I have known Tara Gangadharan all my life and yet every time I meet her, I learn something new about her. A woman with a dizzying range of interests and abilities, it makes me wonder how she is able to cram so many avatars in one life.  “What does she do?” you may ask and my answer is “What has she not done?”

At various points in her life, she has been an executive assistant, wo(man) Friday, librarian, baker, home chef, teacher, designer of bathrooms, craft specialist, actor and in her latest avatar, a curator of a multi course gastronomy cuisine and reinterpreting age-old cuisine for a fine dining restaurant. Let’s meet Tara, who at 78 years is not ready to hang up her boots.

Tara, what makes you the person you are?

I always remember being a bold person.  Even as a child I was extremely independent and decisive. I grew up in a conservative household, my mother was very strict and there were do’s and don’ts that my sisters and I had to follow. But I would get around them by cajoling my father who was very fond of me. My Dad could never say no to me. I would weave my magic and he would let me go on overnight school trips which my mother objected to.  I remember when I was about 5 or 6 years old, I got into the wrong local train in Mumbai and got separated from my parents. I didn’t cry or panic but had the presence of mind to  ask a fellow passenger to take me home.  

Do you ever doubt yourself?

 I do suffer moments of doubt when things don’t go my way. But I never let this self-doubt come in the way of starting a new job or a venture.  I am always eager to try something new. When I moved to Bhopal in the late eighties (my husband’s job took us there), I was new to North India and did not know how to speak Hindi.  But I loved to interact with people and managed to make many friends very quickly despite the language barrier. I was offered a teaching job because I spoke English well. Despite having no qualifications or experience, I was sure I could do justice to the job and soon became a favourite of both the school management as well as the parents.  An activity that I initiated in school, which was a hit with children, was bilingual storytelling in English and Hindi. I also always gave extra attention and time to children with special needs and this made a huge difference to their confidence and performance.

You always wanted to be more than a wife and mother. Tell us a little bit about that and how you established an identity for yourself.

I got married very early in life. I had my two sons in quick succession and became a home maker. I couldn’t do much in the first ten years post marriage. My husband had a job that involved a lot of touring, and we were based in various remote locations across India. With no local support, it was difficult to leave my children and take up a job. I enjoyed being a mother but my heart yearned to be more than that. I don’t think I thought much of pursuing a career as such then, I just needed to go out and do something that involved more than me being just a wife and mother.

In the mid-seventies, I decided to move back in Chennai with my sons, as I wanted to offer them a stable school environment. I was not sure about what I wanted to do and decided to do a secretarial and telephone operator’s course at Davar’s college.   I also did a baking course at the Santhome Cultural Academy, as I loved cooking and baking. I was offered temporary jobs with various organisations but nothing permanent as I had no real experience.  My first real job was with the Institute for Financial Management in 1975. I had so much of fun organizing training sessions and planning the lunch menus for participants.  

During this period, I also got my first opportunity to be an entrepreneur.  A lot of people in the neighbourhood were keen on reading and there were no libraries in the immediate vicinity. A couple of friends and I got together and started ‘Browsers Nook’ in my mom’s garage. A lot of people gave their old books. We were also able to source some shelves for free.  We would make a trip every month to Higginbotham’s to purchase new books. My son and my niece who were voracious readers would make a list of new releases and would accompany me to select the books for children.  During the summer, it was a haven for many children, who would hang out at the library and spend the entire day there. It was never a business for us. Unfortunately, after a couple of years, we had to shut it down as we were not able to find a person to manage it. But it was fun while it lasted. We were able to interact with so many people and have interesting conversations around books.

I remember spending many happy hours at your library.  You have been involved in a diverse range of professional and entrepreneurial pursuits. Tell us about them.

 In the mid-80s, it was time to move again. My sons were in college and had moved out. We were empty nesters. Hyderabad and Bhopal offered immense opportunities. A friend and I started a baking business in Hyderabad. It was just two women who loved baking cakes. We didn’t have a name for our business and there was no real investment. We put out the word we were accepting orders and we would get orders for birthdays, Christmas, New Year and other occasions.

Back in Chennai, I found a job managing an Arts and Crafts store. My husband and I always loved filling up our home with traditional crafts from the various States we lived in and this was a wonderful opportunity to indulge in something I loved and get paid for it too. I had a wonderful time travelling to various parts of India and interacting with artisans and identifying craft items that we could sell in the store. I was given a free hand to organize exhibitions and we would showcase an exquisite range of items. Most importantly I enjoyed interacting with clients and having delightful conversations with them on crafts, textiles etc.

I was also lucky to have a fairly long stint with another organization that specialized in designing bathrooms. This also required creative inputs from me. Building or renovating a bathroom  is not easy , one has to look at the space available and look at what tiles, fixtures, cabinets etc. need to be fitted in. It involves understanding the client’s needs and making suggestions. I interacted with architects, contractors and end users and would spend several hours with them. Again, I had no experience or knowledge in this area, but I learned a lot on the job. I never felt intimidated about meeting experts. I had some innate design skills and interests that allowed me to offer interesting choices to clients.

Both these jobs involved clients who could often be difficult and challenging, and kept me on my toes. But they were also extremely enjoyable and gave me the confidence and opportunity to meet, interact and collaborate with people from different walks of life.

Tell us about your latest venture and how you got into it?

I have always enjoyed cooking and have collected recipes from various States. My mother and my mother in law were excellent cooks and many of the recipes that I use is from them. In those days, we were dependent on friends for recipes. We would go to a dinner party and if we liked a particular dish, we would ask the host to share the recipe. I would always be on the look out for new and innovative recipes. At the same time I loved to experiment and add my own twist. My family loved my dishes and encouraged me to get into the food business. I remember once going for a wedding and enjoying the Kadai vegetable dish there. I immediately requested the chef to give me the recipe and he did.  But there was plenty of demand for my cooking. My dinner parties at home were always a success. My family and friends loved my food and encouraged me to convert it into a business.

In the 2000’s, I was in my 60s and did not want to take up a full-time job. I became what is now called a home chef and would often accept orders from various people in the vicinity. But at that time, we did not have Dunzo, Swiggy and the like to home deliver food. I would deliver food to homes that were close by, but could only take on limited orders.

In 2016, I got a call from Paati Veedu, an experiential fine dining restaurant in Chennai. Some of their partners had tasted my cooking and were keen that I curate the menu for them. It was an exciting opportunity for me and more importantly a recognition of my culinary skills. I helped develop various types of menus, recreated age-old recipes, trained the chefs and conceptualized the sweet kitchen. It took many hours of research and experimentation to develop a unique menu that would set Paati Veedu apart from other restaurants. Some of my signature dishes from Kerala and Andhra have been incorporated here.

You have even acted in a Tamil movie. Tell us about that experience.

Ha Ha! That was such fun. Director Bala and his crew came to Paati Veedu to sample the food and offered my son and me a very small role in his movie Varma. The film didn’t do very well but I had such a fun time facing the camera and then dubbing for the part. We had to shoot on location in Tiruvanamalai and I really enjoyed the whole process. This was a one time experience, but one thing (in this case, my collaboration with Patti Veedu) lead to another and I learn so much from every experience.

What advice would you give to people who want to do something but are afraid to take that first step?

No two people are alike and experiences vary. But it is important to be adventurous and not be afraid of failure. It is only your time and skills that you are investing at first, money comes later. I took on many roles which were completely new to me, but every job gave me a varied experience and a lot of learning.

People define success differently but, in my case, it is about following my passion and satisfying myself first and then others in the process. Working with Paati Veedu brought me so much of recognition, I was interviewed by many media outlets and several professional chefs appreciated my recipes and the menu. But for me it was never about making money or growing my business or gaining name and recognition. It’s always about loving what you do and having fun doing it.

Tara ‘s Signature Dish – Kadachakka (Breadfruit) cutlet

Ingredients:

1 medium raw Breadfruit

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric

2 potatoes medium sized boiled and mashed

1 to 2 finely chopped green chillies

1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger,

1/4 teaspoon powdered pepper,

Generous quantity of fresh coriander ( chopped)

2 tbsp of maida

3 to 4 slices of bread

Salt to taste

Instructions:

Remove the outer skin and inner core of the breadfruit. Cut into large cubes and boil with turmeric and a pinch of salt. Dry these cubes and then shred them. These cubes can also be stored in the refrigerator and used for other bread fruit dishes.

Mix shredded breadfruit, potatoes, green chillies, grated ginger, powdered pepper, fresh coriander and salt to taste.

Make a batter with maida, salt and water.

Grind 3 to 4 slices of bread to get the crumbs.

Make round or flat cutlets with the breadfruit and potato mixture.

Dip cutlets in maida batter and then coat it with bread crumbs.

Deep fry cutlets in oil. (Ready to fry cutlets can be stored in the fridge and used as and when required. Serve it with sauce or Pudhina chutney.

The cutlets taste crisp and delicious when eaten hot.