Dinner with Nehru 1947

Dinner with Nehru

On two occasions I had dinner with Jawharlal Nehru as the chief guest. First, in 1947 in Delhi at the house of Kashi Nath Bamzai. Then Nehru was Chairman of the Viceroy’s Executive Coucil and the other as the Prime Minister in 1962 in Srinagar. This dinner was hosted by Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, who was then called the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Both were memorable occasions.

In 1947 none of us were aware of the protocol requirements. Bamzai was a political activist of Jammu and Kashmir National conference and was working as a journalist in Delhi. He was a frequent visitor at Nehru’s house at 17, York Road. He used to brief Nehru about Kashmir Politics. He had introduced Sheikh Abdulah to Nehru at Hyderabad session of AICC. Dawarka Nath Kachru, Political Assistant of Nehru was his childhood friend.

There were hectic preparations for the dinner. The guest list was long. Every one was invited personally on phone. There was no written invitation, it was purely informal ‘baradari’ affair meant for all Kashmiris, Hindus, Muslims.
National Conference workers and Bamzai’s close friends.

It was a sit-down dinner, the guests squatted on a richly carpeted floor with enormous cushions, and gao takias. Dinner, a judicious mix of non-vegetarian as well as vegetarian dishes, prepared by Kashmiri cooks was served in traditional style in big steel thalis. Every thali had twenty katoris in it.

The fare included delicacies like Kalia, yakhni,
Roganjosh, kofta, damaloo, munj-gada[Fish and radish]
kathae baigun,Chhaman[paneer],munj-e-hak, muli ki chatni, nadroomuundi and gaanth gobi ka achar. Tabakh nat [champs cooked on slow fire with special marinate] and gushtaba[cooked in yogurt and herbs] were served sizzling hot. The meal ,ended with pherni. A number of dishes like gooshtaba were flown from Srinagar.

One thing that I remember clearly is Nehru checking if other guests were treated with equal fare. He asked Tkki Kaul, one of the guests in Hindi “ Tikki mere thali main bees katorian hain. Tumhari thali mein kitni hain?”
“JI Mere bhi bees hain” he replied.

Nehru smiled and started the meal in Indian style mixing gravey and rice with his hand before eating.
The meal last more than an hour. Conversation was non political. Nehru was a man of many parts. He was well versed in history art, music, painting, dancing and was at home in any of these topics. It was a great experience to
see Nehru in a social gathering like this.
I remember calling T N kaul’s residence to check if he was coming for the dinner. I talked to his sister whom I had never seen . A few months later I met that sister of Tikki Kaul and soon we were dating. In the summer of 1948 we got married.

In 1962 the Prime Minister was visiting Kashmir. I was reporting. One day I was told to come to a dinner with Nehru in Bakhshi Sahib’s official residence. All of us were seated in the big lawn. All the big wigs were there. Juice and other soft drinks were being served to the guests.

Ram Nath, Bakhshi Sahib’s man-Friday was flitting from table to table informing the ministers that out-station telephone calls for them were waiting in an ante room. They went one by one, to attended their call, a ploy to go and have a drink away from the eyes of the Prime Minister who was not a drinker. It was getting late. Nehru looked at his watch and told Bakshi “ tum bi apna call lelo, khane ka waqt ho raha hai”

Every one fell silent. Bakhshi felt terribly embarrassed and said” janab khanna lag raha hai. Mein dekh ke aata haun”

The fare was lavish. There were several types of Kebabs, a large number of meat dishes with gravy, three types of paneer , haak [kashmiri saag] with ganth gobi, nadroo[lotus roots] guchhi[special Kashmiri mushroom], sffron rice and pillao.

The dinner was followed by Kashmiri sufiana music and santoor recital.