This article will address the topic of Yamuna Devi, which has aroused great interest in different areas. Yamuna Devi has captured the attention of researchers, academics, professionals and the general public, due to its relevance today. Throughout this article, different approaches, points of view and aspects related to Yamuna Devi will be explored, with the aim of providing a broad and complete vision of this issue. From its origin to its implications in society, what Yamuna Devi means and its impact in different contexts will be thoroughly examined. In addition, possible future perspectives and trends related to Yamuna Devi will be analyzed, in order to understand its long-term projection.
Yamuna Devi | |
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Born | Joan Agnes Campanella May 19, 1942 |
Died | December 20, 2011 | (aged 69)
Occupation |
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Notable work | Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking (1987) |
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]
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]
Food 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 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]
Year | Awards and Honors | Book |
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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] |