VISAKHAPATNAM: From someone who hated eating idly all his childhood to successfully running a Vasena Poli store in Vizag, this post-graduate, after experimenting for more than 100 days has cracked the code for making unique idlys wrapped in vis tharaku (Bauhinia Vahilli leaves), which has become the talk of town. Ch Sudheer, founder of Vasena Poli store, was introduced to nutrient rich millets by tribals and from then he decided to change the regular recipe of the boring idly into a new dish called Vasena Poli.
Started in the year 2018 near Governor’s Bunglow in Visakhapatnam, Sudheer’s Vasena Poli is a synonym for ‘organic’. He completed his post-graduation in agriculture economics from Guntur and started his revolutionary business in Vizag with an objective of bringing 100 per cent organic food to the people of city of destiny. The menu has varieties of idlys and dosas made of a plethora of millets such as ragi (finger millet), jowar (sorghum millet), bajra (pearl millet), korra (foxtail millet), ooda (barnyard millet), aarika (kodo millet), saama (little millet), and variga (proso millet).
The batter is poured into small vistharaku leaf containers and steamed over fire. “Millets are expensive in the regular market. I get them for low price from the tribals of the neighbouring districts during the season and from Rayalaseema during offseason,” he explained.
“Senior politician and former vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu’s tweet in 2021 boosted our business. Few of his friends, including BVN Rao of GMR Groups and other officials, supported me and my team in my business. BVN Rao provided us with a free stay in Delhi during our trip to Ladakh. I also had the privilege of representing Vasena Poli at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in October and cook for more than 150 IAS officers. Many of them have assured me of extending their support in the future,” expressed Sudheer.
The store not only helped Sudheer economically, but also helped in gaining contacts of people of different walks of life. One of his customer, a doctor, helped with medical process for his mother, who was diagnosed with stage four cancer last year.
“My mother is absolutely healthy today and is helping me run my business. In fact, she singlehandedly ran the store for 30 days while I was on a road trip to Ladakh,” he further added.
When asked about his business expansion, he said “I don’t have any plans for extending or starting another stall. I’m happy with what I have today and will continue to serve better with the existing one.”
Within a short period of time, Vasena Poli attracted a huge number of people across the city. As people become more health conscious post-covid pandemic, this millet store has gained more significance. “I felt that it had a humble and guilt-free menu with affordable prices. Focus on the organic, traditional ingredients gives it an edge over fancy dishes that other restaurants have to offer,” affirmed Karteek, a resident of Texas in USA, who was on a trip to Vizag.