Yesterday I spoke to my sister in India and she gave me some heartbreaking news.
Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni-someone I watch every week on Saturdays very diligently, had passed away on Sunday,November 4th.
I was very shocked-I found out that he was just 38,but had passed away due to a heart attack.
His show on Sun TV was very interesting to say the least.It was broken into three segments-the first one was allotted to him cooking something,the second one to a viewer cooking something,and the last,a kids cooking session.The format was different and very novel.He usually cooked from different locales-atop a tree,beside a waterfall,near the railway tracks,amid papaya trees, a carrot plantation,ancient ruins,historical temples-there was always some information about  the location-eye catching and gloriously beautiful.
The second segment usually was at the viewer's(the one whose recipe had been picked earlier) home,though recently he had started prowling the highway looking for good places to eat and good recipes to share.
But the best was the part with the kids-he used to struggle to manage six naughty,sassy kids and teach them a dish to boot!!The rapport was obvious,and I  am actually worried about how the kids will take his passing.
But what impressed me most about him was the way he celebrated special occasions like festivals and national holidays-he would cook that week's segment in an orphanage or old age home and share the treat with the residents.He would joke with them,ask them to help him in the cooking process,converse with them and finally eat with them.That gesture would always stay with me for the week.He would always ask people to celebrate special occasions like birthdays with our less fortunate brethren ,so the day would be special not just for us,but for them too.
Though I know nothing about him as a person,it was too obvious from the show that he was not a shallow showman looking for accolades.His authenticity came through in every episode.His patience with the kids,his way of setting a nervous contributor on the guest segment at ease,his cheerfulness when welcoming strangers to taste the dish he just made, his playful chiding of the naughtier kids,his knowledge of ancient cuisines and the eagerness to share that information,his emphasis on healthy eating,but most of all,his goodness as a human being was on display every week and with a certain nonchalance which proved that it was not rehearsed or intended to impress superficially.
Chef Jacob,rest in peace!!
I am sure you are cooking up a storm up in heaven and everyone is going,"AHA,YENNA RUSI !!!"