Bhagwan Ke Pakwan

Devang Singh (Author)
Devang Singh was blessed with an agile understanding of light which inspired him to leave his history degree aside to become a photographer, director and producer-a profession that has both yielded content for brands worldwide and near life-ending altercations with elephants.

Varud Gupta (Author)
Varud Gupta was born and bred for business until a brusque millennial existential crisis sent him travelling through the culinary cultures of the world. He's been a NY cheesemonger, an Argentine asador, a Peruvian bartender and a spy in countless household kitchens

The rice beer bellies of a Christian village in Meghalaya; food fed to departed Zoroastrian souls; a Kolkata-based Jewish community in decline; Tibetan monks who first serve Preta, the hungry ghost; and fifty-six-course feasts of the Jagannath temple-these are the stories in Bhagwan Ke Pakwaan (or, food of the gods), a cookbook-cum-travelogue exploring the connection between food and faith through the communities of India. There are legends and lore, angsty perspectives, tangential anecdotes, a couple of life lessons and a whole lot of food.If there be a God high above the stars that twinkle and He lays his hands on a copy of Bhagwaan ke Pakwaan he would I am sure roar with laughter working up a healthy appetite for the recipes dished our here. Devang Singh and Varud Gupta play a culinary duet to perfection with a refreshingly light touch and sparkling sense of humor... With a few well chosen words they transport us to exotic tribal homelands as well as the hallowed precincts of the legendary Jugganath Temple. Absolutely unputdownable. To be dipped in ritualistically at regular intervals.Bhagwaan ke Pakwaan takes us on an exciting journey that explores faith, cuisine and culture from across the country. With the help of beautifully captured pictures and the bonus of traditional recipes for one to try at home, this book is a homage to India's rich culinary heritage and diversity.Bhagwaan ke Pakwaan mixes and mashes nuggets of religion, history and culture to offer sumptuous treats on food and faith... the genre of cookbook writing, as it exists in India, can benefit from many-splendoured focus of Bhagwaan ke Pakwaan.A tongue-in-cheek millennial irreverence sets it apart from other more academic explorations of the topic... their stories are real, personal and unprejudiced. And above all, they bring to the fore a selection of food and culinary rituals of both India's gods and its humans.A bouncy and quirky narrative brings flavour and history to the food of communities inhabiting the various corners of India. This is a cookbook guaranteed to make an impact in the world of Indian cuisine where a plethora of cookbooks jostle for attention.Bhagwaan ke Pakwaan is free, flowing, effortless and very, very relatable. It takes up food in a way that we look at it everyday - conversational, matter-of-fact and yet omnipresent. It unites conversations to weave a silvery web of glittery emotions, and while the stories are enchanting to say the least, the beautiful, flowing prose makes it seem as if it's a friend sitting and narrating their own experience with you, at a coffee shop.A book that refuses to take itself seriously gives a delightful insight into Indian foods and its relationship with communities and religions across the country... By the end of the book, you feel a sense of enlightenment and yearn for a little more.Though religion and food are at loggerheads in India, a cookbook brings them together with humour. With its light-hearted focus on culture, history and cuisine, Bhagwaan ke Pakwaan is an ideal read for today's divisive times.Far from heavy reading, Bhagwaan ke Pakwaan is a travelogue / photodiary / cookbook... The beautiful photographs are supplemented by candid, sometimes almost visceral, sometimes high-on-something (rice beer maybe) conversations about locales and happy food discoveries... The narrative is deft, poignant and stirring, with insights into the evolution of many lesser-known culinary cultures.