<p>Veteran Pune-based hotelier Jagannath Shetty, the owner of a very popular trio of South Indian restaurants in Maharashtra’s cultural capital, passed away on Sunday.</p>.<p>Jagannath Anna, as he was popularly known, made South Indian cuisine and thalis immensely popular among Punekars and established the trinity of Vaishali, Roopali and Amrapali restaurants.</p>.<p>Members of top business families, such as the Poonawalas, Bajajs, Kirloskars and Kalyanis, were regulars at Vaishali.</p>.<p>Shetty was 89.</p>.<p>He is survived by daughter Nikita and son-in-law Abhijeet.</p>.<p>“Jagannath Anna can rightfully claim to introduce South Indian cuisine to Punekars across many generations. He was at the forefront in donating a large part of his wealth to enumerable social causes. In fact, a few weeks ago, he turned 89 and till then was very active,” Ganesh Shetty, President, Pune Restaurants & Hoteliers Association, told <em>DH</em> over the phone from Pune.</p>.<p>“He was a very good golfer and a philanthropist,” Shetty said, adding that he was an example for the hoteliers and the hospitality industry.</p>.<p>The veteran was also instrumental in launching an anti-dowry campaign.</p>.<p>Young Jagannath left home at the age of 13 to work in Kalyan near Mumbai with his uncle for Rs 3 a month.</p>.<p>Jagannath Anna was born on 8 October, 1932 in Onimajalu mane in Bailur, a small village near Karkala in South Kanara. The ambitious young boy then came to Pune in 1949 at the age of 17.</p>.<p>As a teen Jagannath, worked hard, often into the wee hours of the night. His hard work bore fruit when he started the Café Madras (present day Roopali) in 1951 and later Madras Health home, now the very ‘in’ place, Vaishali.</p>.<p>But everything was not a bed of roses and Jagannath Shetty had to work hard to achieve that success.</p>.<p>Vaishali in those days was a tiny restaurant. However, Jagannath Shetty’s toil paid rich dividends. Today his restaurants have become household name in Pune and are popular spots for people across all ages.</p>.<p>Punekars took to social media platforms to condole the death of Jagannath Anna.</p>.<p>“A big loss for Pune…a big loss for the entire hospitality industry..Our beloved Jagannath Shetty, owner of icons like Vaishali and Roopali passed away today morning. Om Shaanti,” tweeted BJP Shivajinagar MLA Siddharth Shirole.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>
<p>Veteran Pune-based hotelier Jagannath Shetty, the owner of a very popular trio of South Indian restaurants in Maharashtra’s cultural capital, passed away on Sunday.</p>.<p>Jagannath Anna, as he was popularly known, made South Indian cuisine and thalis immensely popular among Punekars and established the trinity of Vaishali, Roopali and Amrapali restaurants.</p>.<p>Members of top business families, such as the Poonawalas, Bajajs, Kirloskars and Kalyanis, were regulars at Vaishali.</p>.<p>Shetty was 89.</p>.<p>He is survived by daughter Nikita and son-in-law Abhijeet.</p>.<p>“Jagannath Anna can rightfully claim to introduce South Indian cuisine to Punekars across many generations. He was at the forefront in donating a large part of his wealth to enumerable social causes. In fact, a few weeks ago, he turned 89 and till then was very active,” Ganesh Shetty, President, Pune Restaurants & Hoteliers Association, told <em>DH</em> over the phone from Pune.</p>.<p>“He was a very good golfer and a philanthropist,” Shetty said, adding that he was an example for the hoteliers and the hospitality industry.</p>.<p>The veteran was also instrumental in launching an anti-dowry campaign.</p>.<p>Young Jagannath left home at the age of 13 to work in Kalyan near Mumbai with his uncle for Rs 3 a month.</p>.<p>Jagannath Anna was born on 8 October, 1932 in Onimajalu mane in Bailur, a small village near Karkala in South Kanara. The ambitious young boy then came to Pune in 1949 at the age of 17.</p>.<p>As a teen Jagannath, worked hard, often into the wee hours of the night. His hard work bore fruit when he started the Café Madras (present day Roopali) in 1951 and later Madras Health home, now the very ‘in’ place, Vaishali.</p>.<p>But everything was not a bed of roses and Jagannath Shetty had to work hard to achieve that success.</p>.<p>Vaishali in those days was a tiny restaurant. However, Jagannath Shetty’s toil paid rich dividends. Today his restaurants have become household name in Pune and are popular spots for people across all ages.</p>.<p>Punekars took to social media platforms to condole the death of Jagannath Anna.</p>.<p>“A big loss for Pune…a big loss for the entire hospitality industry..Our beloved Jagannath Shetty, owner of icons like Vaishali and Roopali passed away today morning. Om Shaanti,” tweeted BJP Shivajinagar MLA Siddharth Shirole.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>
