Generations of Flavours

Its around 5 pm and Prabha Vishranti Gruh in Narayan Peth is brimming with people. Orders are being placed and parcels handed out. As one walks in,the aroma of freshly made aloo vadas and sabudana vadas inspires an appetite. Uday Prabhakar Paranjape,owner of Prabha Vishranti Gruh,is a busy man. As one walks up to him […]

Its around 5 pm and Prabha Vishranti Gruh in Narayan Peth is brimming with people. Orders are being placed and parcels handed out. As one walks in,the aroma of freshly made aloo vadas and sabudana vadas inspires an appetite. Uday Prabhakar Paranjape,owner of Prabha Vishranti Gruh,is a busy man. As one walks up to him and asks him to share his story,Paranjape refuses. He gives another date,a fixed time. At Prabha Vishranti Gruh,evenings are always busy.

The next morning,an upbeat Paranjape greets one at the small eatery and orders a plate of sabudana vada. The olive green walls are minimalistic. One is adorned by a picture of Paranjapes father and a long letter about his grandmother. Benches are spread across the eatery and customers continue to drop in. A placard unceremoniously declares self service. We dont serve chai anymore,otherwise this vada and chai would go really well together, says Paranjape as he hands over a parcel to a regular customer.

Paranjape has been handling the eatery for 30 years now. He has built a strong relationship with people who pour in to enjoy a quick breakfast or grab a snack. Paranjape has seen generations of customers visit Prabha Vishranti Gruh. He says,My grandparents,Mahadev and Sarswati Paranjape,started this place in 1940 with a loan of R 9. They had no means to supplement their income. But my grandmother was a good cook and had an entrepreneurial insight.

Bite into the crispy sabudana vada and one immediately realises why the place is so popular. Also on the menu are aloo vada,pakodas and misal pav. Behind the counter,Paranjapes family is hard at work. The sabudana vada is made by Paranjape himself. Nowadays,people order more parcels. Most of our clientele shifted out of the old city. But they still make a trip here just to enjoy the hot pakodas and vadas, he says. Ask him if he plans to enlarge his business and he says,On an average,we record a walk-in of 1000 people every day. My son Ketan is pursuing hotel management and he hopes to start this business in other parts of the city as well. The place is open from 7.30 am to 12 noon and 4.30 to 8 pm.

The menu put up on the wall has remained constant for the last 70 years. Barring a few deletions like chai and kachori,nothing new has been added. The menu is the same. We are known for sabudana vada and we continue serving that, says Paranjape,adding,Old is Gold.

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories