How it all began

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Sarita’s warmth is incredible. But what is more incredible is her determination. It all began when a brahmachari from Isha Yoga Center casually asked her to come up with a few raw food recipes for people who were preparing for Samyama. (Samyama is an intense 8-day residential program conducted by Sadhguru. Participants go through a period of preparation before attending the program, which includes consuming more raw food in their daily diet) Being a Samyama participant herself, Sarita thought that if she could put this together, it will be useful for many meditators in the coming years who take up this sadhana. That’s when she had an epiphany – why not make a hundred vegan salads! She knew what a mammoth task this would be, juggling with the long hours of sadhana, a 7-year-old daughter, home and an unreliable household help. After the initial euphoria, these practical challenges immediately came up. Undaunted and still in high spirits, she began her journey of conjuring up delicious pranic salads… 

Busting the myth that “all salads are boring

One of the first myths Sarita wanted to bust was that salads meant only cut cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots. She was determined to show people that making salads is not just fun but also easy. Sarita sourced all her ingredients from local fresh produce – consciously and carefully avoiding any fancy or exotic ingredients. Soon she began creating one delectable salad after another and the juggernaut wouldn’t stop till she reached a century! So where did all these amazing recipes come from? What corner of the internet did they previously reside in? When asked, she smiles joyously and confesses that all her recipes were coming to her after morning sadhana and were not prepared from the internet. 

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A hurdle before hitting the century

When Sarita reached a phenomenal number of 75 recipes, she kind of reached a road block where she couldn't come up with any more recipes. The salad pact was to be completed before Mahashivratri and she still had 25 salads more to go. With one week left before Mahashivratri, her mental block still wouldn’t budge and she was about to give up. She quips that one Sunday after her morning sadhana, she felt a sudden surge of determination. A thought crept into her mind – “How the hell can you give up after reaching so close to the 100 salad pact?!” Little did she know that her determination was about to pay off handsomely. That morning till noon, she made a whopping number of 15 salads! 

Getting recognition – friends, family and Hatha Yogis

Many who tasted the salads couldn't believe that this was raw food they were eating. Many “thank you” notes came from Hatha Yoga teachers from all around the world. Her husband and 7-year-old daughter Yana enjoyed this culinary adventure too! In fact, Yana came up with her own salad recipe! 

Top 5 recipes from Sarita’s blog

People have recommended these salads as a must try:

  • Raw Papaya Salad
  • Moong Khakra Salad
  • Veg Soya Salad
  • Corn Cucumber Salad
  • Rajma Cabbage salad

Sarita’s recipes can be found at http://saritasarika.blogspot.com/

She proudly adds that her salads do not take more than 10 minutes of preparation time (excluding soaking and grinding).