KOZHIKODE: What happens when three young minds specialising in Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Chemical engineering and Computer Science come together? Not a mind-blowing gadget or a humanoid robot, but a simple yet soul-stirring local drink people fondly call ‘Kudukka Sharbat’.
Launched by three NIT-Calicut students, the sharbat shop has become a rage. The shop has a unique name: ‘Biriyani kazhicho? Baa, Sharbat Kudicholee’ (Had your fill of Biriyani? Now, come, relish some sharbat).
Situated near Rahmath Hotel, it attracts around 200 customers daily, keen to taste the drink priced at `20 per glass. Its speciality is the ‘kudukka’ which is kept frozen before the sharbat is poured into it.
“It is the regular ‘naruneendi’ sharbat, but the ratio in which milk and sharbat are mixed, along with the way in which it is served makes the difference,” says Ananthu R Nair, who started the shop with his college mates Joel Chully and Ameer Soahil. Before you jump to the conclusion that the trio took the entrepreneurial route after flunking their courses, you are mistaken. The trio has got job offers from leading firms and are set to take up their assignments within a month. The idea began to take shape while taking their final exams.
“Initially, we thought of starting a cafe, but it needed `10-20 lakh investment. So, we started this venture with a modest investment of `1 lakh, which we borrowed from our friends,” says Ananthu.
On their parents’ reaction, Ananthu said, “Of course, we had to see the frown on our kin’s faces when we floated the idea. However, they came round to the idea. Many of our juniors have been inspired by our business model.”
So what happens to the shop once they take up their assignments? “We have already recruited a staff and will rope in another within a month. Though we’ll be away, we will closely monitor our shop and ensure that it sustains the goodwill it earned in a short span,” says Ananthu.