CHENNAI: The world today thrives on change — at a constant, breakneck pace; leaving us with the never-ending responsibility of playing catch-up. Caught in this vicious cycle, the wisdom to stay put doesn’t come easily. Lucky for us, Jitendra Kumar J the third-generation custodian of the legacy borne by Ajanabi Sweets held out.
The sweet and chaat shop that has been an iconic marker of one of the city’s oldest malls (Fountain Plaza, Egmore) since 1973 has remained true to its origin story, retaining the best of what’s made them reap success. Now, 48 years, three branches, and a pandemic later, they find that it has been these constants that have carried them through.
“From my grandmother’s time till now, the food and our standards have remained the same. The chutneys are still being made at home by the women; they are the backbone of our unit,” points out Jitendra, harking back to the times when the brand was a home-run unit spearheaded by his father Jayanti Lal and amply supported by his grandmother.
From doling out jalebis, ghatiya and dhokla from the small set-up in Sowcarpet, to a runaway success, it was a bout of adversity that led the family to expand to its current quarters. “We (he and his brothers) were kids; so, I’ve heard from my grandma. Then, we had some issues with the supply of raw materials from Gujarat. We had to shut shop for nearly two months.
That’s when my grandma decided to make bhel puri and it turned out to be a hit. That’s where we started our journey. Then, my mother took over, now my wife and brothers’ wives have joined in,” he narrates, pointing out that it remains to be a family business in the true sense of the term.
The origin story
As much as Ajanabi’s origin has had a fair bit of chance and circumstance, Jitendra joining the ranks too was not without these elements. “Initially, I was not much into the business. Then, I never used to go to school regularly; so, my father tied me up with him. I was still a kid and so, I just observed him seeing what he does, how he does it. I saw him struggling and thought about why I wasn’t helping him. So, I joined him at work and that way, I learned how to cook and run the business.
He has a policy If you know to prepare something, then touch the cash counter. That’s how we learnt everything,” he recounts. The policy still holds true under his supervision too. His son, Deepkumar J, went through the learning curve before officially joining his father at the helm. It does help that Deep was very interested in cooking, to begin with.
For Deep too, it was the pandemic that led him down the family business path. While he had been poised on the verge of higher studies abroad, it made better sense to stay put and contribute to the business in the wake of this global threat. And the decision came in handy, it seems. “For five months, the whole complex was closed.
Then, when we started, we didn’t have our staff. It was just my son, my brother-in-law and I, who were running the shop. As the women continued to make the food at home, for three months, we took care of the shop, doing every job ourselves. After a long time, we had a hands-on experience,” he shares.
Change where it counts
Even as the family has held on to its staples, it has embraced change everywhere it has to. The pandemic, in that way, has been both a boon and a curse, chimes in Deep. “Once everything started opening and we returned without our staff, it was time for us to rethink how to start from scratch. So, we have changed a lot of things around here. Our working pattern especially; from monitoring everything from outside, we are more hands-on now,” he explains. In line with the rest of the world, Ajanabi’s hygiene standards too has witnessed a sharp upgrade.
“People are much more thoughtful of what they are eating and how it’s made. Even if someone is buying food at a store, they are extra careful. We’ve taken that into consideration and seen to it that everything is made in a controlled environment; we’ve shifted out packaging to closed covers and are looking into better options,” he reveals. Even before the pandemic, seeing the way the world has learnt to prioritise health, the business too has kept up.
“We’ve added many new items to the menu, to cater to the new generation. We have diet-related food, with all the items made in a health-conscious way. So, people find it convenient too,” says Jitendra. It is such adaptations that have helped Ajanabi survive for nearly five decades in an industry that has innovation and newness running the show. “Those times, there were no malls.
So, people used to come here to hang out. Now, there are many malls, air-conditioned at that. The crowd (that used to come here) has been completely diverted. Yet, people choose to come here. Almost every day, two-three customers come with their grandchildren, telling them ‘We used to hang around here’. It reminds us of old times. But, the youngsters enjoy the food too,” he shares.
Making way for the future
It was in this very matter-offact way that the business managed to grow over the years. This enabled the small store at Fountain Plaza to expand into 1,200 sqft space in 2012. Establishing their factory (right beneath their house) in Purasaiwakkam happened along the way. The decision to set up branches in Purasaiwakkam, Ayanavaram and RA Puram also came naturally.
It’s the same spirit that saw through the pandemic-induced lockdown and after; it will be this that will have them facing any challenge that may come in future, it seems. “The way people think nowadays has become slightly different. People are more daring than they were pre-pandemic. They are like ‘Today, we are here; we don’t know if we will be around tomorrow.
So, we must enjoy everything.’ So, it’s well and good,” surmises Deep, revealing their come-what-may attitude in keeping their good work going. While their journey of building a brand out of nothingness has been fraught with challenges, taking it forward doesn’t come easy either, it seems. Deep, a representative of the fourth generation at the mantle, has the weight of the legacy on his shoulders. But, he seems up to the task. “I would definitely like to keep up the legacy.
Foodwise, I don’t want to change anything in the recipes. Maybe, I will innovate something more and bring it into the fold. I’m just figuring it out. I’ve learnt a lot in the three months where we worked without any staff — through the quality checks, interactions with customers and such. But, I’m seeing where I can improve things. I can learn a lot from my competitors as well,” he shares, not without some excitement. Here’s to that remaining a constant too.
There’s wisdom in knowing what not to change, finds Jitendra Kumar and family with the iconic Ajanabi Sweets that introduced the city to north Indian chaat and retained its flavourful trust for nearly five decades