Sept_13

The aroma of freshly
ground garam masala
fills the air as grandma and
grandson work together to
prepare the perfect lunch.
It’s a collaboration that began
a couple of years ago.
With his mother holding
down a full-time job, Ambarish
Vishwanathan used to
trail behind his grandmother
everywhere she went. Now,
like most grandmas, Radha
Narayanan, 75, has always
spent the better part of the
day in the kitchen! The lad’s
inquisitiveness about food
surprised Radha, who says
with a doting smile, “Even
as a kid, Ambarish would
watch me cook with keen interest
and ask a lot of questions.”
Now, the 15 year-old
brings that extra zing to the
kitchen; he loves to experiment
with recipes, which he
researches on the Internet
and by watching television.
In fact, he has even contributed
a few recipes to
celebrity chef Tarla Dalal’s
blog. Imprinting himself on
his grandmother has gone
beyond being a pastime, and
Ambarish says, “Her cookery
skills cast a magical spell
on me and I am planning to
study hotel management.”
—Sai Prabha Kamath
Haresh Patel
RADHA
NARAYANAN
WITH AMBARISH,
Mumbai
harmony celebrate age september 2013 51