Indrani Gupta
ThreeFish Consulting
How one man tapped into the lessons of his childhood; his experiences with generosity, selflessness, and a culture of sharing; to create a movement that grew to become one of the world’s largest food drives by an individual. That is the story of Barkat– authored by Indian chef, restauranteur, filmmaker and author, Vikas Khanna.
Roughly translated into English, “Barkat” means “abundance” – but not necessarily of wealth; but the abundance of compassion, generosity and prosperity. Barkat is not just a word – it’s a concept; a feeling of blessing, prosperity, good fortune… and, grace.
The book chronicles the Michelin starred chef’s journey from humble beginnings to the finest restaurants across world today. A lovely, ‘straight from the heart’ read, Barkat is peppered with anecdotes and learnings from his childhood, inspiration from Indian folklore and mythology – and demonstrates that anyone can make a difference if their heart is in the right place.
With humility and candor, Vikas Khanna shares his life story of growing up in Amritsar, of working in the community kitchen at the Golden Temple, the simple but deep wisdom he learnt from his mother and grandmother, working with them in their kitchen.
He chronicles the ups & downs, as he tried to make it in a foreign land in the hyper competitive world of haute cuisine in New York. He shares stories of when he was a rookie chef, learning the ropes, early in his career working at the ITC hotels in India. Stories of gratitude also form a powerful thread through the book – especially the story of Ammi, who sheltered him during the Bombay riots at great risk to her own family. As you read, the simplicity, honesty and gratitude expressed by the author will touch your heart.
In the book, Chef Vikas Khanna also shares what motivated him to set in motion a movement to feed the hungry labourers walking thousands of miles to their native villages in India during the pandemic. With his mother’s words “giving up is not an option” spurring him on, and beginning with his Twitter followers, he began to mobilize his network – from friends, fans, sponsors, and India’s apex Disaster Response Service – NDRF – and the movement grew to become one of the world’s largest food drives.
“Where there is no dearth and there is no scarcity, that’s Barkat. It’s a much bigger word than can be translated in English,” said the author in an interview. I guess we can collectively say a quiet ‘Amen’ to that!
