Once a chef...

Sunny Cooper is the Head Chef at Hotel Centaur, Calcutta. He excels in
oriental dishes. People swear by the Tandoori Chicken he makes. But
Cooper has another, very special identity. He is india's most famous TV
chef. His show "The world of Cooking" has been running on television
for fifteen years now. Every Sunday, at twelve noon, men and women all
over India tune in to this show. Cooper talks very attractively. He
seems to be your next door neighbour till he starts cooking. Indeed
Cooper makes cooking look very easy. It is his Unique Selling Point-his
USP. No matter how intricate the recipe is, Cooper always breaks it
down into easy steps. In the end it all seems very simple. When Cooper
started his show there were no other shows like it. People had laughed
at him. A man with a moustache trying to teach ladies to cook. But
Cooper became successful. And behind this success is his innate
simplicity as a man and his ability to be friendly and nice nearly all
the time. Never once does Cooper get angry with the guests on his show.
These guests are usually film and television actors. They generally do
nothing but stand and watch. Sometimes one of them will help and make a
mess of the whole thing. But Cooper never gets upset. He is always able
to do something to salvage his tremendous prestige. People find it
difficult to believe that Cooper has a demanding job outside
television. But then he is no ordinary person. For the past few months
there have been kidnappings in Calcutta. Rich and famous people have
been picked up by the thugs and demands for ransom made. People outside
the family of the nabbed person and the police have no idea about the
ransom amount. But it is believed to be substantial. When the kidnapped
person comes back it is always denied that any money has changed hands.
But there are reports in the inside pages of dailies where small print
is used to discuss the millions paid as ransom. Sunny Cooper is very
busy today. He is going to be in a studio from five am to nine am to
shoot an episode of his show. Thereafter he will be busy preparing for
a corporate party all day long. He has to attend a felicitation in the
evening. He likes to drive his own car and his favourite model is
'Accord'. When he left home today morning his wife asked him to wait
for the driver. Cooper did not listen to her. As he now drove the
Accord through the desolate Brace Bridge area he did feel a little
nervous. It was four am and still a little dark. He could see no other
car anywhere. Suddenly a jeep appeared from nowhere. Cooper was forced
to stop. As he waited, five strong-looking men got down from the jeep.
He was asked to alight. At first he ignored their words but then they
took out guns. As he stepped out someone put a handkerchief to his
nose. Everything became dark before his eyes thereafter. When Sunny
Cooper gained consciousness again he found himself alone in a
damp-looking room. He found that his hands and feet were tied-up. His
mouth, though, was not gagged. As he looked around, he heard a woman's
voice, "You can't do it, it's him!" Cooper did not remember any woman
among his kidnappers. A gruff-sounding man said, "A catch is a catch. I
don't care whether he makes great Tandoori Chicken." "But you must,"
the woman said, "all of you are so fond of Tandoori Chicken. All you
have to do is ask. And he will make you the finest Tandoori Chicken in
the world." A smile appeared on Cooper's lips. So that is what it was.
The gruff man said, "Okay, let's take a vote." A vote was possibly
taken. After a while a tall, thin lady appeared before Cooper. "Hello,"
she said, "I am Ina. I have persuaded my brothers to let you go. But
before that you must do something for me." Cooper tried to sound
foolish, "What do I have to do?" "Well, you must make some Tandoori
Chicken for us." Cooper decided to tease a bit, "But I am a
professional chef. If I cook I must be paid for it." Ina went red in
the face and looked ready to burst with anger. She said rather loudly,
"Maybe I should speak to my brothers again." Cooper realized he had
gone a little too far. He told Ina that he was ready to make the food.
His hands and feet were freed. Legs of chicken were taken out from the
cold store, yoghurt and special Tandoori spices were brought from the
local superstore. In a few hours the Tandoori Chicken was ready to be
eaten. Everyone ate the Tandoori with great relish. Cooper's eyes were
covered and he was put into the back of a car. He was set free at the
exact spot from where he had been kidnapped.