Chef Imtiaz Qureshi dies at 93, tributes pour in
New Delhi (PTI): Legendary chef Imtiaz Qureshi, who was known for having revived the old-Lucknowi tradition of dum pukht style of cooking, died of age-related ailments at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital in the early hours of Friday, his son Ishtiyaque Qureshi told PTI. He was 93.
"He had been admitted in the hospital for the last 14 days. There was no one specific health condition. He was diabetic, so there were problems related to that," Ishtiyaque said.
He added that his father spent time with family members last night and also talked to his grandchildren through video call.
"At around 4 am this morning, his condition deteriorated as his oxygen saturation level also dropped. The doctors tried but could not revive him," his son said.
The last rites were performed in the afternoon.
Qureshi is survived by five sons and two daughters.
Born on February 2, 1931 in Lucknow, Qureshi is credited to be the mastermind behind some of the iconic hotels across the country, including the world-renowned brands like Delhi's Dum Pukht and Bukhara at ITC Maurya.
Throughout a career spanning over five decades, Qureshi served several lavish banquets to the the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi in the 1960s.
For his contributions to the culinary arts, the chef was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in 2016, becoming the first in the chef community to receive it.
Tributes poured in on social media for the late chef.
"With great sadness and a heavy heart, I regret to inform you of the heartbreaking news of the passing of Padmashree Chef Mr. Imtiaz Qureshi, who departed from this world earlier this morning. His culinary legacy and contributions will forever be remembered and cherished. May his soul find eternal peace and may his memory continue to inspire us all," chef Kunal Kapur posted on X.
Ranveer Brar remembered his days as a trainee chef at the Taj Palace and going to ITC Maurya next door to have Galouti Kebab at Dum Pukht and called it a "life changing" experience.
"As a Lucknow boy with dreams of becoming a chef, the folklore of Imtiaz Qureshi is something I grew up with. It was around 1998-1999 when I was working as a trainee chef at the Taj Palace in Delhi. I remember once taking the Rs. 612/- I had earned to ITC Maurya next door and having only the Galouti Kebab at Dum Pukht. The fact that I was eating @LegendOfImtiaz Qureshi's food in an ITC hotel was life changing for me," Brar wrote on X.
He added, "Not only had he pulled the dum pukht technique out of Lucknow, he had given it a personality, an unmistakable refinement. RIP chef, your legacy lives on forever."
Food critic Vir Sanghvi also took to X and credited Qureshi for inventing the dum pukht biryani and transforming North Indian restaurant food.
"Rest In Peace Imtiaz Qureshi who, in his years at @ITCHotels, transformed North Indian restaurant food by popularising the haute cuisine of Awadh and who invented the Dum Pukth biryani that is still the model for all North Indian biryani served everywhere in the world," Sanghvi posted.
Singer Adnan Sami paid condolences to Qureshi and termed him "the modern day father of Awadhi cuisine".
"Sad to learn that Padma Shri Master Chef Imtiaz Qureshi has passed away. He was a culinary genius & a man full of zeal for life!! He was also the modern day father of Awadhi Cuisine & his Biryani was legendary amongst everything else he fed the world. My deepest heartfelt condolences to his family. ?????? ?????? ????????? ???????? ???????? May Allah SWT bless him in Jannat-ul-Firdaus...Ameen," Sami said.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
