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| This Chef Has a Michelin Star and a Mission: Feeding Millions in India’s Lockdown | This Chef Has a Michelin Star and a Mission: Feeding Millions in India’s Lockdown |
| (30 days later) | |
| NEW DELHI — He has cooked for the Obamas, hosted TV shows with Gordon Ramsay, written 25 culinary books and created sumptuous meals that cost nearly $40,000 each.But in the past two months, Vikas Khanna, a Michelin-starred chef, has turned his focus to India’s hungry, providing millions of meals to poor Indians who have suffered greatly under the coronavirus lockdown.Mr. Khanna was born in India and came to New York as an aspiring chef 20 years ago, first paying his dues as a dishwasher and delivery man. As parts of India slid into a humanitarian crisis in recent months, with millions of out-of-work people desperate for food, Mr. Khanna watched the news from his apartment in Manhattan and grew despondent.“We’ve totally failed our people,” he said in an interview last week. “I wanted to show that solidarity still exists.”“My mom lives alone in Amritsar,” he added, “and I thought: What if she needed help and there was no one to help her?” | NEW DELHI — He has cooked for the Obamas, hosted TV shows with Gordon Ramsay, written 25 culinary books and created sumptuous meals that cost nearly $40,000 each.But in the past two months, Vikas Khanna, a Michelin-starred chef, has turned his focus to India’s hungry, providing millions of meals to poor Indians who have suffered greatly under the coronavirus lockdown.Mr. Khanna was born in India and came to New York as an aspiring chef 20 years ago, first paying his dues as a dishwasher and delivery man. As parts of India slid into a humanitarian crisis in recent months, with millions of out-of-work people desperate for food, Mr. Khanna watched the news from his apartment in Manhattan and grew despondent.“We’ve totally failed our people,” he said in an interview last week. “I wanted to show that solidarity still exists.”“My mom lives alone in Amritsar,” he added, “and I thought: What if she needed help and there was no one to help her?” |
| Mr. Khanna, 48, is a Hindu, but growing up in Amritsar, a northern Indian city with many Sikhs, he was inspired by the large community kitchens of the Sikh Gurdwaras. They serve meals to anyone who needs them. | Mr. Khanna, 48, is a Hindu, but growing up in Amritsar, a northern Indian city with many Sikhs, he was inspired by the large community kitchens of the Sikh Gurdwaras. They serve meals to anyone who needs them. |
| As a disabled child with a club foot, he said, “I had no friends, only sympathizers.”So he whiled away the hours in the family kitchen with his grandmother, learning to cook.In early April, he posted an emotional appeal on Twitter, asking people to send him details of those who were desperate for food. Mr. Khanna has a huge following in India, and within hours, he was flooded with replies. But he would soon learn that it wasn’t so simple to reach the hungry. | As a disabled child with a club foot, he said, “I had no friends, only sympathizers.”So he whiled away the hours in the family kitchen with his grandmother, learning to cook.In early April, he posted an emotional appeal on Twitter, asking people to send him details of those who were desperate for food. Mr. Khanna has a huge following in India, and within hours, he was flooded with replies. But he would soon learn that it wasn’t so simple to reach the hungry. |
| His first attempt to deliver food to an elder-care home near Bengaluru, the southern Indian city formerly known as Bangalore, fell apart. The deliverer disappeared with more than 2,000 pounds of rice and nearly 900 pounds of lentils. | His first attempt to deliver food to an elder-care home near Bengaluru, the southern Indian city formerly known as Bangalore, fell apart. The deliverer disappeared with more than 2,000 pounds of rice and nearly 900 pounds of lentils. |
| His search for a reliable partner who could work anywhere in the country led him to the National Disaster Relief Force, which is deployed during emergencies.Mr. Khanna called the head of the relief force, Satya Narayan Pradhan, after he found out they were already helping distribute food to the poor.“He said: ‘Can you help me? I live so far away in New York,”’ Mr. Pradhan recalled. “I agreed to help with the logistics wherever our battalions had jurisdiction.”Mr. Pradhan, who has had his hands full with a fatal industrial accident this month and a cyclone that killed dozens last week, said their partnership started in New Delhi, with the outreach increasing every day. | His search for a reliable partner who could work anywhere in the country led him to the National Disaster Relief Force, which is deployed during emergencies.Mr. Khanna called the head of the relief force, Satya Narayan Pradhan, after he found out they were already helping distribute food to the poor.“He said: ‘Can you help me? I live so far away in New York,”’ Mr. Pradhan recalled. “I agreed to help with the logistics wherever our battalions had jurisdiction.”Mr. Pradhan, who has had his hands full with a fatal industrial accident this month and a cyclone that killed dozens last week, said their partnership started in New Delhi, with the outreach increasing every day. |
| “He has been so brave about it,” Mr. Pradhan said of Mr. Khanna. “He’s invested his own funds, even though it must be tough for him. That’s why we want to help him as much as possible.”Mr. Khanna said his initiative had distributed more than seven million packets of dry food and cooked meals over the past month in more than a hundred cities in India. The rice companies India Gate and Daawat donated food, and the financial technology giant Paytm recently became a sponsor. HungerBox, a food technology company, offered the use of its industrial kitchens in Mumbai and Noida to cook over 20,000 meals every day. | “He has been so brave about it,” Mr. Pradhan said of Mr. Khanna. “He’s invested his own funds, even though it must be tough for him. That’s why we want to help him as much as possible.”Mr. Khanna said his initiative had distributed more than seven million packets of dry food and cooked meals over the past month in more than a hundred cities in India. The rice companies India Gate and Daawat donated food, and the financial technology giant Paytm recently became a sponsor. HungerBox, a food technology company, offered the use of its industrial kitchens in Mumbai and Noida to cook over 20,000 meals every day. |
| Though lockdown measures have recently eased somewhat, working through the tight restrictions in India were challenging, and moving goods across state borders and red zones was a logistical nightmare. | Though lockdown measures have recently eased somewhat, working through the tight restrictions in India were challenging, and moving goods across state borders and red zones was a logistical nightmare. |
| Mr. Khanna has been coordinating this enormous exercise from his apartment near the United Nations, where he is sheltering in place. The difference in time zones keeps him up nights to manage the operation. | Mr. Khanna has been coordinating this enormous exercise from his apartment near the United Nations, where he is sheltering in place. The difference in time zones keeps him up nights to manage the operation. |
| He was formerly the executive chef at Junoon, which was lauded for its inventive take on traditional Indian cuisine and awarded a Michelin star seven years in a row. Before the coronavirus pandemic, he was making plans to open a new restaurant in New York. | He was formerly the executive chef at Junoon, which was lauded for its inventive take on traditional Indian cuisine and awarded a Michelin star seven years in a row. Before the coronavirus pandemic, he was making plans to open a new restaurant in New York. |
| India’s lockdown began on March 25. Within hours, millions of migrant workers began streaming out of the cities, desperate to return to their home villages. It was a humanitarian crisis that displayed the inequality in the country in stark detail. | India’s lockdown began on March 25. Within hours, millions of migrant workers began streaming out of the cities, desperate to return to their home villages. It was a humanitarian crisis that displayed the inequality in the country in stark detail. |
| Mr. Khanna’s effort initially began with delivering dry ingredients to organizations — orphanages, old-age homes, leprosy centers and poor neighborhoods. People around the country contacted him by email and Twitter about people with the greatest need, and he figured out a way to get food to them. | Mr. Khanna’s effort initially began with delivering dry ingredients to organizations — orphanages, old-age homes, leprosy centers and poor neighborhoods. People around the country contacted him by email and Twitter about people with the greatest need, and he figured out a way to get food to them. |
| Updated June 24, 2020 | |
| Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. | |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | |
| Not all his messages are about food deliveries. Mr. Khanna, who is single, now receives so many marriage proposals that he asked on Twitter that they be identified in the email subject line to help filter them out. He said all the proposals were slowing down his relief efforts. | Not all his messages are about food deliveries. Mr. Khanna, who is single, now receives so many marriage proposals that he asked on Twitter that they be identified in the email subject line to help filter them out. He said all the proposals were slowing down his relief efforts. |
| A few weeks ago, Mr. Khanna realized that his effort would not reach a particularly vulnerable group: the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who had been trapped by the lockdown and now were walking vast distances to get home. Dry food was of no use to them, but a cooked meal would be. He has joined with Bharat Petroleum, one of the biggest gas companies in India, to set up soup kitchens at gas stations along highways.On Friday, the day before Eid, the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Mr. Khanna’s team distributed feast kits for more than 200,000 people in Mumbai, with rice, lentils, flour, fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, spices, sugar, pasta, oil and dried fruit.The festival has a special place in his heart. As a young chef in Mumbai, he was stuck in the city during the riots of 1992. A Muslim woman sheltered him in her house. “She saved my life,” he said. Ever since, he has fasted for one day during Ramzan, as the festival is known in India. | A few weeks ago, Mr. Khanna realized that his effort would not reach a particularly vulnerable group: the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who had been trapped by the lockdown and now were walking vast distances to get home. Dry food was of no use to them, but a cooked meal would be. He has joined with Bharat Petroleum, one of the biggest gas companies in India, to set up soup kitchens at gas stations along highways.On Friday, the day before Eid, the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Mr. Khanna’s team distributed feast kits for more than 200,000 people in Mumbai, with rice, lentils, flour, fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, spices, sugar, pasta, oil and dried fruit.The festival has a special place in his heart. As a young chef in Mumbai, he was stuck in the city during the riots of 1992. A Muslim woman sheltered him in her house. “She saved my life,” he said. Ever since, he has fasted for one day during Ramzan, as the festival is known in India. |
| Mr. Khanna estimates that his relief effort now feeds around 275,000 people each day. He wants to keep going. | Mr. Khanna estimates that his relief effort now feeds around 275,000 people each day. He wants to keep going. |
| “I feel like the past 30 years of my training and my 20-hour workdays have prepared me for this moment,” he said. “This has been the most gratifying two months in my culinary career.” | “I feel like the past 30 years of my training and my 20-hour workdays have prepared me for this moment,” he said. “This has been the most gratifying two months in my culinary career.” |
| Shalini Venugopal Bhagat joined the South Asia bureau of The New York Times in 2014. Previously, she was a writer and producer of news features and documentaries for more than 10 years. | Shalini Venugopal Bhagat joined the South Asia bureau of The New York Times in 2014. Previously, she was a writer and producer of news features and documentaries for more than 10 years. |