He took his wife Jas Kaur’s recipe and transformed it into a kulfi business. It stays true to tradition by using minimal ingredients and even has an authentic Punjabi taste.

Recently they have expanded beyond kulfi to Tarka Masala to cater to the growing need and interest in Punjabi and Indian cooking.

In a short period of time, Kaurina’s went from a small home-based operation to a full-fledged manufacturing operation, selling not only at the local Punjabi, Indian and Pakistani grocery shops in and around Texas, but also in big stores such as HEB, Fiesta and now they are even sold in many of the Costco stores on the West Coast.

Hari Singh has come a long way from being a geologist to being a full-time entrepreneur in the food industry. His son Aman Singh who joined him in 2004 also took a leap of faith from being an engineer to being “The Kulfi Man”, as he calls himself. Both have had great success with Kaurina’s and are all set to take it to the next big level. Here is a glimpse into their journey, as I talk to father and son.

How did Kaurina’s Kulfi come into being?

Hari Singh (“HS“): Kulfi was not the first product that we worked on. There is a sauce called the Picante sauce. My wife made a version of that at home, it was Picante with a Punjabi Touch. We all loved it. We thought of turning it into a business.

But then it did not fly well at the business plan stage, since we did not have the knowledge of how to manufacture on a large scale. I was told that in the beginning we would have to make a sample of 10,000 bottles and we did not want to make that kind of investment, so we dropped that idea.

Aman Singh (“AS”): Kulfi was always my mom’s specialty. No dinner party was ever complete without kulfi. All our friends and relatives used to say that “Jas’s kulfi is the best”. People used to come from far and wide to taste my mom’s kulfi. It is then that we thought of making a business out of it.

We made a few samples and tested it in our local store and it sold out on the first day. Then we expanded to other stores, invested in a production site and the rest, as they say, is history.

How did you decide on the name ‘Kaurina’s’ ?

We brain stormed with quite a few names. We wanted a name which had Punjabi roots, but at the same time, it resonates with a broader audience. We also wanted a distinctly female sounding name as it sounds better and is also identifiable with moms who cook the most in any household. The Sikh name ‘Kaur’ — common to all Sikh women — was something that had all these qualities.

We added “ina” to it as it had more recognizable sound to it. You find a “Tina, Reena etc” in many cultures. This is how we decided on the name ‘Kaurina’s‘.

How did you manage to make inroads into Costco, HEB, Fiesta and other big stores?

Our plan was to participate in the trade shows. Before we headed off to them, though, we updated our packaging. We specially created a multi-pack to cater to the big stores. Then in 2010 in Anaheim (California) we participated in the trade show. One of the Costco buyers came to us and tried our product. She liked it and got us connected to the person in charge at Costco. The Costco buyer requested samples and then set up a meeting. The negotiations lasted over a year. Finally, we agreed to supply to 6 Costco’s. We also created special packaging for them. Now they want us to expand to the other Costco’s.

HEB and Fiesta contacted us through the distributor trade show that we attended in Jan 2011. In 2011 during the Fancy Food Show in New York, we were also contacted by the Union Market buyer; they have three stores in Brooklyn. She wanted us to supply them directly and remove all middle men.

So now we are beginning to expand our foot print beyond Texas into other regions. The journey has just begun.

How did you expand into the ice-cream line? Was there any fear of competition from the big brands like Nestle?

AS:  Consumers wanted party-size tubs. Initially, I was a little hesitant in expanding our line, but my dad wanted to pursue this opportunity. We focused on getting our kulfi blend incorporated into the formulation. We also added new and differentiated flavors such as chikoo.

At present, there is no major pressure to compete with the major brands. We are competing with the smaller brands which are carried by Punjabi and Indian stores.

What role has your mom/wife played in the success of Kaurina’s, besides sharing her recipes?

AS:  Mom has always been the back-bone of our family. She gave us all the support that we wanted. She kept her day job to support the family and to have a steady stream of income while we dabbled in business. My wife also supports us by continuing to work on her ‘day job’.

Where were you brought up and what were the early years like for you?

HS:  I grew up in Punjab, mostly in Simla, along with five brothers and a sister. Then in 1953 my father, who used to work in the Punjab government, got transferred to Chandigarh. That is where I did most of my schooling. I then went on to do a degree in Geology from Punjab University. After that, I took up a job as a Mining officer. I got married in 1975 and then moved to Ludhiana for a few years.

I found it difficult to work in the political environment. My dad was also a very principled person and valued his integrity. While all his Indian colleagues were able to claw up the bureaucratic chain, my father was content with retiring as a private secretary to the Minister. He never wanted to compromise on his principles and ethics. I found it very difficult to adjust to the Indian environment.

Did anyone in your family have a business background?

HS:  No one in my family ever had a business background. All were into ‘professions‘. One of my brothers went into the army and another came to the US to work here and retired as a federal judge. I did not feel that I was fit or good enough to venture into business.

What made you come to the US?

HS:  Like I said, I was not too happy with the government work. During this time, my elder brother asked us if we would like to come to the US. Then in 1977, I did. I first went to Washington, DC and stayed there for a year and then came to Texas.

In DC I was working in a field job, but it was extremely difficult because of the discrimination I encountered along the way. Then in 1978, I moved to Texas. It did not help as jobs were few. I took up a job with 7/11.

In 1979 I got two job offers. I joined Mobil Oil and was there for 3 years before I was laid off.

How has your Sikh Faith helped you in this journey?

HS:  While growing up in Punjab, we used to do paatth every day. I participated in a lot of SGPC competitions. My son Aman has also attended Sikh camps throughout his youth, doing kirtan, learning Punjabi and Sikh history.

When we came to this country, unfortunately, there were very few Sikhs, so it was tough. The awareness regarding Sikhism was not there. It’s different now, people are more aware of us.

Faith in Gurbani has always been our strength. I believe that whatever we are today is because of Waheguru and without His blessings we could not achieve all this. Despite the setback in my early years here, I now proudly wear the dastaar.

What is your vision for the company?

AS:   We would like to create and lead the Kulfi category into the mainstream American market. We would like to create more wholesome and all-natural products that no one has yet created or introduced into the market. We aim to use fewer ingredients and thus make the products healthy and tasty.

This post first appeared here.

Tragically, on October 25, 2012, one day before the release of his son’s debut film ‘Power Cut‘, he was killed in an automobile accident.

The eternally optimistic director, producer, actor and social activist left behind a legacy of satire that has spawned hundreds of imitators, but none quite like the master himself.

Here are some excerpts from a conversation I had recently with his widow, Savita Bhatti.

Jaspal Bhatti – The Sikh King of Satire

*   *   *   *   *

Q:   How did first you meet Jaspal?

A:   It was in the 1980’s when I first got to know of him. At that time, he used to work in the Punjab State Electricity Board and I had seen him on TV. He had created a 3-minute segment called ‘Rang Vich Bhang’ which appeared alongside ‘Chitrahaar‘, the most popular TV series at that time.

The show was a satire on social issues that plagued India, such as dowry demands, bride burning, etc. Holding a mirror to the society, it soon gathered a cult following.

Around this time, an acquaintance suggested his name in an arranged marriage proposal and, not long thereafter, we were married.

Q:   What were the early years like, together?

A:   Our home was always full of people who would show up for rehearsing plays. Jaspal had special permission to stage plays and shoot for his TV segments, as he was a performing artist. He was starting to get famous and recognized on the streets.

Right around this time, his daily cartoon strip, ‘Oddly Speaking,’ began to be published on the front page of the region’s leading English daily,’The Tribune.”

Q:   Sounds like Jaspal was a multi-talented artist …

A:   There’s no doubt about that. His vision was so amazing and all pervasive. Till today, he is India’s only professional humorist who also drew cartoons and wrote articles for almost all leading newspapers, ventured into TV and films, opened a comedy school, “Mad Arts” and founded the humor club, “The Nonsense Club”, and so on. He has no rivals.

He would start his day early with a little prayer, a long walk. While on his morning walks, he would record a new set of jokes and work on his delivery.

He wrote every day. The first half of his day was dedicated to writing. After that he used to take a quick trip to the film school and interact with the students. In the evening, a bonding time with the family or his friends.

And even as he retired for the day, a quick glance at a page of the book on his bedside.

Q:   What made Jaspal unique? 

A:   Jaspal was a quiet person, a thinker and a philosopher. The only people amongst whom he talked and laughed freely were his friends, especially from his engineering days.

Actually most people who create humor are very serious people. Jaspal created humor from things that trouble the world. Instead of getting frustrated and ranting, he created humor out of it and made millions laugh. He was a very keen observer and sometimes out of nowhere he would mouth a one-liner. It just made you wonder about the depth of his thought process.

But what set Jaspal apart from others was that he had a sense of social obligation. He had the courage and conviction to take on any issue that bothered him. He made a common man’s pain his own. That’s why he’s called the common man’s superstar. Very few celebrities can walk the roads today in the blistering sun for an issue they feel so strongly about.

He was a crusader, a revolutionary, but in an insanely funny way. He could make an 8-year old kid, a 35-year old and a 65- year old grandmother laugh the same way at his jokes.  ‘Reader’s Digest’ ranked him at #43 in their list of  ‘100 Indians India Admires’.

Q:   How did Jaspal handle the trappings of celebrity-hood?

A:   Jaspal was a well-grounded person. Very comfortable in his skin. That’s why he was so resplendent in his colorful turbans. Being a Sikh was natural to him. He didn’t feel the need to get into any trappings of glamour to prove a point. He would walk around in Sector 17 and just walk into any store. He chose to be what he normally would be at home rather than pretend to be someone else.

That is why the world loved him, and continues to do today.

And what endeared me most to this man is that in his generosity he shaped and modelled so many lives and careers — Vivek Shauq, BN Sharma, Sunil Grover and myself, amongst many others. He could do this because he cheered and appreciated talent in others.

Q:   You mentioned he was a proud Sikh. How did that inspire him? 

A:   Jaspal’s day started reading from the Sikh scripture and it is his understanding of Gurbani that made him a humble and compassionate person.  The first 10 years of his life, he lived with his grandmother in Ambala. She was an ardent Sikh. That upbringing influenced him immensely. Jaspal always gace away his dasvandh for worthy causes. For example, a part of whatever money we earned would go to the local gurudwara dispensary.

Q:   What surprised you most about him in the 28 years that you spent together?

A:   His ability to look at everything in an ‘ulta-pulta’, topsy-turvy manner. From time to time, he would suddenly come up with a new activity, a press note or something – out of nowhere. I would exclaim, “You were just there with me 20 minutes ago! How did this come to your mind, out of the blue?”

He was observant and constantly thinking and reinventing himself. That never failed to surprise me.

Also,  he was not afraid of anything or anybody. I remember once he when ‘The  Nonsense Club’ staged an event right in front of the Indian Parliament, with the tongue-in-cheek message that Parliament should not waste its time on small corruption scandals. Anything below Rs. 2 billion ($40 million) should not be considered a scam at all in India!

He spared no political party. He was unbiased. He had no scores to settle. His job was just to tell the truth, even if it meant standing alone.

Another thing about him was that he was very unpredictable. Even after so many years of being together, I could never predict his actions. He used to always do some new things on every family trip. All his moves were loaded with surprises. And true to this, he went away so suddenly. How I pray that God could undo this one surprise!

Q:   How did Jaspal identify talent in those around him?

A:   Jaspal was very intuitive and always gave due respect to talent. He gave people an equal platform and let them perform. Vivek Shauq, Guthi and quite a few others started their careers with Jaspal. In fact he helped me as well in developing as a performer. He was very secure and clear in his vision … I believe that if one has such a vision, everything else just falls into place.

Q:   How are you keeping his memory alive? 

A:   March 3 is Jaspal’s birthday. I would like to establish that day as a ‘Comedy and Laughter Day’ so that every year people come to Chandigarh, Punjab, and celebrate this man and the joy he brought us. I would love to call all kinds of people for this festival – national TV stars, international comedians and also the ‘bhands’, local performers from our villages who do a great job of making people laugh. I would like to make this day special and create a unique event in his memory.

This article first appeared here.

Imagine a world where everything is the same – one kind of plants, trees, animals, only one color, identical homes, all the streets with same names, homes with same numbers. Imagine a world where you only have one kind of pots and pans and you eat the same food for every meal, every day, we do the exact same tasks every day – day in and day out and are surrounded by people who all look the same.

SARABJIT SINGH, WATERCOLOR, THE ART OF DIVERSITY