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At 50, still yummy

Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar craves for Venkateshwara Sweet Meat Stall's fried avarekalu. And Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi is a big fan of their Mysore pak.

SRI VENKATESHWARA Sweet Meat Stall on Balepet Main Road is driven by one passion — to make the best Mysore pak. The store also makes delectable phenis, chirotis, badushahs, ladoos, sohan papdi, avarekalu, and avalakki, but the texture, colour, and of course, the taste of the Mysore pak is unlike any other. The credit for this goes to 92-year-old Venkatachala Shetty, who started the shop in 1954, on Rangaswamy Temple Street. In 1972 he moved lock, stock, barrel, reputation, and trade secret to its present venue.

The success formula of this Mysore pak goes back 76 years when Mr. Shetty, at the age of 16, used to sell sweets and spicy mixtures at temple festivals and jatres in and around Chikballapur. It was around this time that a friend taught him the secret of making tasty Mysore pak, while another advised that he should move to Bangalore to improve his business prospects. He followed the advice and it proved to be an instant success. Mr. Shetty and his Mysore pak have grown in popularity ever since.

The Mysore pak remains a favourite for the regulars. Oil, ghee, and flour are mixed in the right measure and is prepared on low heat for a particular duration. If there is a change from then to now, it is gas instead of firewood. Mr. Shetty used to personally shop for the ingredients, check the quality, and take care of the preparation, while manning the counter too.

Mr. Shetty's son, Nagaraj, who is now carrying on the tradition, says his mother, Lakshmidevamma, played a big part in the shop's success, as she used to grind the ingredients herself those days, when electric mixies and grinders were unheard of.

Today, Mr. Nagaraj carries on the business much the same way his father did. He shops for the ingredients himself, sourcing most of it from Tharagupet and getting the butter from villages around Bangalore. Though he has been fully initiated into the trade by his father, Mr. Shetty still continued to make his customary visits to the shop till about two months ago, inquiring about the business. The man, who is inseparable from the institution, was also honoured by politicians — Somanna, Raghupathy, and Ramesh Kumar — at Chiklalbagh for producing quality Mysore pak over the years.

The Mysore pak's fame has reached far and wide, and has even gone through the customs to reach the countries around the world through old Bangaloreans settled abroad, who have been brought up on the goodies of Venkateshwara Sweet Stall and wish to take with them during their visits to India.

Mr. Nagaraj has ensured the same standards in the quality of this delicacy and has personally trained 12 cooks. The store also has customers who come in from places such as Kengeri, J.P. Nagar, and R.T. Nagar, who have their own favourites at the shop. Most of them have been initiated to the shop by their parents and grandparents. Some opt for the spicy, crisp pakodas, made from cashew and coriander, sold here between 12.30 p.m. and 5 p.m.. Others make the most of the avarekai season, which lasts for about seven months of the year. You can also treat yourself to dumrot, a halwa made of pumpkin, along with the usual chirotis, phenis, and badushahs. With people coming from far off, some of them reach the shop just before closing time, but Mr. Nagaraj stays open long enough not to "disappoint latecomers".

Shoppers at Balepet consider their outing incomplete without a visit to the shop. Apparently, about 20 to 30 kg. of Mysore pak is sold everyday. This goes up during festival season and when marriage orders are received.

The shop's fame has also lured a few celebrity fans. Telugu film star Chiranjeevi is said to relish the Mysore pak while Kannada matinee idol Raj Kumar is said to have a weakness for their fried avarekalu. Its fame has also brought a few hassles to Mr. Nagaraj as a few shops claiming to be branches of the original have sprouted elsewhere in the City, prompting him to prominently display a board clarifying that he has no branches anywhere in the City. Surely, Sri Venkateshwara Sweet Meat Stall is one of its kind. The shop can be contacted on 2875335.

M.V. CHANDRASHEKAR

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