Nameless hotel offers thali at Rs 10[20CENTS]
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Chandrahasa Devadiga|Pius D Silva|Ganapathy Kamath
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MANGALORE:
Even though essential commodities have become very costly in recent
times, a modest, nameless hotel at Padavinangady seems insulated from
the soaring inflation.
Chandrahasa Devadiga's 30-seater hotel offers a workman's lunch at Rs 10 which includes boiled rice, palya, sambar and pickle. Devadiga, 62, took over this hotel in 1977 and served coffee, tea and snacks. He added lunch to the menu when he found there was a large work force which needed a good, affordable lunch.
Devadiga is from Mijar Yedapadavu, about 25km from the city, and started working at Srinivas Kamath's grocery store. In 1977, when Kamath's brother, Ganapathy Kamath, who was running the hotel, passed away, Srinivas asked him to manage it.
"The lunch cost Re 1 in 1982, and it went up to Rs 2, Rs 5 and in 2012, I priced it at Rs 10,'' says Devadiga. Ask him how he copes with rising prices, he just smiles. Probe a little and he says: "I don't keep accounts. At the end of the day, what I earn is enough to pay the salaries of my seven employees, buy groceries and handle the overheads. Perhaps the low rent helps a lot."
He was married in 1986 and has two children. While his elder daughter Ashwini works at Mescom, his son Akshay is studying civil engineering here. "The hotel will go on till I'm there,'' says Devadiga when asked who'll take over later.
His brother Raghava has been assisting him for the past ten years. Devadiga also does part-time civil contractor work. He takes joy in the simple things of life. "I'm not interested in movies. If I get time, I see them after my family finishes watching all their favourite TV programmes,'' he says. The last movie he saw in a theatre was in 1986 in Prabhat Talkies.
Pius D'Silva, who works at a fabrication unit near Maryhill, says: "I've been having lunch at Chandrahasa's hotel for six years. It's cheap and tastes good. If I have to go home, the bus fare alone is Rs 14. Other hotels nearby charge a minimum of Rs 25 for meals." His colleague Sanjeeva from Puttur too visits the hotel for the same reason.
Chandrahasa Devadiga's 30-seater hotel offers a workman's lunch at Rs 10 which includes boiled rice, palya, sambar and pickle. Devadiga, 62, took over this hotel in 1977 and served coffee, tea and snacks. He added lunch to the menu when he found there was a large work force which needed a good, affordable lunch.
Devadiga is from Mijar Yedapadavu, about 25km from the city, and started working at Srinivas Kamath's grocery store. In 1977, when Kamath's brother, Ganapathy Kamath, who was running the hotel, passed away, Srinivas asked him to manage it.
"The lunch cost Re 1 in 1982, and it went up to Rs 2, Rs 5 and in 2012, I priced it at Rs 10,'' says Devadiga. Ask him how he copes with rising prices, he just smiles. Probe a little and he says: "I don't keep accounts. At the end of the day, what I earn is enough to pay the salaries of my seven employees, buy groceries and handle the overheads. Perhaps the low rent helps a lot."
He was married in 1986 and has two children. While his elder daughter Ashwini works at Mescom, his son Akshay is studying civil engineering here. "The hotel will go on till I'm there,'' says Devadiga when asked who'll take over later.
His brother Raghava has been assisting him for the past ten years. Devadiga also does part-time civil contractor work. He takes joy in the simple things of life. "I'm not interested in movies. If I get time, I see them after my family finishes watching all their favourite TV programmes,'' he says. The last movie he saw in a theatre was in 1986 in Prabhat Talkies.
Pius D'Silva, who works at a fabrication unit near Maryhill, says: "I've been having lunch at Chandrahasa's hotel for six years. It's cheap and tastes good. If I have to go home, the bus fare alone is Rs 14. Other hotels nearby charge a minimum of Rs 25 for meals." His colleague Sanjeeva from Puttur too visits the hotel for the same reason.
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