Chef Vikas Khanna honors his late sister Radhika by creating something ‘sacred out of sorrow’

Mumbai: Celebrity chef Vikas Khanna honoured his late sister Radhika by creating something sacred out of sorrow — a heartfelt tribute that now lives on through his restaurant Bungalow.

Taking to Instagram, Vikas opened up about the tragic loss of his beloved sister Radhika, who passed away in 2022 after battling lupus for many years. In an emotional note, he shared that he was preparing to donate his kidney to Radhika — whom he describes as more than a sister, almost a twin. But a fateful medical opinion shattered their hopes. A doctor advised against the transplant, warning it could cost Vikas his life. Instead, morphine and surrender were suggested. That cold, clinical conversation, Vikas recalls, was the moment something inside Radhika gave up.

The chef revealed that that conversation broke Radhika’s spirit — and watching her lose her spark broke him. Since then, Vikas has carried the weight of that loss with him. Unsure of where to place the pain, he channeled it into Bungalow — not just a restaurant, but a shrine, a sanctuary, a home for her memory in the bustling chaos of New York City. Through Bungalow, Vikas welcomes families for festivals, reunions, graduations, engagements, and quiet days of reflection — transforming each moment into a celebration of life and legacy.

Vikas Khanna posted a series of candid photos with his late sister Radhika and penned a heartfelt note that read, “Love and grief are often born from the same place. In 2022, I was preparing to donate my kidney to my younger sister — who was more like my twin. But a doctor at Columbia (whose name I’ll keep discreet) told her that the transplant might kill me, and instead suggested she take morphine… and let go. That moment shattered everything in both of us. The way they treated her — so coldly, so clinically — crushed her spirit. She was the strongest person I’ve ever known. But after that conversation, something inside her gave up. And watching her, once so full of life, turn so quiet — broke me in a way I can’t explain.”

“I’ve carried that pain with me every day since. I didn’t know where to put it — so I poured it into Bungalow. I built this space to honor her. To create something sacred out of sorrow. To turn absence into presence. To give her a home in this world. But sometimes, I still wonder: In this relentless city, how do people heal the parts of themselves that no one sees? How do they keep going when the world shows such little mercy?.”

Khanna concluded his post writing, “I’m still searching for that answer. And until then — I’ll be here, at her shrine. Welcoming others. Giving families the moment I once had with her. Making every gathering — festivals, birthdays, graduations, reunions, parents visits, first jobs, promotions, engagements, baby surprises, or quiet days of healing — a celebration of love, of life, of memory. Because I learnt that even in pain, there can be beauty. And even in every loss, there can be legacy.”