JOIN USWhere taste calls you
‘Sri Sukka Chats... Where taste calls you’ gleams a signboard on a minivan converted into a pani puri stall opposite PKTB Sanatorium on KRS Road. A row of stone slabs placed on either side of the minivan is the seat for customers.
Started by brothers Harish and Mahesh Kumar C in 1998 , the chat centre has become very popular in the surrounding areas for its high quality puris.
Whether it be masala puri or the pani puri, each plate dished out by the deft hands of the two brothers makes customers come back to the centre regularly. When Harish and Mahesh first started, they set-up the push cart pani puri centre on the KRS Road.
While the younger brother was pursuing his eighth standard, the elder was studying in I PUC.
After their school and college hours, they would head home and pick-up the puris prepared at home, load the green peas and masala on to their push-cart and trudge up the steep KRS Road from their home in Gokulam.
Customers would often wonder looking at the young lads at work, “Can these two boys really make good pani puris or masala puris?” Once customers had a mouthful, they found to their utter amazement that no other place could satiate their tastebuds.
Slowly, over the years, the duo have earned their stall a reputation as one of the best chat centres in the city — especially among the residents of Gokulum, Metagalli, B M Shri Nagar, Kumbarakoppal, Hebbal and Vijayanagar.
They offers pani puri, masala puri, sev puri, dahi puri, dahi smash, bhel puri, sev masala, aloo puri and aloo masala. However, their signature dish is the ‘Sukka puri’ that is termed as the best by regulars at the centre. Harish opines that ‘dahi smash’ is the favourite of techies, who come from software companies located nearby.
Speaking to City Herald, Harish recalls, “When we opened the chat centre in 1998, there was not even a single chat centre in the vicinity. We were the first to open it in this area.”
While necessity is often termed as the mother of inventions, Harish and Mahesh had to open the shop at a young age as the motorcycle company their father G Channaiah worked in had shut shop. With the responsibility of feeding the family, the youngsters set out working their magic on puris.
Elder brother Mahesh points out, “Our grandfather Gopalaiah was a sweetmaker and a majority of pani puri stalls in the city belong to our relatives.” With the art of making pani puris being passed on from generations, Mahesh recalls that when they started making puris, one plate of puri cost Rs 3.50.
The centre which was offering puris on a push cart until recently has now turned hi-tech with a minivan to cater to the demands of the customers. Looking at their minivan, Harish beams proudly and says,“We are the first in the city to invest a huge amount on a minivan exclusively for a pani puri centre.” Sri Sukka Chats is open between 4.10 pm and 10.40 pm all through the year except on Deepavali, says Harish.