@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 1:28

Q&A with Author, textile revivalist and columnist Sabita Radhakrishna

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QA. QA. QA. QA. QA. QA. QA. QA. QA. QA. Author, textile revivalist columnist, Sabita Cultural Heritage and do also tell us what prompted you to collate heritage cuisine through your cookbooks

#askanauthor #authorspeak #foodwriting

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@kittsabi
Sabita Radhakrishna
@kittsabi · 3:15
And I'm a traditionalist, so I was very keen that we should not lose out on this valuable piece of information that we get from our parents and our grandparents as to the kind of food that we cook. In fact, it tells you about the way they lived, what kind of utensils they used, what was the form of preparation they did. So what I thought is I took upon this onerous task of collecting language recipes
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@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 0:30

Need for nuance in food writing

Thank you so much for that sabita. Right now, the dominant narrative around food hinges on restaurant reviews or personal blogs on cooking. Do you think we are still missing the nuances in food writing that goes beyond just documenting recipes, writing reviews and something that looks at food as a way to better understand geography, history, culture and tradition in
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@kittsabi
Sabita Radhakrishna
@kittsabi · 2:41
But we should also not lose the skill in making the food that our grandmothers made because it goes full circle. And then there is a reason why every ingredient was used. We don't know. We just follow it implicitly without knowing the whys and wherefores of these ingredients. Like, for instance, garlic is used in the food I cook. I use a lot of garlic. And garlic is so good for the heart and it is good for so many other things like skin and hair and everything
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@kittsabi
Sabita Radhakrishna
@kittsabi · 3:21
When we lived in Kuno, when we wanted to make curds, we just preheat an oven to keep it just warm, make the curds and pop it in there. And it is a question of trial and error. So this is just one example of the nuances of traditional cooking. And another important thing was that everything we do, like adding the masala, you fry it, you saute it on medium heat or even low heat
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@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 0:29

@kittsabi The research behind Paachakam

Thank you so much for that. Interesting take. Sabita. Moving on. In your book, Pajagam, you have taken special care to represent all communities the Syrian Christians, the Nambuhis, the Kochan Jews, Nayar and the Mobiles. How did you go about finding the right people and credible sources for your book? Did it involve extensive travel and research? I'm really curious to know the whole journey of how Pajikum came about
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@kittsabi
Sabita Radhakrishna
@kittsabi · 4:54
I was able to get Kerala people in Chennai itself so that it would be easy for me to work with them. Because it meant they're giving me the recipe and then my trying it out. Then comparing it to the recipe that they made using the same ingredients. And. Oh. My God. Many times it was so different. It would not come out just right. So I had to go back to them and I spent hours and hours and hours just getting it right
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@kittsabi
Sabita Radhakrishna
@kittsabi · 0:58
So I kind of traced them and got a friend of mine to connect me with her cousins who had migrated to Bombay. And they were actually Ben Israel jews. And I think the ancestors us had also settled in coaching
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@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 0:25

Reviving India's near forgotten textiles

You're writing aside, Sabita, you are also a textile revivalist who has been working relentlessly on reviving India's near forgotten textiles. Do tell us a little bit about your journey of pulling out fabrics and designs from the past, bringing them into the present and finding a way to sustain them in the future
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@kittsabi
Sabita Radhakrishna
@kittsabi · 5:00
Where the west does not enter the warp in the border. Each portion is woven separately and the joinery is done on the loom. It's a remarkable seat and there are only very few viewers who know the skill, understand the skill. And it needs about three people to sit on the loom, one to pass the shuttles and then an assistant and the main person who sits on the loan. So what happened is, because of poor enumeration, poor appalling, working conditions and falling market
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@kittsabi
Sabita Radhakrishna
@kittsabi · 3:37
They might not wear it often, but to have it, to be owners of something so precious, so traditional. So these are two things that I achieved. And I keep on the lookout for any traditional textile skill which is falling and which needs revival. I'm always there to help the voice. And I do everything again, pro bono as a voluntary service because I gave up my commercial enterprise about 20 years ago
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@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 0:42

Do you think the current gen appreciates the beauty of traditional weaves?

Thank you, Sabita, for sharing your remarkable journey with us. I really loved listening to how you went about reviving the art of the Korvaisari. So, moving on to my last question. So, in the current trend of high street fashion labels and fast fashion, there are a handful of designers drawing on our ancient Indian heritage craftsmanship and reviving the rich textile traditions of India with their interpretation of age old beefs
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@kittsabi
Sabita Radhakrishna
@kittsabi · 2:56
You don't have to wear a sari, you can wear a handloom top which looks so dressy and this way. I only think that the top designers in India can make this happen. If they use traditional fabrics in their designs, ultimately the youngsters will follow. And there is much more awareness of being handloom perpetuating hand skills than say, the past ten or 15 years. And I don't think the sari will ever go into oblivion because youngsters have now seen a new way of wearing the saris
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@Swell
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15

Welcome to Swell!

@Ramya
Ramya V
@Ramya · 0:33

Thank you!

Thank you, Sabita, for a wonderful conversation. I'd like to take this opportunity to applaud you and appreciate your service in so many ways to society at large and I do hope you will continue to be an inspiration to many. Wishing you the very best for your book Pajugam, which I'm sure will be very well received by the culinary world and by food enthusiasts all over. Thanks again and I look forward to having you back on Swell for more great conversations
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