A 4-star review from South African filmmaker, writer and author Dayakar Padayachee
I'm incredibly honoured to receive this thoughtful 4 out of 5 star review from South African filmmaker, writer and fellow author Dayakar Padayachee for my debut book, The Road to Kali: An Unorthodox Foodoir.
There is something particularly meaningful about having your work read by another storyteller, someone who understands the vulnerability, culture and lived experience that sit behind the words.
The review
The Road to Kali by Pashi Reddy is a delicate foodoir that highlights the cultural tapestry of what South African Indians are and what we represent: a vulnerable outlook on life, shared memories, and a diverse, albeit brutal, look at one's life through the passion of food.
"Each life, like tributaries of a stream, must carve its own path."
Like water, this theme is explored through the many trials and tribulations of a chef, son, and husband whose life ultimately begs the palate to understand the rich textures and ingredients of every memory written down.
This isn't just a memoir; it is a reminder of centeredness and vulnerability, a rare commodity in the 21st century. Art often feels like a luxury we cannot achieve. But great art is forged through suffering and the lessons learned through life; it isn't a prompt that one can write and generate in a few minutes. Pashi Reddy ensures we understand this concept: that every strand of our living consciousness is a piece of the meal we sit down to enjoy.
"Connections between people were like recipes: real, comforting, and filled with a kindness that the world today sees too little of."
The Road to Kali is an important book that will hopefully fill readers' minds with memory and their bellies with delicious food.
★★★★☆ — 4 out of 5
Dayakar Padayachee, South African filmmaker, writer and author.
About Dayakar
For those who may not know Dayakar's own work, he is an accomplished South African filmmaker and writer. His film work includes The Caretaker, which was nominated at the London Director Awards and screened at the Durban International Film Festival in 2022, as well as Shadow, a SAFTA nominee, and Saloon, recognised at the Cannes Awards.
He is also an author in his own right, having written The Ancient Scrolls of Lukutona: The Bleeding Anchors, a story inspired by his cultural heritage and lifelong fascination with ancient civilisations, and one that lived in his imagination from childhood.
That makes this review even more special to me. One storyteller recognising the work of another is something I don't take lightly.
Thank you
Thank you, Dayakar, for taking the time to read The Road to Kali, for understanding what I was trying to create, and for engaging not only with the food, but with the memories, culture, family, pain and humanity behind it.
The Road to Kali: An Unorthodox Foodoir is my debut book, a journey through food, family, memory, music and the complicated roads that ultimately shape who we become.
— The Road to Kali —