BASAVANGUDI: D Selvaraj in Gandhi Bazaar has kept hundreds of jaws busy for the last 85 years. A grandma looking to keep her grandchildren in good humour, a housewife entertaining unexpected guests or her husband watching cricket on TV, all turn to his kadlepuri (puffed rice) and other munchables in time of need.
Regulars ensure they have stocked up enough of his wares. The family waiting for a guest who hasn’t turned up yet, a student who has stumbled on a math problem or someone forced indoors by the sudden shower, all take refuge in the tin containing the light, puffy power snack.
“When my father Doreswamy started the outlet in Gandhi Bazaar next to Vidyarthi Bhavan 85 years ago, he used to manufacture the puffed rice at the premises. We later moved to another shop and shifted the manufacturing unit to Mysore Road,” says Selvaraj, who now keeps the shop running with his son Deepak.
The store now sources its puri from a unit in Hoskote. The new shop, on DVG Road close to Gandhi Bazaar Circle, is more spacious and includes a godown upstairs. “With more space, we have added to our stock-in-trade,” adds Deepak, who now also deals with a host of fried savouries like mixtures. We weren’t dealing with fried stuff earlier, but with our spacious shop, we are able to cater to all tastes now,” adds Deepak.
Customers, who still associate Selvaraj with his kadlepuri, now also relish his new offerings. “The nylon puri and cornflakes are our specialty,” says Deepak. The nylon puri is sago rice in varied colours, resembling coloured nylon beads.
The Bangalore puri and Mysore puri are the popular varieties. Deepak scoops it out of the sacks and tosses it once in his iron cauldron before packing it in covers.
The former is more translucent and crisp and lends itself well to preparations like bhel puri, churmuri, jhal muri, girmit and nargis. The Mysore puri has a thicker texture and is mixed with roasted dal, peanuts and seasoning and stored away to be consumed whenever required.
The other celebrated items at the store are the Bengaluru specialties like the hurgaalu, a mixture of spiced gram, peanuts and copra pieces, roasted channa and half-a-dozen varieties of peanuts, like the famous Congress, Chinthamani and salted verities.
Customers also reach out to the slabs of chikkis made of peanuts and jaggery, barfis and balls made of peanut and jaggery and sesame seeds and jaggery.
Selvaraj is closed on Sundays and is open from morning to late evening, with a short break at noon.