I am elated as Khichdi has entered the Guinness World Records! - J D Majethia

Our ears stood up when we heard that khichdi has broken the Guinness World Record and has entered the list of World Food India! The three day extravaganza hosted in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi from 3 to 5 November has put India on the global map in the food processing industry. One of India’s top chefs, Sanjeev Kapoor tried to create a world record by cooking 800 kgs of khichdi on yesterday (4 November) as part of the World Food India fair. The event was inaugurated by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Khichdi entered the coveted list of Guinness World Records with a whopping 918 kgs! It’s like World Yoga Day for Khichdi! Don’t you think? Well, if it would have actually been the case and KHICHDI would be termed to be our national dish, it would surely have been a reason to rejoice. Come to think of it, it is not just the most Sattvik dish but also a one-pot unity in diversity and therefore it wouldn't be an exaggeration to state that the dish promotes homogeneity as well. And who can forget, the country is obsessed with not just the food item but another very famous Khichdi - Well it was not very long ago that the first thing that came to an avid TV lover's mind is the iconic situational comedy titled Khichdi by Hats Off Productions! Hallo, How are... Khaana khaa Ke Jana huh! This was the iconic pet phrase of Hansa bhabhi aka Supriya Pathak who used to make sure our Sunday mornings began with a bang! It was Hansa and Praful's (Rajeev Mehta) idiocies in the lovable comedy 'Khichdi' that made the show a resounding success. Hansa: Praful Technology matlab? Praful:Technology Hansa, Jab hum Hiraben Ki shaadi mein gaye they, Tab Hiraben mehmaano se kya kehrahi thi Hansa: Woh to Khaana Khaane Ke Liye Bol rahi thi, aapne to kuch bhi nahi liya, take no... lo ji, take no... lo ji... Areey technoloji.... This and many such conversations could never give you a facepalm even when it completely ended the meaning of English language. With Praful and Hansa, the Indian television was a happy place. The Parekh parivaar were the craziest bunch of characters ever to have seen on Indian television. Before we binged on F.R.I.E.N.D.S. no matter how much we love Chandler, when it comes to colloquial humour, Praful topped the list. From the paranoid Babuji, to the insanely stupid Praful to the too-dumb-to-be-true Hansa to the gossip seeking Jayashree Bhabhi to the 'bhukkad' Bhavesh Kumar to the Kisi Ko Pata Nahi Chalega Himansoo there was no end to the eccentricity of this show. The show was widely loved by the audience and after its super success, the production house launched Instant Khichdi. In fact, Producer, JD Majethia even rolled out a movie on the plot of an eccentric Gujarati family titled Khichdi: The Movie. And we continue to excitedly wait as there is confirmation on another season of Khichdi in the making. Since the dish has been upvoted, we at TellyChakkar decided to speak to JD Majethia about his viewpoint on the same. Majethia and Aatish Kapadia were on a tour when they inadvertently hit upon the name for the series, quipped he, “Frankly speaking, we never really sat down and brainstormed about the title. I was on an East Africa sojourn with my writer-director friend Aatish Kapadia and my co-producer with a commitment related to theatre when we casually discussed coming up with a distinguished title. Aatish suddenly asked us, “How about Khichdi?” We later zeroed down on this title, as Khichdi was simple and yet had a lot of elements to it! The word khichdi itself has an intrigue to it. It is non-committal and every community can identify with it. This was the basic idea behind the name. "Later, when the show became immensely popular on Star Plus, we were proud of ourselves and the name we chose! It was not too long and we were once again in talks with the channel to launch the second season on Star One. The channel asked us if we‘d like to try something different with the name but Khichdi has become a brand and we did not want it to dwindle. We wanted a name which doesn’t hamper our brand image and at the same time is contemporary. "That is when we thought that aaj kal fast food ka zamana hai, where people prefer eating instant food, so let us title the second season as Instant Khichdi. Then followed the movie where the brand name was retained. The producer who shares a very good bond with the Prime Minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi said he was elated about the dish's (Khichdi) entry in the Guinness Book of World Records, he bellowed with , "I remember that when Khichdi: The Movie was launched, the now Prime Minister and then Chief Minister, Narendra Modi sat with us and watched the entire film! He loved the movie and asked me, “Biji kyare banavo cho?". In fact, I happened to meet him recently in Delhi after he took the PM’s seat and I was glad he remembered the movie as he asked me, “Khichdi kevi paake che?" . Talking about his love for the dish, JD Majethia averred, “I love khichdi. These days, there are so many variations! There are almost 150 varieties of khichdi which can be cooked at home. "This is a perfect dish for a simple and wholesome meal. First of all, it is a relief to the housewives. I learnt to cook khichdi when I went for survivor.” Lastly, he shared a very intimate connection with his popular comedy series and the dish, yawped he, "With khichdi becoming a part of the Guinness World Records, it would indirectly promote the upcoming season of the iconic show! Khichdi has been synonymous with laughter and smiles from the last 15 years. I am sure that whenever people eat the dish they feel nostalgic about the show as well, somewhere down the line. Bidding adieu to TellyChakkar, JD Majethia stated, “We are planning something unique to offer to the viewers and a different title for people to relate too. We will announce it when the time is right!” Cheers JD Sir!