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      • Palau
      • Palestine
      • Papua New Guinea
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      • Samoa
      • Saudi Arabia
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      • Solomon Islands
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      • Taiwan
      • Tajikistan
      • Thailand
      • Tibet
      • Tokelau
      • Tonga
      • Turkey
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What Homelessness Taught Vikas Khanna

June 23rd, 2017

Many years before he became a Michelin-starred chef, one whose book UTSAV was presented to the likes of Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Francis, and the Dalai Lama, Vikas Khanna was a poor Indian immigrant in New York City who unexpectedly found himself homeless after the deli he worked for closed.

Related

In this episode of Asia Society's Asia Abridged podcast, TV star Padma Lakshmi discusses her childhood memories of New York City. Learn more

"Nobody dreams of becoming homeless," Khanna said during an appearance at Asia Society on Thursday. "It’s nobody’s plan"

Khanna described his homeless experience at the New York Rescue Mission in vivid detail. He arrived there one winter day to see a line of people waiting to attend a Christmas party. Asked whether he would stay the night, Khanna agreed — but gave a false name out of embarrassment. "You want to feel that you can become invisible," he said.

But his time at New York Rescue Mission taught him resilience, and even furthered his cooking career. During his stay, he began to cook meals for other residents, an activity that helped restore his dignity.

“You figure out one day that the sun is going to rise tomorrow and I’m going to be on my feet”

Watch the complete video below.

Related Links

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About the Author

Profile picture for user Matt Schiavenza

Matt Schiavenza is the Assistant Director of Content at Asia Society and Senior Editor of Asia Society Magazine. His work has appeared at The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, The New Republic, The Wire China, and strategy + business among other publications.

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