Indian chef Madhavlal Chaudhari takes time off cooking
curry to practise his reading. Photo by Gregor Richardson.
"Doing the simple things in life, like going to the bank
or the store, were very difficult for me. I was even scared to
answer the phone."
When Hindi-speaking Madhavlal Chaudhari (48) first came to
New Zealand from India, communication was nothing short of
terrifying for him.
But thanks to adult literacy classes, Mr Chaudhari has a
newfound confidence.
"I can go to the store now and say, 'where is the rice?'."
Mr Chaudhari had a rough start in life. Not long after he was
born in rural northwest India, his mother died.
It left him with limited opportunities for formal education,
and he was sent out into his father's mustard fields to work
for much of his childhood.
Not content to cultivate and harvest mustard plants for the
rest of his life, Mr Chaudhari ran away from home to Mumbai
in search of "brighter opportunities".
He said his greatest good fortune was to find work as a
kitchen hand where, over time, he learned how to cook
traditional Indian curries.
His strong dedication and determination eventually led him to
become a chef.
While working at the restaurant, he became friends with a
chef who had worked as a curry chef in New Zealand, and soon
after, he came to Dunedin to see what all the fuss was about
for himself.
Not surprisingly, he found himself working as a chef at the
Tandoori Palace in Mornington, creating cuisines that put
sheens on foreheads.
Mr Chaudhari plans to stay in New Zealand and his employer
has encouraged him to further develop his English language
skills.
Learning a new language after being immersed in Indian
culture for more than 40 years was challenging, he said.
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.