Exiled Inspiration VII: Nalini Moti

9 min readDec 13, 2019

“A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed. But the sky knows the reasons and patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons” ― Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Nalini Moti dared to look beyond the horizons and created history with her venture ‘Matamaal’. She took her life to new level with an inner desire to inspire others to also realise their dreams. These dreams have a past and our past no matter how distant leaves imprints on our minds, we always stay connected to it — we are a creation of our past.

In the Kashmir of yore, large families meant spending time together, strengthening bonds, sharing home chores, enjoying activities together, understanding important social skills, enhancing communication and offering a sense of belonging. Cultivating and protecting family ties and connections built a robust foundation for future; unshakable and unbreakable. Nalini was raised in one such family that provided her a secure and happy childhood.

“I am a middle child, sandwiched between two elder siblings (sister and brother) and a younger sister. My elder sister says, when she learnt our mother was going to have another baby, she prayed hard for me to be a girl, so that she could play with me.”

“Being the middle child, my temperament was always accommodating, and as a kid I would always try to help my mother with her work. I was a bit of an all rounder, while I was the first one to reach out to the electric switch to fix a power failure, I was also my father’s choice to fix a plate of ‘Kaanti’, and was also in-charge of my brother’s wardrobe.”

Kashmir being a juxtaposition of contrasting experiences, creates a distinct flavour of contemplations. There may be different elements in the assortment, but they need to complement each other to create a complete collection; a mixed bag. You remember what you experience.

“There was always an undercurrent of discrimination, if Pakistan won the cricket match, there would be jubilation. Being in minority we also had to be cautious, as young girls, managing some of those youngsters who would try to harass us. That said I have even slapped one such roadside-romeo and would not hesitate to assert.” She narrates the funny twist to this episode (that explains the wit and humour!) “I was travelling in a bus with my mother, when we got off, she said she had heard the sound of a slap, she asked if I had heard it too. Since she was at the very front, little was she aware I was the one who had actually slapped the guy.”

“We lived in Rajbagh and my school, Mallinson girls’ school, was across the river Jhelum, we would walk halfway and then take a boat (Shikara) to school, ‘Vosta’ the boatman was a favorite among all of us.”

“After school I pursued graduation at Maulana Azad College and majored in Mathematics; indeed, a far cry from my current passion. In school physical activities and camps were part of our growing up years. Winters were tough but special, I would give a hand to my mother in preparing food and in that cold weather we would all huddle around the ‘Bukhari’ and have a barbecue of sorts. At least twice a week there would be power cuts and we would all sit together waiting for the lights to come back.”

Universally there may have been a strong focus on importance of fathers playing positive role models for sons, fact is many have a great impact on lives of their daughters, in an intriguing and inspiring way.

“My father has always inspired me. Women are able to achieve what they set out to do, with cooperation from the men in their lives and we three sisters are accomplished in our own way, all running successful businesses. My father, Mr. Omkar Nath Moti, has always with his ‘never say die’ attitude inculcated a spirit of success and service in all of us. He has raised us, to be contributory, helpful and abundant in our attitude and ways. In my growing up days, his confidence in me, kept me going.”

“I look up to my Mother, who has raised all of us with great love and hard work, she is multi-talented, active, creative, loving and giving, and has always encouraged us to work hard and be self-sufficient.”

In 1987 Nalini married Surender Sadhu who was based in Bahrain, many years later they returned to India. Nalini’s voyage had its own seasons but she realized to be successful one must take risks, learn something new each day, grow as a person, move forward and step outside of one’s comfort zone, she was also conscious there was no instant gratification.

“My husband was both a foodie and a great host, when I joined him in Bahrain, we would have large gatherings and people would relish my food and be drawn to our hospitality.For many years I chose to be a home maker when I was raising my two sons, but once I became an empty nester, my family encouraged me to share my skill and passion with all, for that I am grateful.”

Where did the drive, to undertake the mission and surmount the hurdles, come from?

“My husband, Surender Sadhu, my partner-in-crime, who also named the restaurant, has always walked by my side, to actualize our dreams and we have faced and overcome all the challenges together. My sons and daughter-in-law, Mikhail, Sneha and Hans, are the three young pillars who bring in technology, fresh ideas and futuristic vision to making ‘Matamaal’ a place to be in, for people all over the world. We are a team, a happy team who want people to make choicest memories with us.”

Combating different battles and drawing strength from them have brought in perspective, wisdom and foresight to Nalini and there is so much she can contribute in form of not only expertise but advice as well; on life, on choices, on attitudes, on partnership too.

“I would like all Kashmiri women to follow their hearts and create a balance between their roles as a mother, a wife and an individual. We must look after ourselves; only then can we raise the future generation of Kashmiris who can carry the legacy forward.”

“Living in the moment and taking things easy are also very essential for a happy life. Like my younger sister, I am known for a good sense of humor and in our growing up years, we were notorious for giggling at jokes that only we understood, that too in very odd places. I would encourage young girls and boys to inculcate a sense of humor and spread the joy.”

“The institution of marriage has had a big shift from our times, there are many divorces in our community today. To all the young girls and boys, I would say ‘Marriage is a lifelong partnership of give and take, perfection can be achieved by playing your role to the best of your ability and then when you give, you get. Marriage as an institution must be preserved for what it gives, love, stability and happiness, so sticking to what you have chosen and giving way to each other is the success mantra’ thats my advice.”

“Our son, Hans, is helping us at Matamaal, I know in years to come, his role towards preservation of our recipes and legacy to the dispersed Kashmiris will be critical, Surender and I are working hard to pass the baton to him eventually.”

What would an enterprise be, no matter how big or small, without happy customers, building relationships with them is critical for any venture to thrive — the warmth, the personal touch, going that extra mile — all things matter. Little gestures, the passion, the fervor and enthusiasm have gone a long way in recreating the nostalgia of Kashmir — the home that many of us miss so dearly.

“Life as we all know is short and a great gift from the almighty, we value all who come and visit us at Matamaal, sitting in the static boat or a corner where they can sit down with legs crossed and eat on a ‘Peer’ and listen to nostalgic music ‘katyu chukh nund baane’ and make their own memories like we did living in Srinagar. We bring the glimpses of that slice of life, a legacy that we inherited and it’s for us to share.”

“My Matamaal journey is dedicated to my family, my partners, my in-laws, my sons and my daughter-in-law who have been part of my happy story and hope many more people realize their dreams the way we have.”

“ ‘Val vyes gasvay, Dal saalas’ the water of the Dal lake may have dried up for Kashmiri Pandits but at ‘Matamaal’ there is never a dull moment.”

Matamaal has won several awards:

September 2017: Winner of the Jury Choice Award for the ‘Best Regional Cuisine’ in Gurgaon at the BigF Awards in Gurgaon
March 2017: Winner of the Best Regional cuisine award category at the Times Food award 2017
March 2019: Recognized in the ‘Oyster Club — Hidden Gem’ Category in India’s leading awards, Living Foodz Epicurean Guild Awards 2019
March 2019: Winner of the Best Regional cuisine award category at the Times Food award 2019

Nalini & Surender Sadhus journey has featured on various National & International food & lifestyle channels namely, TravelXP, Living Foodz, Zee TV’s News24 with celebrity chefs like Chef Kunal Kapur

For me growing up in Kashmir in a nuclear family was compensated by very close ties with cousins — there was kinship, camaraderie, love, affection and there were those little, innocent revelations! The beauty lay in naivety and the allure of silly escapades with friends, and we knew everything about each other’s friends even in absentia. Nalini was friends with my eldest cousin, while we may not have socialized, I knew of her. She also happened to be my friend Nomita Moti’s older sister and in college we would often get to hear about her ‘sister from Bahrain’. Interestingly many years later I learned through my brother-in-law and his wife about Nalini and Surender’s hospitality, as they too lived in Bahrain for few years. Little did one anticipate that some years later Nalini would open her own restaurant in Delhi.
Having followed Nomita’s journey it was a wonderful revelation that her sister was equally enterprising, I started to connect the dots, undoubtedly the whole family had an entrepreneurial streak that made them excel in the ventures they pursued. More than that they possessed the right attitude coupled with the power of visualization.
Nalini Moti Sadhu is an expert in Kashmiri Pandit cuisine and has mastered the traditional recipes inherited from her family. The Kashmiri Food Festival, hosted by Nalini at Raffles Hotel, Singapore in the early 2000’s is still remembered by those in attendance. Surender Sadhu’s vision and passion for Kashmiri culture and cuisine has helped build Matamaal, a piece of Kashmir in Gurgaon which features a traditional sit-down dinner as well as an in-house Shikara. The experience includes Wazwan, Kashmiri breads, artifacts and spices that make you feel closer to Kashmir. Their efforts have been focused on bringing the Kashmiri Pandit culture and traditions to the world’s notice and has helped Matamaal scale new heights.

“There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts” ― Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Indeed an ‘opportunity’ successfully converted into a ‘gift’ through sheer perseverance, passion and hard work of Nalini and family.

Learn more about Nalini here:

Originally published on December 12, 2019 at https://www.facebook.com/notes/363808698295189/

Exiled Inspiration VII: Nalini Moti

Matamaal has won several awards:

Written by egzīld

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