You were born in India, where was your family from?
I was born in Delhi, but when I was five we moved to Pune, a university town two hours from Mumbai. My family are Gujarati and my grandparents migrated to India during the partition from Pakistan. When the British left India, they divided it into Pakistan and India and a lot of Hindus from Pakistan crossed over into India and a lot of Muslims moved out of India into Pakistan. I remember my grandmother telling me how they rode on roofs of trains and walked miles to move first to Gujarat and then to Delhi.
Do you have a favourite place there – a city, a market, a cultural monument, a restaurant?
For most tourists the Taj Mahal is iconic and a must see, but for me I love the forts in India. They are usually in the older parts of the city, and you can really trace history in them. Delhi has the Red Fort built by the Mughals in 1648 by the same architect of the Taj Mahal. In Pune, the city I grew up in, you have a fort called Shaniwar Wada that translates to Saturday home. This fort was built in 1732 by the royal Peshwas of the Maratha Empire. I always thought it was one thing to read a history book, but totally another experience to walk through ancient corridors and explore the way people lived. My favourite restaurant in India is Indian Accent by chef Manish Mehrotra – he’s a genius who takes regional dishes and recreates them into modern renditions. It’s rated number 26 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, and is one of the leading restaurants in India.
What is one thing that every traveller to India should do, a must-eat or must-visit?
Every traveller must venture beyond the hotel restaurants and dive into the local food, especially the street eats in every city. There is no better way to experience the heart of the culture – especially in a vast place like India – than by eating like a local. Every state in India has a different language, different climate, and therefore different cuisines.
What does a tour there with you look like?
India is the seventh-largest country in the world, so you cannot encompass it all in a 10-day tour. If you want to travel to all of India, you will need two to three months. Although I was born in India, I have yet to see all of it. I’m taking a tour for Diwali this year focussing on my favourite places: Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Mumbai, and Goa. We are doing a culinary tour that showcases street food as well as the award-winning restaurants, culture and shopping. The tour also has a focus on giving back which I strongly believe in, we will be dining at a restaurant where the menu is in sign language as they only hire speech and hearing-impaired staff, and a cafe run by women who have been victims of acid attacks. And we will support Phool, a local charity. Check out goodfoodjourneys.com.
How would you describe India in a single sentence?
A place that overwhelms every sense, but fills your bucket at the same time – a real sensory adventure for your soul.
