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The gastronomical offerings of south India are too varied to be recounted in a few sentences. The landscape south of the Vidhyas is redolent with the smell of filter coffee,spice-rich sambar,and innumerable other dishes. When South Indies restaurant started four years ago in Bengaluru,it set out to introduce that rare idea – of south Indian fine dine. “We wanted to transform south Indian cuisine beyond idli-dosa and make it a four-course experience,” says Vijay Abhimanyu,the 24-year-old MD of Billionsmiles Hospitality Pvt Ltd,which started the venture. South Indies decided to emphasise this outlook further through a coffee table book called 4 Flavours . The tome is a colourful reflection on the four south Indian states. Through over 100 photographs,the book tries to present the different aspects of Kerala,Tamil Nadu,Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to the readers. “We wanted to showcase south India in all its glory,present all the exciting moments from there,” says Abhimanyu. With the recent launch of South Indies in Pune,4 Flavours has now traveled west,and will be exclusively available at the restaurant.

Billionsmiles commissioned five photographers to scour the places and extract quaint as well as unusual moments. The resultant photographs trace multiple strands of south Indian society – from architecture and contemporary culture,to even religion. Though the pictures form the narrative itself,they are accompanied by four lines of descriptive poetry written in the form of recipes. “We wanted the book to serve as a twist to the business,so we included descriptions that read like a recipe,” explains Abhimanyu,who spent many hours shortlisting pictures for the book.

The book may have been a novel business idea,but has found much appreciation among expat patrons of the eatery,primarily because it breaks through clichés and presents some not-often-seen sides of the places. Also adding to the popularity of the book is the cause attached to it. All proceeds from the sales of the book reach Teach Tree Foundation,which works to educate children from underprivileged backgrounds.