Dakshin Kitchens (Heritage Cuisine from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu And Telangana)

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It all began when Maureen sent a WhatsApp message asking us to come over for a meeting at the Madras Craft Foundation office to discuss the compilation of a book she had a vision of. A book that would include recipes from the Friends of Dakshinachitra to cover the southern states. I was Intrigued. Anything on food or recipes excites my curiosity and attended the first meeting. I merely moved in as a consultant, suggesting a format and a schedule as none of them considered them- selves qualified to take on such an onerous task. Having written five cookbooks myself, was de- clared the natural inheritor of the responsibility of producing the book, and donned the magician's hat to pull out the white rabbits!

Totally bewildered at the many recipes received, slowly at first, and then with an eagerness I had not anticipated. As I advised the group and addressed their queries, got sucked in by persuasion, and my own grim determination to see it through. Hurdles were paramount, but I soldiered on ably assisted by Thirupurasundari, who had a team which was tech savvy and who helped me co-or- dinate with the authors of the recipes and string them together in what should seem a cohesive whole. The final responsibility was totally mine, and the hiccups were in plenty.

When the book took shape to some extent, Rani Chada offered to do the basic editing but we had problems of her computer not being able to send the corrected pages electronically. Glitches in- creased by the day.