It’s uncommon to come across a Gujarati who isn’t a foodie. Alina Maniar, on the other hand, is notable for popularising Gujarati cuisine in Karachi, where she lives. Alina (25) is from a wealthy Karachi family that remained in Pakistan after Partition. She took a Digital Marketing course, but it was not what she wanted to do with her life. As a result, she turned to social media to use her writing skills and passion for communication.
Alina is now a well-known food blogger who is well-liked by Pakistan’s affluent youth, with over 30,000 followers all over the world.
“We ended up on this side of the border due to Partition,” Alina tells Mirror. Our surname, ‘Maniar,’ denotes Gujarati heritage. My family claims that anyone with the surname ‘Maniar’ in either country is related to us.
In Pakistan, there are approximately 3.5 million Gujarati speakers. I have a lot of Gujarati friends, and our family speaks Gujarati at home, but Urdu gets mixed up in our conversation. My grandparents could read and write Gujarati, and I hope to learn it myself one day. At home, we prepare Gujarati cuisine. I prefer Gujarati cuisine to Pakistani cuisine, and my favourite dish is dhokla.”
“Food connects people,” she says of food blogging. Every dish has a backstory. Assume you’re reading a book while eating fafda with chutney. You’ll remember reading that book while eating fafda the next time you open it. Food creates memories, and I want people to have this opportunity. Unfortunately, Gujarati cuisine is not available in Karachi. Posting about homemade food, on the other hand, isn’t a bad idea. My goal is to show the world Pakistan in a way that people don’t see it in the media.”
Alina’s hobby of food blogging earns her money, but she gets a high from the love she receives from her audience. Despite the fact that she has never visited Gujarat, she has heard fond stories about family members’ visits to Ahmedabad and Dhandhuka.
She anticipates doing so soon and treats herself to mango shrikhand, bhakharvadi, and fafda from street vendors.
The mohanthal and ghevar sent by Ahmedabad relatives have left the entire family craving for more. During their visits here, Alina says they have always found Indians to be very friendly.