoops of scented
rice, a ladleful of “Dal” and a vegetarian or non-vegetarian side. The
customers receive this wholesome meal, served hot during the busy lunch hours,
at a price that suits the pocket of almost every officegoer. However, the
patronage is not restricted to middle-class folks, even senior executives make
a beeline for grabbing a share of the popular “Rice Bowl” prepared by Ramu.
It is immaterial to say
that I too am a regular patron of “Ramu’s Kitchen” and the “Rice Bowl” is my
staple for lunch. There are two aspects of the “Rice Bowl” that I have
discovered as its unique selling points. Firstly, the cookery that goes into
the recipe has a uniqueness that Ramu has mastered (from where I really don’t
know) that attracts and suits the palates of almost everyone. Secondly, the menu,
I mean the curry and the “Dal” has a new taste every day. Nobody knows how Ramu
manages to do this, but it is something that acts as an attraction, a mystery
to b discovered, by many of the customers who rush to the shop just to taste
and find out what the “Rice Bowl” would contain! Even I am a slave to this
enigmatic culinary schedule, and eagerly wait every day for the arrival of the
lunch time!
However, today I
discovered a third aspect that has made Ramu’s Rice Bowls even more precious
and special to me. Unlike my usual habit, I came down for lunch a bit early.
Most of the customers are yet to arrive and “Ramu’s Kitchen” was yet to begin
its day’s business. I walked inside the little kitchen and took a glimpse of
the interior for the first time. The small rectangular room had several wooden
racks filling with so many different things! There were jars full of various
spices, different utensils, vessels, ladles and rows of melamine bowls that
would soon boast with the contents of the famous Rice Bowl recipe! The
ingredients for the day’s special Rice Bowl, including vegetables, pulses,
rice, paneer and eggs were lying on one of the lower racks, while the higher
racks were mostly crowded with containers loaded with some unknown elements
whose fragrance floated in the air.
Near the right-side of
the room, stood a busy Ramu in front of a gas oven making final preparations
for completing the day’s menu. He whistled lightly while focusing deeply in his
work. There was an expression of tranquility in his face that made me feel
good. I spoke, “Hey Ramu, isn’t the lunch ready yet?”
Ramu gave an astonished look at me, as he was least expecting this
sudden arrival of mine. As the initial confusion cleared, Ramu replied, “Yes
sir! I am almost done. Today’s special Rice Bowl is as good as any other day’s!”
I smiled and asked him the secret behind the exemplary recipes of the
Rice Bowls every day that attracts so many people who make a beeline in front
of his shop. I was really enthralled by the rush of customers and huge amount
of supply that this single guy had to manage, that too with a content and
smiling face!
Ramu knew me well, as I was one of his oldest customers. He asked me
sit on a stool and began to talk, “Sir, today, let me tell you the story of my
life. There is still time before the flow of customers would begin and I think
we can make good use of that time. I used to live in a small village named Kakori near Bharuch in Gujarat. I was
the only child of my parents and the three of us lived happily in our little
mud-house. My father was a spice seller and had a shop adjoining our house. The
little income that came through the meagre sale was enough for running our
family of three. My mother had always been happy with whatever god gave us and
she taught me the same. We were a happy family. My father was so proficient in
mixing spices and his assortments were really popular among the villagers. Everybody
in our village used to call him a magician of spices! My mother was equally skilled
and used the spices to create flavors that were ethereal to taste! My parents
used to teach me that culinary experiences are direct outcomes of human
emotions. They taught me the magic to imbibe human emotions in the spices and
create exemplary delicacies with them!”
I listened keenly while Ramu continued after a little pause, “Manjeet
Chetri was our village Sarpanch! His
daughter was Lavanya. She was my childhood friend and I used to call her Imlee! As we grew up, the innocent
friendship developed into a secret romantic affection that brewed in both our
hearts! However, when Manjeet Chetri came to know about this, he didn’t confront
me or my family directly. He plotted a deadly plan against us and defamed my
father in front of the entire village. My father couldn’t bear the insult and
suffered a serious heart attack. He passed away within three days and my mother
followed him soon. I was left devastated. Manjeet Chetri didn’t stop yet, he
cooked up a mutiny and got me ousted from my house and from my village! I was
left homeless, at the tender age of twenty-one!”
Ramu looked at me, smiled and then went over to check the consistency
of the rice that was getting readied. He returned and said, “It has been
twenty-five years since that day! I came to Mumbai twenty-five years ago and
started to work as a servant in a street-side shop. The owner of the shop, septuagenarian
Govinda Das, became my guru. He taught me, never to lose hope and said every
human being possesses some unique quality that can make him special. He
implored me to search that special quality in me. After my guru breathed his
last, I started to operate his business.”
Ramu picked up the first Rice Bowl of the day, handed it over to me and
said, “Soon, I realized that I indeed possessed a unique quality… The mastery
of species and imbibing their flavors into the food I cooked! I was amazed to
find that I truly could incorporate emotions into the spices and that is what
make Rice Bowls unique! The dreams in my eyes, of sorrows or happiness, get transferred
into the recipes! Its magic, that I have inherited from my parents! I don’t want
to go back to my village now. I don’t even have any heartache for Imlee, my only dream is to make the Rice
Bowls so popular that the entire world would know it someday, and father’s name
would shine like GOLD!”
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