Jiggs Kalra, icon of India's culinary revolution, dies after prolonged illness

Jiggs Kalra, the icon of India’s culinary revolution, died after prolonged illness on Tuesday. The food pioneer, who reinvented the lost cuisines of the yore, is best remembered for his restaurants such Punjab Grill, Made in Punjab and Masala Library, books and brilliant TV shows. According to the Indian Express, Kalra authored 11 books on Indian cuisine, among which, Prashad is considered the Bible for chefs in India. Several celebrities took to Twitter to mourn the loss and remember the loss of ‘Czar’ of Indian cuisines.

 

Goodbye old friend.The great Jiggs Kalra who did so much to rediscover the lost secrets of Indian food and who gave chefs their rightful place in the sun goes off to that great kitchen in the sky to ensure that the gods eat his wonderful food.There will never be another Jiggs pic.twitter.com/MhgBJ5NLg8

— vir sanghvi (@virsanghvi) June 4, 2019

Senior journalist Vir Sanghvi posted an emotional goodbye message for Kalra. “Goodbye old friend. The great Jiggs Kalra who did so much to rediscover the lost secrets of Indian food and who gave chefs their rightful place in the sun goes off to that great kitchen in the sky to ensure that the gods eat his wonderful food. There will never be another Jiggs,” Sanghvi wrote on Twitter.

 

My deepest condolences to ⁦@ZorawarKalra⁩ & Dildeep.They were the best son & daughter-in-law Jiggs Kalra could ever have hoped for.
At this sad time I remember how Zorawar kept his father’s legacy alive and turned Jiggs’s name into a global brand.I know how proud Jiggs was. pic.twitter.com/awYE4PVkFX

— vir sanghvi (@virsanghvi) June 4, 2019

Sanghvi also spoke about Kalra’s son Zorawar. “My deepest condolences to ⁦@ZorawarKalra⁩ & Dildeep.They were the best son & daughter-in-law Jiggs Kalra could ever have hoped for. At this sad time I remember how Zorawar kept his father’s legacy alive and turned Jiggs’s name into a global brand.I know how proud Jiggs was,” Sanghvi added.

 

RIP Jiggs Kalra. Thank you for introducing me to Indian food and it's treasure of recipes. All your books adorn my bookshelf and the masala and oil on each page is testimony to how your recipes have shaped my passion for cooking. 🙏🙏🙏

— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) June 4, 2019

Acclaimed film director Hansal Mehta said that Kalra’s recipes shaped his ‘passion for cooking. “RIP Jiggs Kalra. Thank you for introducing me to Indian food and it's treasure of recipes. All your books adorn my bookshelf and the masala and oil on each page is testimony to how your recipes have shaped my passion for cooking,” Mehta said. 

 

From being a member of Khushwant Singh's dream team at the Illustrated Weekly of India to being acknowledged as the doyen among the country's culinary experts, #JiggsKalra had a fantastic journey. RIP. https://t.co/aJ4lEWGmLc

— Vivek Sengupta (@vsengupta) June 4, 2019

Communication specialist Vivek Sengupta spoke fondly about Kalra’s stint at Illustrated Weekly of India. “From being a member of Khushwant Singh's dream team at the Illustrated Weekly of India to being acknowledged as the doyen among the country's culinary experts, #JiggsKalra had a fantastic journey. RIP,” Sengupta said.