Raisin Consciousness In Texas

Sachdev, who was with the Taj Group in India, has lived and worked in Delhi, Mumbai,Bangalore and Hyderabad. So how did he land up in Texas? “Just wanderlust, I guess,” he says.A follower of Osho and believer in yoga and meditation, he was looking to meet like-minded people when he came across a sturdy house, built in 1911, in the uptown area in Dallas.

The top part of the house was a small yoga meditation center and incorporating that, Sachdev transformed it into Cosmic Café. This funky old house is of many colors, a celebration of local artists who have painted over 40 murals, right from the car park to the patio to every room.Sachdev has added a summit to the top and rounded the columns. He says, “Now it looks like Himalaya House in New Delhi!”

Sachdev feeds 250 -300 people a day and the house and patio can take a 100 people at a time. While Indian diners have not yet discovered it, this playful monastery has become the in place for corporate as well as spiritual types. One evening there may be readings of Rumi, another day performances by gypsy violinists, or sitar and tabla players, and yoga and meditation lessons.

The food is served in large 12 inch platters and includes dishes with names like Mandala Pizza, Dharma Bell and Raisin Consciousness, a mix of international cuisines and Indian spices. Sage of Bombay, for instance, is urad dal wrapped in flour tortillas and topped with mango chutney.

He says: “I realized that the need of people was not just plain Indian food they wanted something more healthy – and Indian cuisine is so vast you can play with it so much and make so many permutations.”

Quality basmati rice is the foundation of many dishes and Buddha’s Delight is a pure Indian meal with dal, rice, samosas and vegetables.Now this is one fun monastery where you won’t eat like a monk!