Yamuna Devi (also Yamunā Devī Dāsī; 19 May 1942 – 20 December 2011), born Joan Agnes Campanella in Butte, Montana was an American cookbook author, best known for her 1987 James Beard Foundation Award winning cookbook, Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking. She was also a senior member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).[1][2]
Yamuna Devi | |
---|---|
Born | Joan Agnes Campanella May 19, 1942 |
Died | December 20, 2011 | (aged 69)
Occupation |
|
Notable work | Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking (1987) |
Devi was part of the early 1960s Beat Generation in North Beach, San Francisco[3] before meeting A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in New York City in 1966; becoming an initiated disciple in 1967.[4][5] In 1968, together with five other Hare Krishna followers, Yamuna flew to London to establish ISKCON in the United Kingdom.[6] There, she helped introduce Beatles guitarist George Harrison to Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy and practice.[7] Yamuna sang co-lead vocals on the 1969 Apple Records "Hare Krishna Mantra" single,[8] which reached number 12 in the UK Chart.[9] She also sang lead vocals on the 1970 Apple Records "Govinda" single, which reached number 23 in the UK Chart.[9] Both appeared on The Radha Krsna Temple album.
From 1970 to 1974 she lived and travelled in India with Srila Prabhupada as part of the World Sankirtan Party.[10]
She has been cited as an inspiration by figures such as Jahnavi Harrison.[11][12][13]
Cookbooks
editFood writer Russ Parsons wrote in Los Angeles Times in 1999 that Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking "is an absolutely fabulous book and certainly not for vegetarians only. The food here is that of traditional Indian vegetarian cuisines--from Gujarat to Bengal, Kashmir to Kerala. It is inventive, exotic and subtle."[14] Publishers Weekly also describes it as an "impressive volume" of "elegant dishes [that] might easily grace the most sophisticated table without a whisper of the pedestrian connotations sometimes associated with vegetarian cooking. A prodigious, 800-page labor of love illustrated with lovely, delicate line drawings."[15]
- Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking. Dutton, 1987. ISBN 978-0525245643.
- The Best of Lord Krishna's Cuisine: Favorite Recipes from the Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking. Penguin, 1991. ISBN 0-452-26683-1.(abridged version of Lord Krishna's Cuisine)
- Yamuna's Table: Healthful Vegetarian Cuisine Inspired by the Flavors of India. Dutton-Penguin Putnam, 1992. ISBN 978-0525934875.
Awards
editYear | Awards and Honors | Book |
---|---|---|
1993 | James Beard Foundation Award: International | Yamuna's Table: Healthy Vegetarian Cuisine Inspired by the Flavors of India (1992)[16] |
1988 | James Beard Foundation Award: Cookbook of the Year | Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking (1987)[16] |
1988 | James Beard Foundation Award: Asian | Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking (1987)[16] |
References
edit- ^ Bryant, Edwin and Maria Ekstrand (2004). The Hare Krishna movement : the postcharismatic fate of a religious transplant. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. p. 301. ISBN 9780231122566.
- ^ Rochford, E. Burke (2007). Hare Krishna Transformed. New York, NY: New York University Press. p. 128. ISBN 9780814775783.
- ^ Devi, Dinatarini (2014). Yamuna Devi : a life of unalloyed devotion. Alachua, Florida: Unalloyed. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-9914350-0-5.
- ^ Devi, Dinatarini (2014). Yamuna Devi : a life of unalloyed devotion. Alachua, Florida: Unalloyed. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-9914350-0-5.
- ^ "Disciples of Srila Prabhupada". Krishna.com. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Oakes, Philip (February 1, 1969). "Chanting Does Wonders For New Missionary Group". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta: 25. ISSN 0828-1815. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Greene, Joshua (2006). Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison. London: Bantam. p. 152. ISBN 9780553817966. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Greene, Joshua (2006). Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison. London: Bantam. p. 175. ISBN 9780553817966. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ a b "UK Official Charts – Radha Krishna Temple". UK Official Charts. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Berne, Suzanne (November 1993). "Last Morsel: East Meets West". Vegetarian Times (195). Active Interest Media, Inc.: 120. ISSN 0164-8497. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ "Jahnavi Harrison's First Album Takes Us On an Introspective Journey". ISKCON News. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ "On being a voice in the global kirtan choir: Jahnavi Harrison". Hindu American. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ "Episode #13 – Jahnavi Harrison, part 2". The Late Morning Program. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
- ^ Parsons, Russ (June 9, 1999). "Cookbook Watch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ "Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c "James Beard Awards: Yamuna Devi". James Beard Foundation Award. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
External links
edit- Yamuna Devi Passes Away
- Devotees Say Their Goodbyes to Yamuna Devi at Alachua Memorial
- From a forgotten Indian cookbook, a deeply flavored chickpea curry- Washington Post, May 5, 2024.