Nalin Dalal was an Indian chemist best known as the husband of popular Indian chef Tarla Dalal.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Nalin Dalal was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He studied chemical engineering at the University of Michigan in the United States.
Physical Appearance
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye Colour: Black
Family
parents and siblings
Not much information is available about his family and parents.
wife and kids
Nalin married chef Tarla Dalal in 1960.
Chef Tarla Dalal
Together, they had three children, sons, Sanjay Dalal and Deepak Dalal, and daughter Renu Dalal.
Sanjay Dalal, son of Tarla Dalal
Deepak Dalal, son of Tarla Dalal
Renu Dalal, daughter of Tarla Dalal
Death
He died in 2005 at his apartment on Napean Sea Road in South Mumbai.
facts/common sense
- Although Nalin occasionally consumed non-vegetarian food, his wife Tarla managed to persuade him to adopt a vegetarian diet.
- Tarla and Nalin got married in 1960, but at first Tarla was reluctant to marry him. When Nalin and his family went to visit her, she made gulab jamuns and deliberately added an excessive amount of chillies. Surprisingly, Nalin still decides to marry her. Before getting married, Tarla expresses her ambition to achieve something significant in her life and Nalin wholeheartedly supports her aspirations, never hindering her from pursuing her passion.
- According to Nalin’s sister Anjana Shah, Nalin and Tarla were seen as an unconventional couple. Nalin was highly educated, while Tarla, though a graduate, was described as a very humble and modest person. Despite the contrast in their backgrounds, Nalin’s family being modern Gujaratis and Tarla hailing from a humble and traditional home, she effortlessly adjusted to her new family and encouraged them to adopt Vaishnava rituals.
- According to Tarla, during her engagement to Nalin, he would write her letters from the University of Michigan expressing his desire to eat dishes that Tarla found unfamiliar and complicated. At that time, Tarla was only 20 years old and knew how to cook basic Indian food like pulses, rice and vegetables. However, in order to satisfy her husband’s culinary preferences, she insisted that any young lady learn to cook the dishes she desired.
- Inspired by her husband’s desire for a diverse cuisine, Tarla embarked on a culinary journey to learn different cuisines and experiment with fusions. In 1966, her friends came to her with a request to teach cooking to young girls who were passionate about cooking. Tarla agreed and began conducting cooking lessons in her home for a small group of six students. However, her extraordinary education spread quickly across Mumbai, and soon, mothers across the city wanted their daughters to be a part of Tarla’s famous cooking classes.
- As Tarla’s cooking classes became more successful, her husband Nalin, who had lost his job due to a prolonged factory strike, found an opportunity to support her passion. An accomplished quality control engineer, Nalin used a typewriter to create resumes for job applications, despite the lack of computers in the 1970s. During a conversation with Tarla, he realized that he could assist her by typing up recipes that could be shared with other women. Inspired by the idea, Nalin encouraged Tarla to compile her best recipes into a book. Tarla used to write the recipes and Nalin edited them. To ensure the accuracy of the recipes, Nalin arranged for someone to test them, and the dishes turned out to be delicious.
- Tarla’s first book was published by Arun and Sudha Mehta of Vakil & Sons. They decided to sell the recipe book for Rs. 35, and it quickly gained immense popularity not only locally but also in Africa and the Americas. The book sold over 1.5 million copies. In an interview, Tarla mentioned that she once went to Nalin’s factory and saw him enjoying non-vegetarian food with his colleagues. Being a vegetarian, she became curious as to why non-vegetarian dishes were so appealing. He consulted a friend and got inspired by the taste of non-vegetarian dishes and started making his own vegetarian recipes. Tarla was known for her talent in introducing people to various international cuisines and converting non-vegetarian dishes into vegetarian options. In addition to her well-received cookbooks focused on healthful 100-calorie snacks, she wrote books on managing acidity by cooking and recreating popular restaurant-style gravies.
- In 1987, Nalin’s son and wife Tarla started a business called Sanjay & Company, which they operated together with Nalin’s daughter. Her son took over the management of Tarla’s website in the past, and continues to oversee various tasks such as maintaining the website, publishing books, conducting cooking classes, and managing social media accounts. Tarla’s granddaughter is also involved in managing Tarla’s social media platforms and shares updates about new recipes she has tried. However, she receives criticism from some people because she includes eggs in some dishes, while her grandmother never used eggs in any of her dishes.
- Tarla achieved a remarkable feat in 2007 by becoming the only Indian woman to be honored with the prestigious Padma Shri award for her outstanding culinary skills.
Tarla Dalal receiving the Padma Shri
- In 2023, a biographical film titled ‘Tarla’ was released, portraying the life of his wife. Huma Qureshi played the role of Tarla Dalal and Sharib Hashmi played the role of Nalin Dalal in the film. In an interview Sharib talked about playing the character of Nalin and said,
When I was playing the character of Nalin Dalal, I could see him in front of my eyes. I could connect with him. I wanted to be like him and keep his qualities in me. In fact, I would say that it is very important that husbands have these qualities in today’s world. I really enjoyed playing this character.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn