Darshini's
of Bangalore
All
over the City
It's
like the Starbucks or the McDonalds of America or the Tim Hortons
of Canada. The Darshinis of Bangalore have come to stay. The fast
food outlets dishing out hot crunchy Masala Dose, soft idlis,
crispy Vade and hot piping coffee are all over Bangalore now.
Bangalore literally has thousands of Darshinis under several individual
managements serving south Indian vegetarian food. They usually
are identified with small round steel tables and diners standing
around them eating Dosas, idlis, vada's, curd rice, Vegetable
Pulao, rice with sambar, lemon rice, Bisibele bath, Uppittu, kesaribaath
and coffee.
The
low-cost and "on the go" breakfast and lunch are a big
hit among all class of people and it is hard to find any good
quality Darshini that is not overcrowded by the day.
It
is well known that the Darshini culture was introduced by one
Mr. Prabhakar in 1983. Inspired by the fast food chains abroad,
he started the first darshini called 'Cafe Darshini' in Jayanagar.
The success of Café Darshini saw the proliferation of several
darshinis and the many existing coffee bars renaming themselves
into some Darshini. Wikepedia calls Mr. R.Prabhakar as Darshini
Brahma , since he started the concept of Darshini and made the
cost of food afordable to the General public. It is learnt that
there are over 5000 Darshini's in the city itself. There are several
Darshinis which have maintained a good quality of food using fresh
and quality ingredients. Some of the well known Darshinis are
Upahara Darshini in Netkalappa Circle Basavanagudi, Ganesh Darshini
in Jayanagar, Palahara Darshini.
While
most of the Darshinis serve only south Indian vegetarian food,
some metamorphosed Chinese food to suit the Indian palate by introducing
everything from the original gobi to the latest mixed-vegetable
Manchurian, and even they have thrived. One wonders whether it
is the name "Darshini" that brings success or the food
they serve. Even the entry of multinationals like McDonalds, KFC
or Pizza Hut has not been able to shake the popularity of the
Darshinis.
The
secret for the success of the Darshinis is the quick tasty bite
one gets which is also easy on their wallet. Darshinis also have
become popular hangout joints for office goers, college students
or for that matter to anyone for a quick bite and a hot cup of
Coffee and gossip.
Some
of the these fast food joints adhere to strict guidelines from
the BMP like the staff wearing head gear and aprons and the hotel
cooks wearing caps. Darshinis have also been instructed to install
ultraviolet water filters with Bureau of Indian Standards seals,
to supply drinking water for their customers. Their Kitchens are
to be cleaned with lime wash and colour wash every three months
and the process is to be recorded in the inspection book. The
guidelines also stipulate that garbage should be stored in a covered
dustbin while the vegetables, grains and other provisions as well
as the prepared food, should be separately stored. The note adds
that tables and chairs in these eateries and hotels should be
kept scrupulously clean. Thus one can eat in peace at these darshinis
without the fear of unhygienic food or unclean premises.
The
next time you visit Bangalore, give your epicurean taste buds
a treat at one of the popular Darshini's and you would never be
eating the south Indian vegetarian dishes anywhere else.
Long
live the Darshini Culture that has vowed to feed the average man
with tasty food without pinching his pocket much. And the credit
goes to Bangalore as no other city in India has popularized this
model.
