While the name Bhagath Singh evokes patriotism in every Indian, the name Bhagatram makes every Bengalurean drool for some extraordinarily tasting ‘gulab jamuns’ and ‘jalebis’. Started a year after Independence, Bhagatram has stood the test of time and as its tagline aptly says, it has been serving the best sweets — ‘tasted by generations since 1948’.
It was a year before Independence that the founder of the place, Bhagatram came into the City from Delhi. The son of a successful businessman who owned 12 bakery outlets in Delhi, Bhagatram wanted to establish his mark in Bengaluru, the city that he fell in love with.
Two years after settling in the City, he started a humble store, ‘Bhagatram’, which served only ‘jamuns’ and ‘samosa’ then. “My father was one of the pioneers to bring ‘samosa’ to the City,” says Giridhar, the present owner and son of Bhagatram.
With the bakery products freshly prepared, they serve the best of ‘jamuns’, ‘jalebis’, ‘laddus’ and even crispy delicacies like puffs, ‘samosas’, ‘kachoris’ and ‘bondas’.
While it is popularly known and sought-after for its bakery products, the store also offers South Indian, Chinese, Jain and North Indian dishes. Yet, the great attraction to gastronomers here is their ‘jalebis’ and ‘jamuns’.
There are many among the shoppers in Commercial Street who consider it a blasphemy to have not visited the store for the ‘jamuns’ that have the sweet-dipping taste and a unique size.
“We have customers overseas who ask their relatives here in the City to pack them sweets on their visit abroad,” he says gleaming. He adds that they have served a large population of Iranians who lived in the City.
“The travel agents got them here regulary to taste the sweets available,” he explains.
The ‘jamuns’ were their form of advertisement and publicity. “The population then was much less compared to now. The entire Bengaluru knew our store. Now the population has grown, yet we are popular because of the consistent taste and constant blessings from our customers,” he says humbly.
He now wants to spread the aroma of these sweets around the City like Avenue Road and Malleswaram. “I was trained by my father and I am training my sons now. It is a family business and we will continue to maintain the name that my father left behind. After the completion of my sons’ education, I will get extra helping hands and will soon open other outlets,” he informs.
‘Bhagatram’, which is 67 years old now, Giridhar concludes saying, “It is an honour to own this place. With customers crowding in everyday for over six decades now, I want to carry on this tradition till the end.”