Gita Mazumdar says, “She was made in India, on the coconutty west-coast along the Arabian Sea. What luck to have been nurtured by a playful father, an orderly mother, and both her grandmothers.”

In Gita’s first few years, “she was held for long hours by her beloved Badi, an elderly Adivasi (indigenous) woman who cared for her while her parents, both doctors, worked. Gita’s first food were Badi’s unusual grains cooked in clay. Gita cried for Badi when they moved away from that early home. The story is that Gita refused food, chanting ‘Badi’ a hundred and eight times before her father lost count. Her paternal grand-mother, Mein, prepared bhakri, confident that it would break the spell. Hours past bedtime, Mein placed the spiced bread in front of Gita. She regarded it silently, looked up and wailed ‘Baadiiii!” Exasperated, Mein said, ‘Eat your Badi’s fat chapattis’ and snapped off the lights. The next morning, there were no signs of bhakri and no more chanting.” This is how I begin today’s podcast conversation with Gita Mazumdar. An Ayurvedic Indian Cuisine chef, photographer, wife, mother, friend, film maker, and conscientious community connector. She continues describing a life that eventually circles back to her paternal grand-mother Mean’s recipes and the way women pass on their stories from one generation to another. Food is at the center of things. DOWNLOAD

She is in the midst of arranging those stories and refining her recipes into a cookbook that brings to life a rich history of ancestry 11,500 years old. Lifestyles that nourished one’s body, mind, spirit, and soul. This kind of wellbeing is missing in the fast-paced lifestyles that are making us unwell.

Hear Gita describe her life and the Mystic Murrabba project: food for body and spirit. Listen in to other parts of our conversation that will nourish your spirit and inspire you to create a lifestyle of connectedness and wellbeing:

• Ayurvedic Indian cuisine and your wellbeing.
• Gita’s Kitchen Philosophy and Hygiene. The percentages between food nutrients and what we need for digestion.
• 23 and Me DNA testing results and how far back Gita’s ancestry goes.
• A cross cultural event Gita brilliantly overcame when she married Jim.
• What her three adult-children tease her about.
• How she overcame cultural disjointedness between our Eastern and Western cultures.
• A common Indian saying, “Indifferently made food will only satisfy half a man’s hunger.” Why is food preparation so important?
• Redefining what is important in your life at different stages.
• Why Project Mystic Murrabba is not a business.

Thali is the way Indians eat on a regular basis; an Indian style meal. The meal is prepared with seven components that make up a complete meal. Each region in India has a different Thali but is prepared with the same seven components in mind. There is particular attention paid to details.

• There is a Rice dish, a lentil dish, a cooked vegetable, some kind of bread, fermented pickle, some kind of chutney with lemon or lime (some added acidic flavor), fresh vegetables, and a small bite of sweet to encompass all the different flavors.
• “The entire Thali meal consists of seven components: 7 colors. 6 flavors. 5 textures. 4 elements: earth, fire, water, and  air. 3 different qualities (temperaments) that wake you up, calms you down, and encourages the balance in between. 2 You never eat alone so you eat together with at least two people. The emphasis is on ONE UNITY that we are all a part of. We remember we are part of an Ecosystem; part of a cycle connected through this daily ritual two to three times each day, to what we are,” says Gita. Below is Gita making sour wheat dough bread. It was soooo satisfying.

WeMentor Self-Leadership Activation Exercises

After listening, do the following three WeMentor Self-Leadership Exercises:

1. Take this risk: Prepare a Thali meal with the seven components listed above. If preparing it doesn’t work, order a meal from Gita and share it with at least two other people.
2. Self-Compassion: Notice how your body and spirit responds to the Thali meal.
3. Gratitude Challenge: Thank all those hands that have prepared your Thali meal. You can do this at every meal. Thank those that harvested the grains and vegetables. Thank those that prepared the fruit you consume. Thank those that packaged the food. Thank those that prepared and served the food. Acknowledge the community that you are connected to. We participate in daily rituals that connect us as an ecosystem that keeps us alive and well.

Self-Leadership Mentoring

• Get One-On-One Mentoring during your transition. It is much easier to change when you know what is happening in your inner world. Paul Turek of Turek Consulting LLC says, “Nancy is a well-connected leadership development icon in this market… she’s got an interesting perspective on identifying and addressing leadership opportunities within oneself that is timely in our diverse and mobile workforce these days.” Get more meaningful conversations and useable tips every week.