आपणीयान्नेषु विचारः
विश्वासो वासुकिजः (Vishvas Vasuki)
उत्सर्गः
🦅🦍…🐒🐍अन्नविक्रयस् तु ब्राह्मणेषु निषिद्धः।
“नापणीयम् अन्नम् अश्नीयाद्” इत्य् आपस्तम्बः।
अपवादः, संस्कारः
🦅🦍…🐒🐍परोक्षम् अधिश्रितस्यान्नस्यावद्योत्याभ्युक्षणम् ॥
तथापणेयानां च भक्षाणाम् ॥
इति च बोधायनः।
यस्याग्नौ न क्रियते यस्य चाग्रं न दीयते न तद्भोक्तव्यम् १३
इति तु स्व-पाक-विषयो भाति।
अथवा तद् आपणिकेन कार्यम्।
तेन न कृतं चेत् तर्पणेनार्पयितुं शक्यम्?
एवं मनसाऽभिनयेन च भगवन्निवेदनम् अपि।
बोधायन-सूत्र-टीकाकृद् गोविन्दः -
मण्डकापूप-सक्तु-मोदकादयस् सूचिता इति वदति।
तथाच शङ्खः -
‘आकर-जानाम् अभ्युक्षितानां
घृतेनाभिघारितानाम् अभ्यवहरणीयानां पुनः-पचनमेव समानम्’इत्यादिना ॥ ६१ ॥
एष्व् अपवादेष्व्
अभोज्य-वर्जितानाम् आधुनिकानां यन्त्रनिर्मितान्नानाम् अप्य्
सङ्ग्रहणम् उचितम्।
विक्रेता, भाण्डलेपः
🦅🦍…🐒🐍शूद्रदत्तं न भक्षयेत् । …
अपूपाः सक्तवो धानास्
तक्रं दधि घृतं मधु ।
एतत् पणेषु भोक्तव्यं
भाण्डलेपो न चेद् भवेत् ॥
इति।
एवं वैश्यादि-विक्रीतम् अपूपादि गृहीतुं शक्यम्।
सच्छूद्रा वैश्यतुल्या इति मन्तुम् अलम् इति विश्वासः।
भृत्य-नियुक्तिः
🦅🦍…🐒🐍भोजन-शालासु, यत्र भृत्या नियुज्तन्ते “अस्मभ्यम् इदम् इदम् पचित्वा देही"ति
तत्र भृत्यनियुक्तिः स्यात्,
न तावद् अन्न-विक्रय-दोषः,
न चापणीयान्नाशनम्।
किञ्च पूर्वसिद्धान्न-क्रय-विक्रये न स्याताम्।
लक्ष्यम्
🦅🦍…🐒🐍एवं वेङ्कण्णार्यस्य भोजनशाला बॆङ्गळूरु-नगरे 1905-वर्ष-परिसरे ऽवर्तत,
यत्र भोक्तारः पूर्वेद्युर् एव धनं समर्पयन्ति स्म,
परेद्युश् च वर्णाचारानुसारं भिन्न-स्थानेषूपविश्याश्नन्ति स्म।
विक्रीत-प्रसादः
🦅🦍…🐒🐍देवायतनेषु तर्हि ब्राह्मणा अप्य् अन्यापणान्य् अपि च यद् विक्रीणन्ति प्रसाद इति, तत्र विचिकित्सा जायते।
द्राविड-देशः
🦅🦍…🐒🐍None of the prasadam sold in prasadam stalls of govt run TN temples r naivedya prasadams. No point in buying them.
इति रविलोचनः।
प्रायेण सर्वत्र +आलयेषु +आपणे भगवद्-अ-निवेदितम् अन्नमेव प्रसाद इति दीयते।
इति शठकोपतातार्यः
[PHOTOESSAY] A Brief History of the Restaurant Industry in Bangalore
The iconic D.V. Gundappa narrates the first hand history of the origins of the hotel business in Bangalore
READ IN APP Editor’s Note
This is an English translation of Sri D.V. Gundappa’s Kannada essay titled "Bengalurinalli Hotel Udyamada Arambha,"which appears in his Jnapaka Chitrashale volumes.
Penned more than sixty years ago, it is a prized piece of writing that has immense historical and cultural value. It is another illustration of DVG’s prowess as a journalist, a keen social observer and a profound cultural chronicler.
Happy reading!
Avani Narasinga Rao: The Pioneering Hotelier
THE FIRST PERSON to establish a hotel in Bangalore was a Brahmana hailing from Mulabagal. His name was Avani Narasinga Rao. Avani is a village about five or six miles from Mulabagal. Avani is also known as Avanti Kshetra. Some people call it as Valmiki Ashrama. Locals say that Sita Devi gave birth to Lava and Kusha in that village. They point to a pond amid its hilly rocks and say that this was where Sita Devi washed the soiled clothes of her children. There is a Sita Devi temple atop the hill. Some people refer to it as Sitamahalakshmi while others call it Sitagowri.
The cluster of five Shiva Linga temples – Ramalingeshwara, Lakshmanalingeshwara, Bharateshwara, Shatrughneshwara and Anjaneshwara – at the base of the Avani hill are beautiful. They are enchanting and elaborate constructions. The lush grass bed inside the temple precincts is truly picturesque. Daily Pujas take place in the traditional method in all these five temples and in the Sita Devi temple atop the hill. This place is ideal for those who wish to engage in Tapas and Yoga.
Perhaps a Matha was established there after taking all these into consideration. I think that this Matha was founded by Vidyaranya Swami. The name of the Swami of the Matha carries the honorific, “Vidyaranya.”
garalākhyapurē śaṃbhōḥ
suralālita gōpurē |
kalaśaughaṃ pratiṣṭhāpya
vidyāraṇyō mahāmunē ||This is the verse commemorating the consecration of the Kalasha on the dome of the temple in Nanjangud during the regime of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III.
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The Dignity of Sri Narasinga Rao
Sri Narasinga Rao hailed from this place. I have only heard about him; I have not met him in person. Sri Narasinga Rao used to visit Mulabagal twice each year. I was maybe five or six years old in those days. A few prominent people in town would be aware of the news of Sri Narasinga Rao’s visit beforehand. They would discuss among themselves, “Narasinga Rao might come tomorrow…perhaps day after.” Some would refer to him in the singular and others in the plural.
On one occasion when this discussion was going on, I questioned my younger grandfather. He said: “He’s from Avani. He has established a hotel in Bangalore and made tons of money. Now, because he’s a wealthy man, people have started addressing him in the plural.”
Sri Narasinga Rao used to arrive in a Special Jataka [horse-carriage] either from Kolar or Bowringpet. A group of eight or ten people would receive him. After he got down from the carriage, a couple of people would offer him lemon and exchange pleasantries. A couple of others would carry his luggage and place it in his lodgings. I recall witnessing one such welcome.
The Hotel of the Avanis
Avani Narasinga Rao’s hotel was located on the left row of Chickpet after eight or ten houses from the junction where Doddapet and Chickpet met. It was close to the shop of “Rajasevasakta,” the late Pamadi Subbarama Shetty. I have heard older folk referring to it as the “hotel of the Avanis.”
It appears that Avani Narasinga Rao was an epicurean. He had maintained a second family. He was also generous. He was a sponsor of many Pujas in temples whenever he came to our town. He gave generous donations to Brahmanas. I can’t say when he passed away; perhaps during the first plague that struck Bangalore around 1898 – 99.
The second hotel that I saw in Bangalore belonged to Sri Venkanna. He too, was a Brahmana. When we turn towards Arcot Srinivasacharlu Street from Chickpet, there was a house on the left: the fourth or fifth building. It belonged to Government Advocate, S. Narayana Rao. It was built with mortar and it was a massive house by the standards of those days.
For a few years, a famous person named Pashupati Iyer used to carry on the businesses of mill yarn and moneylending from there. Pashupati Iyer originally hailed from Madras. He was a great source of assistance to the politicians of that era. V.V.S. Iyer, Subrahmaniya Bharatiyar, E.L. Iyer and other revolutionary patriots belonged to that group.
Sri Venkanna’s hotel cum home appeared glued to the southern portion of Pashupati Iyer’s house. I am referring to the period of 1905 – 6.
Registration
In those days, I used to live in Chamarajapet. It was common to hear the praise of Sri Venkanna quite frequently in the neighbourhood. If you arrived home late, the invariable question was: “You had been to Venkanna’s hotel, right?” or, “Who knows what you’ve eaten in Venkanna’s hotel? That’s why you’re not hungry!” This was how Venkanna’s name was remembered at all times.
My curiosity inflamed, I once asked a friend to take me there. He said: “I’ll take you there next Sunday.”
Me: “Why the delay?”
He: “You won’t get a place to sit in Venkanna’s hotel if you go whenever you want. You must pay money in advance and register your name.”
This is how it typically worked. Before 4 P.M. on Saturday, you had to pay four or eight annas as advance to register your name. You also had to mention the exact number of people who would be coming the next day.
My First Meeting
In this manner, my friend Sheshagiri made the aforementioned registration and took me there one Sunday. It was about 7:30 in the morning. Venkanna employed no staff. The moment he saw us, Venkanna asked:
“Are you Brahmanas?”
“Yes”
“Did you finish your bath?”
“Yes”
“Why is there no Vibhuti on your forehead? There, it’s there in that box. Apply it.”
I applied the Vibhuti. By then, three people who had arrived before us were seated on the floor, their backs to the wall. The two of us joined them. Venkanna gave each of us a slice of plantain leaf. He emerged from the kitchen with fresh, hot dosas and served two each to the three who had come before us. He then served chutney. Our turn was next.
Decamping
BEFORE THE FOOD arrived to serve our turn, another person entered. My friend poked my elbow and said, “Your elder uncle is arriving.” The moment I heard this, I stood up as if a scorpion had stung me and decamped from there. My friend followed me.
This “elder uncle” was a cousin of my father, akin to an elder brother. His name was Sheenappa. He hailed from Somattanahalli. I hadn’t seen Sri Sheenappa till then but had only heard his name.
Sheenappa had taken bath and finished his Sandhyavandanam before coming here. His forehead was smeared with Vibhuti. His hair, which was still wet after bath was dangling and held together with a knot. A Rumal covered his head. He was dressed in a coat and silk cloth and wore rings on the fingers of both hands. He worked as a clerk in the huge Mandi.
Sri Sheenappa’s financial condition was quite good. He owned a house and some land. He was loud and aggressive by nature and was very orthodox in his outlook. He used to perform the Suryanamaskara every Sunday. I learnt all these details much later.
There was a reason I fled from the hotel the moment he stepped in: it was not proper to be seen in a hotel by elders. This was the social norm of that period. Those who ate in hotels were regarded as uncultured and belonging to a lower rank; it was not good form – this was the public climate of those days. The only people who would go to hotels were those who came from out of town and had no other accommodation; or those like Sri Sheenaappa, who were widowers. Eating hotel meals was not a mark of good conduct. This was the general social consensus of the era. I adhered to it.
AFTER BOTH OF US emerged from Venkanna’s hotel, we didn’t stray too far away from it but hung around in the general vicinity. Fifteen or twenty minutes passed. Then, after we saw our Sheenappa coming out, we went inside once again. Sri Venkanna asked us:
“Why did you scoot like thieves?”
We told the truth.
Sri Venkanna: “Oho! Is that so? Shall I tell Sheenappa?”
We were laughing by now. After that, it was our turn to eat the dosas. It had a fine consistency. Both consistency and taste – aren’t these great qualities in any preparation?
The System
Sri Venkanna’s hotel was divided into three parts using a canopy made of wooden planks:
(1) The first division was in the front portion of the kitchen. It displayed this notice: “for Vaidika Brahmanas only.”
(2) The second compartment displayed a notice that said, “for Laukika [worldly] Brahmanas only.”
(3) The third read, “for non-Brahmins.”
Beyond the third compartment, a huge drum filled with water was placed on a stool. Next to it was a large bucket. On another stool was placed a newspaper containing Shikhakai powder and a scrap of old Dhoti.
The Dosa patrons had to drop their plantain leaves in the bucket. Then they would take a bit of the Shikhakai powder in their hand, open the tap of the water drum, wash their hands, and if they so wished, wiped their hands dry using the scrap of dhoti. Then they returned inside and sat in their assigned places as before.
Coffee would now arrive. There was an unwritten law of Sri Venkanna that said that while drinking it, the edge of the coffee cup should not touch the lips; it had to be lifted up slightly and the liquid should directly enter the mouth.
I’m not exaggerating in the least. Sri Venkanna was an extremely strict and systematic man. If anybody violated the aforementioned rule even slightly, he would be ruthless: “Please take this cup and throw it there and come back.” Therefore, people who went there were those who discerned both taste and hygiene. His was not a “Janata” (mass) hotel.
Menu
Neither did Sri Venkanna aspire to attract the “Janata.” Excluding Sunday, only four or five people would come there for meals. Sri Venkanna strictly prohibited a sixth person.
On Saturday afternoons, people would come for some light snacks. Sri Venkanna would offer them two items of light tiffin: a Rava Ladoo, and Kodubale; or a spicy ball made of Moong Dal and some Ompudi; or Sajjappa [a sweet dish] and spicy Avalakki [flat rice].
These delicacies would be exhausted by five in the evening. I’ve come back empty-handed even when I went there at 5:15 p.m. On Sundays—as I have described earlier—Dosa, Chutney and coffee were the only items on the menu, prepared only for a specific number of people.
Sri Venkanna’s friends would ask him: “Hotels are newly sprouting up in the city. Can’t you change your style of business?” I have myself heard Sri Venkanna’s reply: “This much of earning is enough to fill my stomach sir. Do you want me to lose my tradition and discipline by opting to earn more money? Whatever God has given me is more than sufficient.”
Dosa Competition
After two or three years following the aforementioned period, a competition of sorts arose in the hotel business. A dispute regarding prices arose between a hotel near the Kalamma Temple and another in Chickpet. The first one advertised, “One Dosa and curry for six kaasu.” The other, “One Dosa and curry for five kaasu.” The six-kaasu guy reduced his price to four. In response, the five-kassu guy reduced his price to three. This went on for a couple of months. Then a rumour began to circulate in town: “You say that the Dosa in that fellow’s hotel is very tasty. You know why? Because it contains egg.” After this sort of news began to spread, business at both places nosedived. What followed was a two-month-long public furore.
In later years, the name that rose to prominence in the hotel business in Bangalore was Sri K.T. Appanna’s Hindu Coffee Club.
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Vishvas /विश्वासः
