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IF Raksha Bandhan is about the bond you share with your siblings, often that bond is best expressed through food. From the sweets and savouries that grace the occasion over the years to food memories that are now part of family lore and even the dishes that best encapsulate their rishta, we got four celebrities to dish on the more delicious aspects of the festival.
ADARSH GOURAV
THE SWEET
If I had to pick a sweet that represents my older brother, it would have to be kaju barfi! When we were kids, if there was kaju barfi in the refrigerator at home, it would disappear within two hours! Even if there was a whole box, my brother would devour it!
THE SAVOURY
When I was 7-8 and my brother was 15-16, we would rarely eat the food at home when we’d return after classes. Instead, we’d order chilli paneer from a place called Spicy China Green. The dish cost Rs 35, and back then, there was no delivery service so I had to go to the restaurant, pick up the chilli paneer, and bring it home. My brother and I would share the dish, and that’s how my obsession with chilli paneer began.
A MITHAI MEMORY
One mithai that was always part of every Raksha Bandhan celebration was the yellow boondi ka ladoo. Whenever I went to my cousin’s house or they came to my place to tie rakhi, boondi ka ladoo was synonymous with the occasion.
— Adarsh Gourav is known for his roles in The White Tiger and Guns & Gulaabs.
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DIVYA DUTTA
THE SWEET
To me, my brother represents a kheer kadam because he has so many beautiful and different layers to his personality – sweet nevertheless, but with different flavours. There’s the outer part, and then the inner core, which represents his soul. So yes, he is like that lovely jaggery encased within a kheer kadam.
THE BOND
A dish that symbolises the relationship between the two of us would be kheer. We are very different people — he is an introvert, while I am a total extrovert. But when we come together, I think it becomes a great combination… much like kheer where two very different ingredients — rice and milk — blend to make a lethal combo. I count on my brother for every practical and emotional thing. I’m lucky to have him, and incidentally, kheer is my favourite dessert.
A MITHAI MEMORY
Raksha Bandhan celebrations are incomplete without dhodha, a milk cake-like sweet that my brother is crazy about. I would like to get him different mithai, but he insists on dhodha. Sometimes, somebody's preferences are crystal clear, so dhodha has to be a significant part of our Raksha Bandhan celebration!
— Divya Dutta is an acclaimed actress, recently seen in Dhaakad.
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SAIYAMI KHER
I think the food my sibling represents is ice cream — because she always knows how to cool me down! I’m not fond of mithai so during celebrations it’s always replaced with chocolate for me.
— Saiyami Kher’s latest film, Ghoomer, is currently in theatres.
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VARUN MITRA
Raksha Bandhan is all about chaat for me. Every year, when I visit my chachi’s home for Rakhi, she prepares 3-4 different kinds of chaat, including pani puri — my favourite. Then my sister gets me these sugar-free homemade almond chocolates from somewhere (she won’t tell me from where; it’s a secret). They’re little drops of heaven! Raksha Bandhan would be incomplete without these.
— Varun Mitra was recently seen in Guilty Minds.
