Taste of life: Pune Bhojanagruha is state’s first native restraurant

January 10, 1882

January 10, 1882. An unusual editorial appeared in “Kesari”. Written by Vishnushastri Chiplunkar, the self–proclaimed “Shivaji of Marathi language” and one of the founders of the newspaper, it tried to educate the residents of Pune about the many virtues of a unique and recently opened institution named “Pune Bhojanagruha” - the first restaurant in Pune, and the first “native restaurant” in Maharashtra.

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Chiplunkar began the article by reminding his readers that “a new, innovative institution” had started business in Pune six months ago. “Bhojanagruha is a Western concept and has been absent in our country all these years. Our culture dictates that we honour our guests and feed them. In the earlier times, one would wait on the streets in the afternoon to look for guests they could feed and earn virtue. Kings would feed thousands of Brahmins, and students would be fed in temples and in schools. But in the modern times, both Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Annapurna have left this country, and the modern Political Economy has made us believe that feeding a guest is to make them lazy”, he wrote.

He then went on to explain how important a restaurant was to ensure that the students and travellers got their meals - “These days, it is difficult for a householder to feed his relatives and students who visit his house. It becomes more difficult when one arrives unannounced. The houses are small and the money, less. One cannot just sit idly in the home and serve the guests; livelihood has to be earned. Hence, a Bhojanagruha is the need of the hour. The students and the travellers would eat there without causing inconvenience to anyone”.

When Chiplunkar mentioned in his editorial that “Pune Bhojanagruha” was the first of its kind “in the country”, there were a few “hotels” in the Poona Cantonment which served food to their European clientele. Royal Family Hotel had opened in 1861 and could accommodate five families and 14 single guests. It charged ₹120 per month for lodging and boarding. Then there was Poona Hotel which was started in 1873 and was owned by M/s Sohrabji Jehangirji & Sons. Napier Hotel was situated on Arsenal road and was the grandest of them all. It was established by Nusserwanji Nowrosji who had also established the first ice factory in Pune. Sixty guests could stay at the Napier Hotel at a time.

But these “hotels” in the Cantonment area served food only to the European guests who were staying on the premises. They did not have restaurants where anybody could walk in and order food at any time of the day. There were four tea-shops nearby (one of them being Ms. Dorabjee) that served only tea and biscuits then. They did not serve food.

There were a few restaurants in Bombay, like the famous Jerusalem Refreshment House and The Paradise Refreshment House that had opened in the early 1870s, and had a fixed menu for their (strictly) European patrons.

In that sense, “Pune Bhojanagruha” was indeed the first restaurant in Maharashtra where natives could walk in, with or without a monthly membership, and have their meals any time of the day. Economic reports on various towns and cities published between the 1860s and 1900s also support Chiplunkar’s claim.

Even though it is quite fascinating that an immensely popular leader and author like Vishnushastri Chiplunkar (he was called “Lokmanya”, his essays were being read all over Maharashtra and he had established a school and two newspapers, along with a book shop and a printing press) would endorse a restaurant in his newspaper, the editorial in itself does not help much in understanding more about the “Bhojanagruha”. Probably because he did not want the editorial to look like an advertisement, Chiplunkar did not mention the name of the proprietor of the newly opened “Pune Bhojanagruha”. Nor did he mention the menu, or the address of the restaurant.

To find out more about the “Bhojanagruha”, one has to dig deep into the archives of the newspaper. On May 31, 1881, six months before it opened, “Kesari” reported that M/s Narayan Ramchandra & Co. was planning to start a restaurant that would benefit Brahmin students and people visiting the city. It further reported that “the rates would be moderate and monthly memberships would cost Rs5 / Rs6 / Rs7”. This report did not mention the address of the “Bhojanagruha”.

This detail could be found in an advertisement which appeared on June 14, 1881, on page 6 of “Kesari”. The title of this ad made it clear that the “Bhojanagruha” was meant only for Brahmins, and that its target patronage was that of students, travellers, and workers. “We have started a Bhojanagruha from June 1, 1881, in a wada owned by Tukaram Kisandas Patwekari, in front of the Dhamdhere wada. We are aware of the hardships faced by the members of the working class who have to take their meals in a khanaval. We assure you that we would strive hard to satisfy you. Wise residents know how important this Bhojanagruha is for this city, and it would not succeed without the patronage of all the Brahmins. All your queries would be answered by the Manager of the Bhojanagruha when you visit.” – the ad read. It was signed by M/s Narayan Ramchandra & Co.

“Kesari” was a weekly in those days and was published every Tuesday. This ad appeared on all Tuesdays till the end of August 1881. It is interesting to note that the content, style and language of these ads were very similar to the editorial which appeared six months later. These ads also tell us that “Pune Bhojanagruha” was situated at a prime location in the city. It was right next to the Budhwar chowk, which was a commercial hub in those days.

A couple of months after the ads stopped and before the editorial appeared, a reader with the pseudonym “Shodhak” complained to “Kesari” that he found that “there was severe mismanagement at the eatery”. On November 15, 1881, the editor of “Kesari”, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, replied that he himself had visited the “Bhojanagruha” and found that “there was no mismanagement at all”.

Perhaps the letter written by “Shodhak” and the suspicion in the minds of people about an altogether new institution might have compelled Chiplunkar to write the editorial. He passed away three months later. This was the last editorial he wrote.

After his demise, “Pune Bhojanagruha” changed its location twice, and Gopal Ganesh Agarkar took it upon himself to make the people of Maharashtra understand the importance of restaurants.

More about this and the owner of “Pune Bhojanagruha”, Mr Narayan Ramchandra, next week.