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DNA Exclusive: 'Care in times of pandemic', Chef Vikas Khanna opens up about Feed India initiative

When asked if these difficult times have united people from across the globe now more than ever, Khanna stated, "I think this pandemic has taught us a lot about how we are in this together not just for an Instagram status, we are in this together because the pain we have been feeling is common."

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A Michelin-star chef, who is based in New York but his heart belongs to India and Indians. Chef Vikas Khanna, has been a ray of hope for millions in India during these trying times that have brought citizens of the globe together to fight one battle -- coronavirus. 

This Tuesday, chef Khanna would have completed serving more than 35 million meals (cooked and dry ration) and donating over 500,000 slippers, 3.5 million sanitary pads , 2 million masks -- as part of his Feed India Initiative or 'Barkat' as he calls it -- to India’s most marginalised people and all this coordinated from 7,000 miles away in New York.

Khanna and his team of 60 plus volunteers based in India and US have made sure that no stone is left unturned in feeding people who have been suffering the most during this global pandemic -- COVID-19. From transgenders, sex workers, street vendors, HIV/AIDS patients to orphanages, old-age homes and leprosy centres, Khanna's group of volunteers have been doing the tough yet commendable task of not letting people sleep empty stomach and reaching out to all those in need without discriminating on the basis of caste, colour, creed, race. 

Each ration kit feeds 200 meals and comes with the following: rice, dal, atta, salt, sugar, spices, oil, tea/coffee, onions, potatoes, and detergent. And therefore, to facilitate one of the world's largest food drives, several volunteers, individuals and companies came together to fulfil this amazing task of feeding India.

Vikas, who dons many hats including filmmaker, television show judge and a cookbook writer is also a humanitarian is its true terms. The renowned chef, who came out in support of millions suffering due to the global pandemic, began this initiative with a single tweet on April 1. Khanna asked his 2.3 million followers on Twitter to go to their neighbourhood orphanages, old-age homes, leprosy centres and check if the inmates needed ration or food. Consequently, the journey of 'Barkat' began.

Talking about Feed India initiative in an exclusive interview to DNA, Khanna said that his mother was the sole inspiration behind it. He said, " eed India initiative was started as a promise to my mother (she is in Amritsar, I, in New York). She said for more than 30 years I have been trained, educated in the field of feeding people, so I should not walk away from my duties when my country needs me the most."

He added,"She told me to be there for my nation and feed India." 

"She also told me that I should always remember that whatever I have learnt in my career and because of which I got a big global status, was actually a continuity of billions of people and I am representing." " She said, people have celebrated my success, and cried when I failed, so, I owe it to each one of them."

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Vikas Khanna (@vikaskhannagroup) on

Khanna, who has been dedicatedly serving the nation for more than five and a half months, is someone who has kept his books, documentaries and setting-up of his new restaurant behind and focused on Feed India and he credits it to his mother and her 'heart' which motivated and inspired him to take this initiative up in the first place and then not give up at any point in time.

Crediting the success of the drive to his core belief of not giving up, since he said he was conditioned like that by his mother, Khanna told DNA in an exclusive interview, "What inspires me to take such initiatives is her 'heart'. The initiatives could be small when you start but because of the resilience, the very core of who I am, I don't like to give up. I like to try again and again." "It was a global pandemic and everyone was looking at India for basic issues and that is what was breaking my heart. So, I did not stop and took this up on a scale that it has now acquired."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Vikas Khanna (@vikaskhannagroup) on

Speaking about how a line from the song "Teri Mitti' by Manoj Muntashir helps him stay connected to his roots and reminds him of his home (India). Khanna said, "There is a line in the song that mean 'the land that I couldn't return to, may it prosper' and it stuck me. I would listen to it all the time and I would connect with it since it reminded me of how I couldn't return home because of this lockdown." 

Adding that he feels he could have taken the initiative to new heights had he been in the country, Khanna continued, "I couldn't return home because of this pandemic, which is why I sometimes feel that had I been in India I would have done an even better or bigger job of this, I could have had more wings to run this, but it was not possible, so that line was very important and it stuck with me. As an Indian who is connected to his soil I feel that the song is one of the best written songs in the world."

Khanna, who has partneed with several organisations and individuals, opened up about his association with Robinhood Army too.

About Robinhood Army, a 'zero-funds organization that works to get surplus food from restaurants and communities to the less fortunate', Khanna told DNA, "We have done a lot of work with Robinhood army. They have been a part of serving millions of meals. I am proud how they take their job with such dedication, focus and discipline. I absolutely adore their work, the volunteers who come in time. They are all very young kids and it's important that they have become a part of something like this so that tomorrow when it is the time for them to rise individually, independently, then they have the soul in them to understand this. It was my privilege that they were there when we needed them. I am thankful to them." 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Vikas Khanna (@vikaskhannagroup) on

When asked if these difficult times have united people from across the globe now more than ever, Khanna stated, "I think  this pandemic has taught us a lot about how we are in this together not just for an Instagram status, we are in this together because the pain we have been feeling is common, the vulnerability, the issues are all somewhat common. We as humans understood how vulnerable we are and that our entire race could be extinct by one mistake." 

"For the first time our generation has realised how connected we are and how we need to find solutions together to fight any issues we face."

Ending on a light note, Khanna, while speaking about the now viral video of 'rasode mein kaun tha' and DNA's question on what exactly his take asa  chef was on it, he sportingly said, "I will never be able to cook chanas without thinking about it. It is amazing how some people find humour in little things and they are doing an amazing job. These kids make me laugh at a time when I have had some pretty stressful months."

He concluded the interview saying he soaked chanas last night to test a hummus recipe, clarifying ' rasode mein main hi tha.'

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