Independent India is 75 years old. Old enough to have accomplished a lot, and young enough to be energized by new possibilities every day. We capture different aspects of the old and the new in listicles of 75 fun, inspiring, surprising and meaningful facts in this special Independence Day Series.

75 Inspiring Food Stories

Rukmini Rao

Ancient myths and the quaint history of a dish, are not the only ingredients for a food story. Food, as a means to help the community, or innovation in food business or even incorporating tech in food, make for inspirational food stories. It is the people, in the food creation journey; from the farmer to the grandma; the techie to the entrepreneur, who actually inspire us. Here are 75 such food stories.

1955

The Pioneer: At a time when global vegetarian dishes were unknown and cook books and shows were a rarity, Tarla Dalal, India’s most celebrated home-chef simplified cooking in the 70’s

glory me when global vegetarian dishes were unknown and cook books and shows were a rarity, Tarla Da

Rajni Bector’s ‘Mrs Bectors Food Specialities Ltd’ is a home-grown biscuit-and-bakery business that started from her kitchen in Ludhiana in 1978 and is today registered on the Stock Exchange.

‘Swati Snacks’ a small, eatery offering chaats and snacks, started In 1963, by Minakshi Jhaveri is managed by her daughter Asha Jhaveri after her death in 1979, with outlets today in Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Jayaram Banan from Udupi has come a long way from washing dishes at a daily wage of Rs 18, to owning the Rs. 70-crore ‘dosa empire’ with Sagar Ratna and Swagath.