Mumbai chefs welcome possible Padma awards category for cooking

Did you know that Tarla Dalal is the only Indian from the field of cooking to have been awarded the nationrsquos fourth highest civilian award mdash the Padma Shri The late cookbook author host and chef who taught India how to cook mdash with more than 100 book titles to her credit and the popular TV show Cook It Up With Tarla Dalal mdash was recognised for her contribution in this field and presented with this award by late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2007 However she won this award in the lsquoothersrsquo category Now if things go as planned cooking could find a place as a separate category at these awardsIllustrationUday MohiteCooking up a stormLast week the Ministry of Culture sent a recommendation to the Home Ministry to include cooking in the list of Padma awards based on a detailed proposal prepared by a group of hoteliers and chefs including celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor Reportedly the idea came from MoS Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma who felt that Indian food and spices are popular across the world and that including this category would open up business opportunities in the fieldCulinary queen late Tarla Dalal left was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007 Seen here being felicitated by the Governor of Maharashtra SC Jamir at Raj Bhavan in 2008While one is unsure of when this move will get a stamp of approval from the government Mumbairsquos culinary experts have warmly welcomed this gesture Multiple awardwinning chef Hemant Oberoi now a consultant at The Taj Group shares ldquoWe have been talking about and fighting for this for 15 years We always work as ambassadors of Indian cuisine and have taken it across the world whether it is places where people were unaware about this cuisine or those where it is wellknownrdquoFrom left Gordon Ramsay tries a mutton piece from Mussalam Bakra Biryani at Baradari Lucknow in 2009 as chef Imtiaz Qureshi and son Ishtiyaque look on This appeared on an episode of Gordonrsquos Great Escape Pic courtesyIshtiyaque Qureshi Touted as the czar of Indian cuisine with a career spanning four decades Jiggs Kalra mentor Massive Restaurants Pvt Ltd echoes the sentiment ldquoIt was about time that those who have curated and hosted numerous state banquets and accompanied Prime Ministerial contingents representing India and its culinary heritage around the world for decades get their due recognition by the government Itrsquos never too late as long as this wonderful proposal gets the nod of those concernedrdquoSpringboard for cuisineAccording to experts such a move can go a long way in propelling the rich Indian cuisine to the next level ldquoIndian cuisine is an art and no artiste performs keeping an award in mind However the award will definitely bring about respect and recognition that the chefs deserve and Indian cuisine may prosperrdquo says chef Ishtiyaque Qureshi managing director Kakori House Pvt Ltd He hopes that his father and masterchef Imtiaz Qureshi credited for introducing the world to the dum pukht style of cooking gets recognised for his selfless dedication to Indian cuisineHemant OberoiKalra reasons ldquoSince Independence and more recently since the proliferation of the culture of eating out numerous talents in the field of hospitality and cooking have not only represented the country on a global platform but have also been recognised internationally by various bodies and in some cases even governments Itrsquos time for people from our country to also recognise and celebrate their achievementsrdquoJiggs KalraKitchen motivationAccording to Kalrarsquos son Zorawar founder and managing director of the brand such recognition can also encourage younger chefs to uphold the legacy of Indian cuisine ldquoIt motivates others in the industry to pitch in and contribute to take the work of their predecessors forward multifold thereby strengthening the countryrsquos position on a global platformrdquoAwarding chefs can also lead to the growth of food tourism believes Oberoi ldquoFood tourism can become a big ticket for the future Our country has almost 25000 recipes and very few are known in the world Our spices have a major influence in the western worldItrsquos time we make our cities amongst the food cities of the worldrdquo he statesWho gets the PadmaWith the sheer number and diversity in Indian chefs and culinary experts the selection committee may face a Herculean task of choosing the right contenders Manu Chandra chefpartner at Monkey Bar and The Fatty Bao observes ldquoUsually panelists on the committee use a fair and encouraging selection method where they consult experts from within the respective fields to gauge different works and choose the contenders post which it is put to vote I believe the committee will follow the same selection process for this category toordquoHowever is there a fear of standalone chefs getting overshadowed by their more popular fivestar counterparts ldquoChefs from five star hotels are more in the limelight they get the support of the organisation they work for Hence theoretically they stand a better chance However due to the nature of the prestigious award I believe that all chefs will be considered irrespective of the platformrdquo shares Qureshi adding ldquoIn fact in a country like ours an individualrsquos sacrifice emotions hardship legacy and performance should be important criteriardquoPopular restaurateur AD Singh sums up ldquoIn general Irsquom all in favour of recognition for our industry However whether candidates meet the parameters for a Padma award is up to the committeeItrsquos an honour rarely awarded and the value of it must never be reducedrdquo