“My nani excelled in baking. She had magic in her hands. I share her genes as baking is something which I eagerly look forward to. It gives me a chance to unleash my creativity, de-stresses me. And brings me lot of happiness and satisfaction as I like to see my two children enjoying what I make,” says Monisha Bajaj, sounding more of a cooking expert than a couturist.
Well, this is how the fabric creator, who launched her label over a decade ago in the C-block apartment of posh Defence Colony, likes playing different roles of a homemaker, mother and now an interiors expert.
We are at the Latest Recipe restaurant of the swanky Hotel Le Meridien in Gurgaon where Monisha keeps dropping by for good food. The staff, all polite and attentive, wishes her and knows exactly where the lady would be comfortable sitting. Both of us decide to take the corner seat where we can enjoy our kind of food and do our conversation.
The arrangement gives us breathing space as nearby patrons, who seem more interested in chit-chat rather than cuisine, do not bother us.
“This place was earlier run by the Pullman,” she informs me more like an insider as she has now made Gurgaon her home.
Since she is a regular, I ask her to place the order. Without wasting much time, Monisha, who loves gorging into chicken, orders kung pao chicken. Since I am a prawn lover, I order jhinga kaffir lime. As for beverages, she orders lemonade while I opt for pineapple juice.
After a couple of bites, Monisha, who likes prawns more than the chicken, says, “Eating the right kind of food is critical for a healthy living. For me the timing is important; I lead a regimented life. I want my glass of lassi at 7 a.m. and South Indian food like dosa made of rice with potatoes separate. And coconut chutney to go with it. To avoid monotony, I opt for either idli or poha . I recommend idli as it is healthy and nutritious. A survey conducted recently pointed out this interesting fact. My last meal is at 7 p.m.”
As I slice my jumbo prawns, I ask her doesn’t the regimented routine gets irritating and boring at times. “I reserve my creativity for weekends when I go to the kitchen and make French toast and pancake. I like preparing Thai curry with green and yellow paste. The aroma of the Oriental food is irresistible. I take great pains in getting ingredients and making myself.”
Like in fashion, in cooking too Monisha does mix and match while baking zucchini. “I mix veggies with fruit. Combining carrot with apple works really well. Other combinations are beetroot with apple. When I am baking, I experiment by using vegetables in cakes. This has health benefits; I want my kids to eat papaya, carrots and pumpkin. Beetroot in cake is delicious.”
During our conversation, Monisha accidentally ferrets out information that she is in the middle of penning a cookbook based on baking. “I love watching Mastermind Australia ; it has given me a chance to become a cook without any training. I also go through recipe books.”
As the steaming Thai curry green (chicken), her favourite, arrives on the table, Monisha talks about her love for exotic food. “I like making roast chicken or jerk chicken. My kids simply love honey chicken with mashed potatoes. It is all time favourite as it is spicy and sweet.”
Throwing light on her background, Monisha, who grew up in South Delhi before studying at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise in Los Angeles, says cooking is an obsession in the family. “My mother makes yummy dal makhani . But Continental is everyone’s favourite. Eating chicken stew gives me nostalgia.”
Even though she likes seeing green in her food, just like how colours are reflected in her outfits, Monisha also enjoys digging into prawns on beaches of Goa, where her mother has constructed a home. And the coastal State’s sumptuous seafood is something she loves gorging.
Monisha does not believe in dieting but eating in moderation as she eats small portions from everything.
Just like in cooking where Monisha puts less ingredients, but specially procured ones from supermarkets, on fabric too Monisha has always adhered to the philosophy of sticking to minimalism.
“When I launched my label my contemporaries were coming up with ostentatious clothing like heavily embroidered outfits. But I felt too much embellishment looks gaudy. I believe in understated elegance; less is more. So I concentrate on drapes and minimalistic cuts. And I am glad that in the past five, six years the fashion scene has evolved.”
As we head for the sweet dish, Monisha, who takes a few bites of vanilla ice cream with mango, defines what styling means to her at present. “Interiors are an extension of my style. And I have extended my vision for fashion to homes in Greater Kailash and Goa.
My clientele likes my style, perfect textures and design sensibilities. In fact, the whole look and feel. I engage engineers to do technical drawings and measuring height of ceiling. We do acid wash and I curate the whole thing. My fans have hired me because they like what I do with my clothes. The look which I give on outfits is what I am doing in selected homes.”
But she has not been trained to do this, one asks. “This is not out of our skin either. This is what Gudda (Rohit Bal) and Tarun Tahiliani are also doing. The next step is furnishings. Diversification is the key to growth.”
