South Pasadena, California: Dr.
Raj Padita thrillingly has launched a new business,
An Indian Restaurant was his third business. The interfaith
Prayer Ceremonies would be held on August 8, 2014 at The Spice Factory, the
contemporary Indian Cuisine in Fair Oak, Pasadena. Dr. Raj is known as a South
Pasadena spiritual resident and a successful small business owner with multi
businesses that are located in his private house in Alpha Avenue, South
Pasadena. Currently he is a Speech
Language Pathology Director and a chairman of Aahaara Group, a non- profit
organization in South Pasadena.
In July of 2014, red paper covered the
walls of a new space in an historic building. In August, a neon sign with the
words “The Spice Factory” was displayed in front and above the doorway of 80
North Fair Oaks Avenue.
On Friday, August 8, 2014, members of the Pandita
family, in traditional Indian attire, entered the Spice Factory Restaurant in
Pasadena to wrap up the blessing prayer, according to the Hindu religion. There
was not much furniture in the main dining hall. A low, long, dark brown wooden cabinet
with ancient Indian motifs leaned against a white brick wall. White silk fabric
covered two large statues on the cabinet. Orange marigolds, sunshine
sunflowers, white lilies, red roses, green palms, and pink lotuses in crystal
vases nestled on the floor in front of the cabinet. A heavy, authentic Indian
carpet displayed a garish color palette, ranging from yellow, amber, almond,
brown, orange, red, and burgundy. Crimson tassels bordered two narrow sides of
the carpet. A low wooden stage was adorned with a huge Indian rug designed with
a red square pattern.
At 9:00 a.m., the Pooja
to welcome the Hindu deities began. Pooja
is the traditional Hindu ritual to honor the gods and begin special events and
occasions to honor special guests. The Pooja
performances are hosted at various occasions, such as weddings, baby
showers, housewarmings, and the opening of new businesses.
Swami Adrishananda of the Pasadena Hindu Temple sat on
the floor adjacent to the stage and set up the shrink: a bronzed plate with an oil
wick, several metal plates, and crystal bowls of different sizes. The Spice
Factory’s owner, Dr. Raj Pandita, in his long, beige robe, took off his shoes and
sat on the carpet facing the Swami. He arranged bananas, coconuts, apples, and
grapes in a bamboo basket; Dr. Raj poured rice, green beans, red beans, orange
beans, black beans, kidney beans, turnip seeds, almonds, chili, turmeric, ginger
powder, and honey in little crystal bowls. These major ingredients were the
foundation to make the cuisine that will soon be offered by the Spice Factory.
Dr. Raj’s wife, Mrs. Rigini Pandita, in a long, golden sari and green silk
shawl covering her head, sat next to Dr. Raj. Dr. Raj’s son, wearing a long,
cardinal robe and a white square of cloth on his head, knelt behind his mother.
Dr. Shobha Kaul, Dr. Raj’s sister, prayed behind Dr. Raj.
In the first row of the audience were Dr. Raj’s parents-in-law,
his attorney and his wife, Dr. Suresh Raina and his wife, and writer Phillip
Goldberg (American Veda).
Psychologist Richard Selby sat behind Daniel Lambert, a Lecturer in English at
California State University, Los Angeles. Committee members from the Pasadena
Hindu Association and several of Dr. Raj’s relatives also attended the private
blessing.
The Swami lit the wick on the oil plate and burned
incense. Dr. Raj and Mrs. Pandita tore the petals from marigold flowers and
tossed them onto the metal plate. The fragrant incense and the redolent
marigold petals mingled together and gradually spread throughout the hall, slowly
sneaking into each individual’s lungs. The Swami prayed and chanted exaltations
to the Lord Krishna, sacrificed food to the gods, and thanked the gods for
giving us the natural, edible elements to nurture our human physical bodies. Researching
herbal elements and Indian traditional remedies to make authentic dishes to
please guests’ tastes and improve people’s health is Dr. Raj’s wish. Dr. Raj’s
team has “created over
500 recipes from pan–Indian cuisines, each flavored with the regional spices,
giving importance to the basic food ingredients and adding the ‘Right spices in
Right way’” (http://www.thespicefactory.us/about-us/).
The white silk coverings were lifted from the large
statues, and the two gods were revealed: on the left was the god Ganesha, the god
of wisdom, represented as an elephant. He is known as a destroyer of human
obstacles, doubts, and darkness. The goddess Saraswati was on the right; she is
the goddess of knowledge, music, and art. Wisdom and knowledge are the food of
individual spirits to maintain human thoughts, and purify their minds to
discover their own meaning of life and continuation of one’s life journey.
The Swami put a cup of water in front of each deity.
He said, “Water represents divine energy, which flows downward to fill all
empty spaces with certainty. Water also represents mental and spiritual
clarity. We can wash our bodies with water, but only prayer and meditation can
wash negative thoughts from our minds.”
After
that, the Swami asked the audience to take handfuls of dark powder and close
their eyes. The dark powder represents negative thoughts and darkness. The
audience opened their eyes and threw the dark powder into the fire. The fire
burned away their anger and jealousy and brought peace to the guests. The Swami
directed the guests to stand up with hands wide open and eyes focused in front,
facing north; then changing direction, turning to the left and to the right, to
invite positive spiritual and divine energy into the Spice Factory from all
four directions (north, south, east and west).
The guests repeated the Swami’s words, “Dear gods,
please give blessings to the Pandita family as well as to all employees and
guests of the Spice Factory restaurant. All those who enter the Spice Factory will
be touched by the divine golden light that brings prosperity, happiness and
peace.”
More guests came to join the ceremony. Other employees
from the surrounding South Pasadena companies and businesses visited and
welcomed the new-born restaurant. They walked around to enjoy paintings by
artist Vijay Koul, from Kashmir, India, whom Dr. Raj sponsors. Dr. Raj’s son
took the stage to show appreciation to those who helped and supported the Spice
Factory. He introduced the honored guests who participated in the interfaith prayer
ceremonies. After that, Father Patrick Nwokeogu briefly applauded the authentic
Indian foods. Father Patrick invited guests to pray to God to pour blessings
upon the Spice Factory and the people who contributed to it.
Ms. Shobha distributed Kara Prasad, a sweet Indian dessert,
to the guests, while the band came in and prepared to perform. The Spiritual
Jugalbandi sat in the lotus position as they played. The group consisted of singers
Jacob Kirtankar, Nirantara
Prabhu, and three other musicians. They sang joyous songs of praise
to the god Krishna, chanting “Hari Krishna” (praise Krishna). This music was so infectious that it motivated the
Pandita family and a dozen guests to dance before the stage in rhythmic
fraternity. The Ragi from Gurudwara Sahib was so impressed by Jacob that he volunteered
to play the traditional instrument called the tabla. The
main dishes were served. Guests lined up to take food and drinks, including
water and exotic teas. They enjoyed food while listening to the music and
watching the impromptu dances.
Indian cuisine is a
type of natural medicine that brings human beings chemical balance, improves
people’s immune systems, and cures various symptoms with fewer side effects. The
Spice Factory is Dr. Raj’s first authentic Kashmiri Indian restaurant in the
United States. Dr. Raj desires to apply the genius of Indian cooking and the
art of purifying individual hearts and souls to Westerners, to advocate healthy
eating habit and relaxation to the world. To fulfill her husband’s dreams, Mrs.
Pandita, a busy microbiologist, is always by Dr. Raj’s side to accommodate him.
Ms. Shobha, his sister, came to Pasadena from India to help him during the
restaurant’s gestation. Dr. Raj’s parents-in-law came from Pleasanton, Northern
California, to stay with them for the first few months of the restaurant’s
infancy. Dr. Raj would like to pay tribute to his lovely wife, sister,
parents-in-law, relatives, friends, Pasadena’s Hindu community, his business
neighbors, and the local media, especially the members of the South Pasadena
Review editorial team.
The Spice Factory staff
members hope to see you soon and more often. Thank you for your support!
--Los Angeles: August
10, 2014
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