Dinesh Khanna
Dinesh Khanna
Hoteliering is in his blood, yes, but food, now that’s the essence of his being, his weakness. Dinesh Khanna dines on a sumptuous Pan-Asian meal at his The Club while he talks to UpperCrust about his hotels, upcoming projects, kids, grandkids and travel plans. His beloved late wife, Nishi Khanna, is fondly remembered, of course
Text & Photographs: Farzana Contractor
Location: Oriental Wok, The Club, Mumbai
Holiday Inn, Juhu, (now Novotel), Majorda Beach Resort, Goa, Taj Mahal, Bekal... running a hotel is quite in your blood, right?
Oh yes, I love what I do. Gets my adrenaline going! Keeps me mentally and physically fit, too.
But your real baby is The Club which was such an enterprising endeavour, almost 25 years ago, that too!
Yes, challenging, but believe me everyone was so cooperative in helping us set it up. Right from bureaucrats and politicians to architects and bankers, the media and then people who became our members. It’s been a great run.
Sorry, I can’t help but think of your late wife and my good friend, Nishi, she was the spirit behind The Club.
Oh, absolutely. Not an iota of doubt there. The Club was and is synonymous with her. I miss her so much, 41 years together, she went away in 20 minutes.
We all miss her. But you have lovely grandchildren now, who must be your pride and joy, super to have around.
I can’t express just what they mean to me. The other day, one of them, 8 years old, wrote me a note, just one sentence, ‘how did Dadima die?’ Felt like a rug was pulled from beneath my feet. You see, we have kept the details from them. They were too little at the time. Four years on, we are now beginning to explain. They bring me immense joy. Every evening, they are here at The Club and I spend quality time with them. Just watching them gives me pleasure.
Any new developments in any of your hotels?
Yes, in fact, Majorda is now being redeveloped. Old one pulled down and a totally new construction coming in its place. We, the Khanna family, have tied up with a rocking international hotel chain for this project.
Food has always been your weakness, tell me more.
I like Asian food the most, though my favourite restaurants are mostly in London, Paris and Dubai and they are all non-Asian. The kebabs in Istanbul are to die for. And I have eaten amazing Iranian, Syrian and other Arabic food in Dubai. But it’s Chinese, Thai, Malaysian and Japanese that I really like. But Japanese I eat mainly in Japan, it’s too limited here.
When and how did your love for food start?
Well, you can say, that’s been my upbringing. My dad was very particular about every small aspect of food. Badi had to come from Benaras, papad from Calcutta and pickles from Amritsar, golden muttar (green peas) from Rajasthan… just to give you an idea. The chonk, tempering, had to be with the right ingredients for every dish that required it. So at home, a good table was always maintained.
Claridges in Delhi was started by your family, right?
Originally, my dad and his brothers were jewellers, we still have the 75-year-old store in Delhi, Bholanath Brothers, but in 1956, when I was just four years old, they opened Claridges. It was great, I am told. Indian food would be made only by cooks who came from Chandni Chowk, our bastion. We lived there, in a haveli, in a large joint family.
So, a jeweller’s son went on to become a successful hotelier.
Yes, but mind you, before I went to Cornell University to study Hotel Management, I was sent to Austria for nine months to work at Pitter Hotel, Salsburg. To see whether I was really cut out for that job! I enjoyed my time at Pitter, which today, incidentally is Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza.
Have you ever cooked?
A great deal! When at Cornell, even though I was studying management, we students were expected to take up culinary classes, which I did. Including sommelier courses! Every two months, a food fest would be held, where food cooked by us would be sold. Serious stuff. Judged by faculty members. Cornell is like a mini city and the parents staying at The Tatler Hotel, which is part of the hotel school, would also come and eat and grade us!
And the tradition of Cornell continued with your two sons, Tushar and Bharat.
Hmm... yes, but I must tell you it was a trend started by Oberoi’s Rai Bahadur. He sent an executive of his to study there, first. Ravi Ghai was next to go from India. Then my cousin, Ramesh, and then Nirula’s Deepak and Lalit, then Ashok Khanna and Sunil Lamba, and the trend changed into a tradition.
Which part of the world is your favourite travel destination?
USA, for obvious reasons. I got attached to it while studying there for so many years. I love California, Florida, and New York. I also like going to Canada. And Pitter planted Austria in my head, so I go there often, too.
Where next?
Nishi and I had started to explore Croatia and Czechoslovakia, then we shifted our attention to Australia and NZ. So I guess, I’d like to go to Eastern Europe again.
To end, tell me, what is your strength and what, your weakness?
People. I love people. Meeting them, talking to them, getting to know them. Gives me great satisfaction to also help someone, if I can, in whatever way. As for weakness, just one, I would say. I am too sentimental.
