Nalin Dalal was an Indian chemist best known for being the husband of famous Indian chef Tarla Dalal.
Wiki/Biography
Nalin Dalal was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He studied chemical engineering at the University of Michigan in the United States.
appearance
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
There is not much information about his family and parents.
wife and children
In 1960, Nalin married chef Tarla Dalal.
Chef Tara Dalal
They have three children, two sons, Sanjay Dalal and Deepak Dalal, and a daughter, Renu Dalal.
Sanjay Dalal, son of Tarla Dalal
Deepak Dalal, son of Tarla Dalal
Renu Dalal, daughter of Tarla Dalal
die
He died in 2005 at his apartment on Napian Sea Road in south Mumbai.
Facts/Trivia
- Although Nalin occasionally ate non-vegetarian food, his wife Tara managed to convince him to switch to a vegetarian diet.
- Tarla and Nalin tied the knot in 1960, but initially, Tarla was not keen on marrying him. When Nalin and his family came to visit her, she prepared gulab jam and deliberately added an overdose of chilli. Surprisingly, Nalin still chooses to marry her. Before her marriage, Tara expressed her ambition to achieve something big in life, and Nalin wholeheartedly supported her aspirations and never hindered her from pursuing her passion.
- According to Nalin’s sister Anjana Shah, Nalin and Tara were seen as an unconventional couple. Nalin is highly educated, while Tara, though a college graduate, is described as a very humble and unassuming person. Despite their very different backgrounds, Nalin’s family being modern-day Gujarati while Tara comes from a humble traditional family, she adapted effortlessly to her new family and inspired them to accept Vaishnavite custom.
- According to Tara, during her engagement, Nalin would write her letters from the University of Michigan expressing his desire to eat dishes that Tara found unfamiliar and complex. At the time, Tara was only 20 years old and knew how to cook basic Indian meals such as dal, rice and vegetables. However, in order to satisfy her husband’s cooking preferences, she said any young woman would learn to cook the dishes he wanted. Inspired by her husband’s desire for diverse cuisine, Tara embarked on a culinary journey, learning about various dishes and experimenting with fusions. In 1966, her friend approached her and asked her to teach young girls who were passionate about cooking. Tara agreed and began giving cooking classes to groups of six students at her home. However, word of her excellent teachings soon spread throughout Mumbai and soon mothers from all over the city wanted their daughters to attend Tara’s famous cooking classes.
- As Tara’s cooking classes became increasingly successful, her husband Nalin (unemployed due to a long factory strike) saw an opportunity to support her passion. Despite the lack of computers in the 1970s, Nalin, a skilled quality control engineer, still used a typewriter to craft his job resumes. During a conversation with Tara, he realized he could help her by printing recipes that he could share with other women. Motivated by the idea, Nalin encouraged Tara to compile a book of her best recipes. Tara would write the recipes and Nalin would edit them. In order to ensure the accuracy of the recipes, Nalin arranged for people to test them, and the dishes were delicious.
- Tarla’s first book was published by Arun and Sudha Mehta of Vakil and Sons. They decided to sell the recipe book for Rs. 35, it quickly gained huge popularity, not only locally, but also in Africa and America. The book sold more than 1.5 million copies. Tara mentioned in an interview that she once visited Nalin’s factory and found him enjoying meat dishes with his colleagues. As a vegetarian, she was curious about what made non-vegetarian dishes so appealing. She sought advice from friends and started creating her own vegetarian recipes based on the flavors of non-vegetarian dishes. Tara is known for her talent in introducing people to a variety of international cuisines and transforming non-vegetarian recipes into vegetarian alternatives. In addition to her critically acclaimed cookbooks focusing on healthy 100-calorie snacks, she has written books on managing acidity by cooking and recreating popular restaurant-style gravy.
- In 1987, Nalin’s son and his wife, Tarla, founded a business called Sanjay and Co., which they ran together with Nalin’s daughter. His son, who used to manage Tara’s website, continues to oversee various tasks such as maintaining the website, publishing books, organizing cooking classes and managing social media accounts. Tara’s granddaughter also helps manage Tara’s social media platforms and shares updates on new recipes she’s trying. However, she was criticized by some for adding eggs to some of her recipes, while her grandmother never used eggs in her own recipes.
- In 2007, Tarla achieved the extraordinary feat of becoming the only Indian woman to be awarded the prestigious Padma Shri for her outstanding culinary skills.
Tarla Dalal accepts Padma Shree
- In 2023, a biographical film titled “Tarla” was released, depicting the life of his wife. The film stars Huma Qureshi as Tarla Dalal and Sharib Hashmi as Nalin Dalal. In an interview, Sharib said about playing the role of Nalin,
When I play Nalin Dalal, I can see him right in front of me. I can relate to him. I wanted to be like him and have his qualities. In fact, I would say it is very important in today’s world that a husband should possess these qualities. I had a lot of fun playing this character. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education