'I told him I would send the food to his hotel, he said, "No, I want to experience the hospitality".'
'He came and sat and I just kept staring.'
'He said, "Tu baith mere saath".'
'When I sat down with him we both looked up at the glass ceiling. And do you know what we saw?'
"My life is built on these signs from God which I've followed blindly," Superchef Vikas Khanna tells Subhash K Jha.
Vikas, I am finally speaking to you?
Sorry sorry meri jaan, I can never ignore you. We are in two completely different time zones.
I've just woken up and here I am. And here I am talking to you. What better way to start the day?
Baatein banana toh koi aapse sikhe, no wonder everyone loves you.
Ooparwale ki meherbani. I feel blessed to have come so far.
I was just an ordinary Punjabi boy with big dreams.
Winning the Michelin for Bungalow, it can't get any higher than that, can it?
You know Subhashji, I've never stopped to look at my life with awe: aArrey maine kya achieve kar liya! Aisa kuch nahin.
I need to keep pushing. But Hamara jo Bungalow parivar hai, I am very proud of it.
And if this restaurant is now in a place where people don't just come to eat, they come to live the entire culture of hospitality, it is because of one person.
Who is that?
My sister Radhika. When she was dying she held my hand and said, 'You have achieved whatever there is to achieve.
'You have excelled in bringing French food to the people in its most sophisticated form.
'Woh sab toh ho gaya. Now it is time for you to build a restaurant of Indian food in New York, where customers would come not only for the best Indian food possible, but to experience Indian hospitality in all its glory.'
I told my sister it is too difficult to open an Indian restaurant in New York, mujh se nahin hoga, I have too much on my plate.
But she insisted and made me promise. It is because of her that Bungalow is what it is today.
People have to sometimes wait for nine months for reservations.
What is the highest level of joy that you experienced since Bungalow opened?
Easily when Shah Rukh Khan visited Bungalow. I told him I would send the food to his hotel, he said, 'No, I want to experience the hospitality.'
He came and he sat there and I just kept staring.
He said, 'Tu baith mere saath.'
When I sat down with him we both looked up at the glass ceiling. And do you know what we saw?
No, tell me.
We saw the moon through the glass ceiling.
Maine pehle kabhi nahin chanda ko dekha wahan pe.
We just stared and I cried. I am emotional as I remember that golden moment.
It was a sign?
Yes, a sign. My life is built on these signs from God which I've followed blindly.
What is your advice to all those young people who dream of becoming Vikas Khanna?
My advice is to keep dreaming. Sapne khoob dekho.
Only when you dream can you achieve what you want to.
How do you see 2024 and what are your dreams for 2025?
It was a year filled with love and experience.
In 2025 I have to make sure my daughter gets the attention she deserves.
I am sorry, your daughter?
Bungalow. Woh meri beti nahin hai kya?
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
