Chef Vikas Khanna’s latest book ‘Utsav – A culinary epic of Indian festivals’ was unveiled at the glitzy environs of the Cannes Film Festival during the weekend. This is the first time in 68 years of Cannes Film Festival that a cookbook was launched at the world’s most glamourous film festival.
It has resportedly taken more than 12 years for Khanna — who has been Michelin-starred four times and has written 20 previous books — to research, write, photograph what is being called the world’s most expensive cookbook at US$ 13,000 (Rs 8 lakh). The limited edition of the book will have a poem embossed in gold ink.
The book celebrates India’s known and lesser-known festivals. Their rituals, ceremonies and customs of food through sacred ingredients. This is Chef Khanna’s 21st book and is dedicated to the transgender community of India.
“The journey of anything auspicious begins with transgender community singing and clapping at the doors of our homes, their blessings are like Mother’s love. It may be a wedding, child births, first Diwali, Holi or Lohri, it’s their voices that bring the celebration in the occasion. So, I dedicate this book to them to them and applaud for their love and compassion in our nation,” he said at the launch.
Khanna will hand deliver this cookbook to the world’s top 12 leaders who have inspired him as a gratitude and to his “Motherland to the World”. This journey will start from India’s PM Narendra Modi.
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