New Year, New Growth, A Time For Renewal!

Photograph: ROHAN BHALWAL

And so, another year comes to an end with the darn pandemic still raging on. From Delta to Omicron! It seems to have quietened down in India a wee bit and thank God for that, but the rest of the world is still keeling under. I hope and pray, the new year starts on a happy note.

The mind, that's important. Mustn't let it run amuck. I have come to the conclusion, never before has it been that important to have a healthy attitude towards life. A healthy mind is a healthy body. The stress is what is killing. Fear over something that may not even happen.  

Keeping that as our focus, we at UpperCrust have been plodding on. Mask in place, we carry forth, interviewing people, shooting pictures, going to office when necessary but predominantly working from home. Thank God for TeamViewer that truly facilitates home offices! The future will surely be different from now on. We have experienced what it is like working from home. But the discipline will have to be doublefold.

So, this issue again seems to have worked out quite well. We are really encouraged by all the appreciation that has come our way. Our digital magazine has gone places - literally, adding to our readership quite substantially.

What do you think of our cover story? Cool, right! Here you have an economist, a Nobel Laureate happily sweating it out in the kitchen. Abhijit Banerjee makes cooking seem so easy. Well, it does come easy to him, he has been cooking since he was 15 and he does it with great flair. I highly recommend you order his book, which is just out, Cooking to Save Your Life. It will, believe me!

We have a Halloween party for you, in quaint Panchgani followed by some Christmas cheer; in the form of goodies, that you can try making at home. Four Seasons Mumbai - its Executive Chef Anupam Gulati and Bar Supervisor, Harish Subramanian - really went to town, sparing no effort in bringing to UpperCrust readers super cocktails, snacks and desserts, recipes complete.

You have a lot in the food department. Rahul Velkar, a true-blue foodie, invited me over for lunch, with the promise of serving food from the community he belongs to - Pathare Prabhu. This is not a cuisine you can easily find in restaurants so there is no way I was going to pass the offer. You have four recipes to try, go ahead. Incidentally, you can also thank him for a part of the green lung that Bombay has. His forefathers generously gave away 3,000 acres of their private land to create the Borivali National Park. And also Shivaji Park, formed in 1924 was part of their land-holding!
Chef Nimish Bhatia has got very creative with his cooking in this issue - with flowers! 'Tis the Season, after all. Chef Bhairav Singh brings back ancient Indian grains in a modern avatar.  Lastly there is Chef Jitendra Nakhwa, from the cool climes of Dharamshala. Executive Chef of Radisson Blu Resort, he has churned out very unusual fare for us. Himachali cuisine. Food from the mountains. Like I said, recipes galore!

Fine dining this quarter is at Sette Mara, St, Regis. Very sensibly and creatively they have carved out a new restaurant from the existing Seven Kitchens. The idea works well and now Bombay has a new Mediterranean offering; Levant food seems to be the rage in our city.

Nothing odd about the couple I am posing with, in the picture alongside, even if their farm in Panchgani is called The Odd Gumnut Permaculture Farm! They are so chilled, following the dictats of their hearts, making the world a better place for you, me, themselves!

I can't sign off without talking about Mona Irani Patrao. To me, she is what Alice Waters is to California. The original organic queen. For the past five decades she has  been living a life as close to nature as it gets, influencing those around her to live likewise. Read her story in UpperCrust People and envy me for the fact that I have known her since decades. The first time I went to meet her, at Redstone Farm, her home, she was in the cowshed, birthing a calf in the cold of Panchgani winter.

On that happy note of new life, a Happy New Year to all our readers. May 2022 bring us peace and good health with a strong robust immunity system!