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.
