Around Town: How a Konkani pujari gave Mumbai Prakash and its iconic sabudana vadas, loved by Raj Thackeray and Sachin Tendulkar
In Mumbai, Shivram did a string of odd jobs, including selling milk door to door, before setting up a small kerbside eatery in Girgaon.
4 min read
Ashutosh Joglekar, 50, is the third generation custodian of Prakash (Express photo by Akash Patil)In the Konkan village of Hedavi, the Dashabhuj Lakshmi Ganesh Mandir has stood since the days of the Peshwas, watched over by the Joglekar family for generations. In the early 1900s, when hardship struck, a young Shivram Govind Joglekar made a difficult choice — to leave for then-Bombay in search of work. Before leaving, he sought the deity’s blessing, promising to return one day and restore the temple if fortune favoured him.
In Mumbai, Shivram did a string of odd jobs, including selling milk door to door, before setting up a small kerbside eatery in Girgaon. “Impressed by his grit, the owner of the building, Dr Bhale Rao, allowed my grandfather to construct a shop in front of the premises, and that’s how Prakash Dugdh Mandir started in 1946,” recalled Ashutosh Joglekar, 50, the third generation custodian running the eatery. The 15-seater — named after Shivram’s eldest son who died when he was only two years old — served simple fare like piyush, sabudana vada, misal, poha, and khichdi, all without onion or garlic.
Their crispy, fist-sized round sabudana vada, served with peanut and curd chutney, became a signature, drawing fans like Raj Thackeray and Sachin Tendulkar. (Express photo by Akash Patil)
The business flourished, and true to his word, Shivram returned to Hedavi in 1956 to renovate the dilapidated temple. “It had no light, it was in ruins. He restored it completely,” Ashutosh shared.
While Girgaon did well, it was the 1971 opening of their Dadar outpost that truly cemented Prakash’s place in Mumbai’s culinary map. Parked on Gokhale Road near Sena Bhavan and Shivaji Park, Prakash Shakahari Upahar Kendra became a haunt for politicians and cricketers alike. Their crispy, fist-sized round sabudana vada, served with peanut and curd chutney, became a signature, drawing fans like Raj Thackeray and Sachin Tendulkar.
“My grandfather was told a restaurant there wouldn’t work,” laughed Ashutosh, “but the secret behind everything was him. He was a natural in the kitchen. He created all the recipes from scratch, and we still follow them to the T.”
By 1973, Shivram had created enough stability to return to his village permanently, to fulfil his duty as pujari to the temple. The reins of Prakash passed on to the family, who continue to run both outlets — Girgaon, which started as a modest 250 sqft eatery, is now spread across 1,000 sq ft, and has added a few new items including Jain sabudana vada.
Parked on Gokhale Road near Sena Bhavan and Shivaji Park, Prakash Shakahari Upahar Kendra became a haunt for politicians and cricketers alike.
Across both outlets, the kitchens fire up at 5.30 am, shutters open by 7.30, and stay busy till 10.30 pm. Of the 30 dishes on the menu, sabudana vada and piyush remain the undisputed stars, with over 700 vadas and 300 glasses sold daily.
Asked how they maintain such consistency, Ashutosh credited their staff. “All our staff are from our Konkan village. Some have been with us for 35–40 years. They know the operations inside out, even when we’re not around. The system was set by my grandfather; we just have to take care of them, and in turn, they take care of the business.”
For the Joglekars, Prakash is more than an eatery. It’s the living legacy of a promise made to a deity, kept across generations.
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