Aaji's cooking with a pinch of wisdom

Sushila Sripadrao Pathak aka 'Aaji' released her fourth book on her 96th birthday, on March 21. Her family claims she is the oldest living author in India and is currently in consideration for the Limca Book of Records. Her newest release is based on Maharashtrian recipes and is titled 'Great Grandma's Kitchen Secrets'. It has 163 old, new and modified dishes along with recipes for leftover food.

Her journey with writing books began around 5 years ago when her eldest grandson Ajit Bopardikar asked her to pen down fables so that he could tell those stories to his children who were in America at the time. "After our mother died, there was a generation gap between my children and the elders. I wanted the tradition of storytelling to continue and asked my grandmother to pen it all down," he said.

Pathak has written two story books, one with her life incidents, and one on idioms used in daily life. Her newest book was written over the course of a year, and has recipes of dishes like Dhirde, Dind and Dokla, Sanja, gud papdi laddoos and Mohri ki Mirchi which she learned from her mother.

Her father was a doctor with the government, and they often travelled throughout the country. She even learned self defence as a 12-year-old and participated in the Quit India movement. "I used to work on the charka and I quit drinking tea when I knew it was a foreign product," said Pathak, who has never had tea since.

She discussed in detail how the family fled the Nizam-ruled Hyderabad state during the Razakar Movement when all Hindus were in danger of being killed. She even travelled to America in the 1960s. "I have lived in small huts and big bungalows, and came to Mumbai in late 60s. There were no cars or locals then," said Pathak, who misses seeing buggies and horse driven carts.

From cooking on wood to using coal and evolving to kerosene stoves, Pathak has cooked on all mediums. She enjoys warm rice and at the launch, the family served her signature dishes like Darde Pohe and Besan Ladoos.
Pathak surprises many with her memory, as she remembers the first dish in the book – Bhendiwade. "It's all my relatives. They forced me to write everything down. I used to read a lot of Marathi novels by Phadke, Purandare, Atre and Apte while growing up and enjoyed a novel on Swaraj. We used to read a lot of poetry and they had meaning those days, but I don't see the same today," she said.

Pathak is the second daughter of 12 siblings, all of whom she outlived. She had a son and daughter who passed away. She is currently living with her daughter's sons in Juhu. "Her passport says she was born in 1919. I think her great grandchildren make her feel alive. Personally, we think her Panchamrut is to die for. She also used to make Dhadichi Poli which is a four layered roti. Nobody makes them anymore. She also wishes to write a book on homemade medicinal remedies which she gave us when we were sick," said Dr.Sujit Bopardikar, her grandson. He added how Aaji, as she's fondly called by all, operates all technology with ease.

Get the book here
The book is available in Marathi and English for Rs295 at Titles Wave and Granth bookstore, besides websites like Amazon and Flipkart