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Vijayarangan at the K.V. Veerappa Devar peas shop
| Photo Credit: Thamodharan Bharath
Right from Vinayagar Chaturthi to Karthikai Deepam, the demand for pori or puffed rice, roasted peanuts, roasted bengal gram and aval or flattened rice is very high. They are offered as prasadam or are transformed into sweets and savouries. Readymade pori and kadalai urundais are also available.
Puffed rice packets kept ready for Ayudha Pooja sales
| Photo Credit:
C.VENKATACHALAPATHY
At the 120 year old K.V.Veerappa Devar peas shop, popularly known as the ‘thousand lights pattani kadai’ T Vijayarangan and family are catering to their customers’ needs, packing freshly roasted peanuts that are slightly salted and still toasty.
K.V.Veerappa Devar peas shop in Thousand lights
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan Bharath
When my grandfather KV Veerappadevar started this shop, we had only nine items — these nuts and puffed and flattened rice. All he had then was a vessel and two sickles to roast the peanuts and peas.” says Vijayarangan.
“There were at least four to five shops in every area and were very popular landmarks. If someone got a post, they would just ask for it to be delivered at the pattani shop by the tree or around the corner,” he adds
A Krishnamurthy
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan Bharath
A Krishnamurthy poses in front of his old shop in 2001
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangemeny
For A Krishnamurthy, the owner of the A.K.M Pattani Kadai in Mandaveli his old shop which was set up by his grandfather almost 8 decades ago, on the next street in the middle of Mandaveli market was that landmark. “We had to let go of that place because the entire building was sold. We moved into this shop 22 years ago and haven’t been able to roast our peanuts and peas here. There’s no space for an exhaust fan,” says the 70-year-old shop owner.
“We didn’t need a name board, advertisements or whatsapp groups— the aroma of freshly roasted peanuts was enough to lure customers. I’ve lost that gift now,” he repents.
The few independent peanut shop owners today mostly source their stock from Kothavalchavadi in Parrys. The pori comes puffed in sacks but the peas, peanuts, chickpeas and other nut varieties are procured raw.
Peanut sorting at Thirumayilai Varukadalai Nilayam
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan Bharath
“We pay a lot of attention to the quality of the stock we get. The peanuts bought in supermarkets are all different sizes, some are rotten. I have a worker to manually sift and pick out the bad ones,” assures A Srinivasan, owner of Thirumayilai Varukadalai Nilayam in Mylapore.
Beach sand being sifted
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan Bharath
Once the nuts are sifted, they are soaked in salt water and drained in jute sacks. Then, the slightly soggy nuts are put into the mechanical roasters. “We only use the fine sand from the beach to roast. It is important to choose the right varieties too. If the peanuts are of the oil-giving variety, they don’t last too long so it is best to avoid it,” says Vijayarangan.
He explains that earlier, every person who worked in the shop was a relative and was invested in the business “My family came from Vadaseri in Thanjavur district. Many of our relatives and acquaintances from the town are also in the same business. But many shops have closed down in the last few years due to the decline in popularity for these snacks and labour issues,” he adds.
Workers roasting peanuts at the Thirumayilai Varukadalai nilayam
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan Bharath
A Srinivasan at Thirumayilai Varukadalai nilayam
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan Bharath
Srinivasan also struggled to keep his 55-year-old shop afloat due to the same reasons. He also owns the 118 year old Crown Bakery in Mylapore. After the lockdown, he claims that both his businesses saw a rejuvenated hype. “I saw more people take interest in these healthy snacks instead of going back to chips and biscuits. They give our peanuts to children to take to school since it is also high in protein.”
A Krishnamurthy sits next to his grandfather’s cash drawer, kept on as a lucky charm
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan Bharath
Krishnamurthy’s business has had a similar transformation. “I came into the business as an 18 year old. Although there are bigger competitors , the way we function today is optimal. Yes, back in the day we would have long queues that snaked all through the market area and maybe we even sold more! But after Ayudha pooja if you peeped into any dustbin, one would find discarded softened puffed rice . Now it is all neatly packed and can be opened when needed. We get orders placed online that also help understand demand.” he says.
With the help of delivery services, online payment platforms and temporary staff to deal with the increased demand, these small businesses are prepared to keep the traditions of their customers alive while preserving the pride of carrying forward the legacy of their family-owned businesses.
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