“Festivals for me held a lot of importance because of the pomp and show, the family get-to-togethers and the food. ‘Na patha, na satha’ - this proverb was like my second name. Till 6th, I scored below average and almost failed in Hindi. Then, my grandparents decided to send me to my aunt at Sundargarh, for a change in environment.
In 7th, I joined the school where my scholar cousin was an alumnus. It took a toll on my confidence. To balance my insecurities, I started showing off my paintings and the response was overwhelming! Gradually, I started performing well. I was recognized as the all-rounder of the school.
Having scored 99 in science in boards, I wanted to be a doctor, but my family denied due to the lack of funds. I was sad, but in +2, seeing my roommate mugging up scientific names, I considered myself lucky. I was posted in INFOSYS, Trivandrum, for my job and the thought of not having Odia food felt worrisome. Luckily, I shared my room with an Odia guy and my cravings of “ghar ka khana” awakened the chef in me! Eventually, it became difficult to match timings with my roommate and it's then I started experimenting with Odia cuisine. I participated in cooking contests. I failed at first, but never lost hope! Anmol and I also organized the first ever Odia pop-up.
Then, came up the ‘MasterChef India’ auditions. I qualified for the Mumbai audition which was aired and since I was denied a sabbatical leave of 4 months, I resigned from the job without informing my family. From my audition to finale, Loki Madireddi’s words, ‘Never fight for fame, but work in your comfort zone and give your best’ were on my mind.
I prepared Odia dishes every chance I got. I retained the original Odia name of the dish so that the identity remains intact. On the finale, I was amazed to see my grandmother. Though the shoot was long, she stayed on set to see me. With all the pressure, my grandmother’s ‘dozing off while sitting’ moments gave a smile on everyone's face. The winning moment was surreal. My family and friends have supported me immensely and lastly, I’d like to tell my fellow Odias that never be ashamed of our cuisine, there’s so much to explore.”– MasterChef Abinas Nayak.
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