E-Paper
Jagannath Shetty, owner of iconic Vaishali restaurant in Pune passes away
The fan club of Vaishali isn’t limited to residents from nearby areas but it included prominent personalities like Sharad Pawar, Raj Thackeray, and many from the film industry
PUNE Jagannath B Shetty (89), a renowned restaurateur from Pune, who established Vaishali, Roopali and Amrapali, passed away early Sunday morning.
He was undergoing medical treatment at Prayag hospital. He is survived by his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.
For many, the Vaishali restaurant on Fergusson College (FC) road has not just been an iconic Udupi joint but synonymous with the unique Puneri spirit since 1949. To the regular visitors, the warmth and taste Vaishali offered stayed forever. And the man who started it had a humble beginning.
Shetty came to Pune around 58 years ago to join his maternal uncle Shridhar Shetty in his hotel business.
Born on October 8, 1932, at Onimajali Mane in Ballur near Karkalla, Shetty came to work in Kalyan with his uncle to work for ₹3 per month when he was 13 years. Later at age of 17, he came to Pune in 1949 and started Cafe Madras (present-day Roopali) in 1951, which was followed by Madras health home, now the iconic Vaishali.
Soon the restaurant became a household name and the go-to restaurant because of the quality of south Indian snacks.
“For countless Punekars like me, Vaishali (and Roopali) is a lot more than just another restaurant. A bit difficult to describe the emotions associated with this place by many Punekars, across generations. Pune will always be thankful to Jagannath Shetty,” said Amit Paranjape, an entrepreneur and regular at these restaurants.
The restaurant received the cleanest kitchen award from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), and Tridal, a cultural organisation in Pune awarded Shetty the “Punya Bhushan award.”
Ashok Gadgil, a resident, on the website of Vaishali has also mentioned that in the 1960s cup of tea was 10 paise in Vaishali and 15 paise in Roopali. Both hotels had a ‘katta’ to sit outside. “We used to sit outside till we felt hungry in the evening.”
The fan club of Vaishali isn’t limited to residents from nearby areas but it included prominent personalities like Sharad Pawar, Raj Thackeray, and many from the film industry.
According to the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP’s) Ankush Kakade, Sharad Pawar was a big fan of hotel Vaishali and during many public speeches have mentioned the restaurant.
“While I was studying in Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC), we would go to Vaishali. It brought many friends together and we enjoyed the coffee and snacks,” he said.
Kakade’s recent memories are that of sharing a table with municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar, police commissioner, Amitabh Gupta, on the morning of the Ganapati visarjan in September 2021 and enjoying the food.
“It is true that I had heard a lot about Vaishali and I had not been there. One morning of the visarjan day, I went there along with Vikram Kumar and others and ordered everything on the menu as I wanted to try them all, which I did. I particularly liked the cutlets, Rava dosa and the filter coffee,” said Gupta.
Although the restaurant is often buzzing with customers, Shetty was known to be reticent. “Many celebrities and public figures come to Vaishali. However, I normally avoid talking to them,” Shetty had said during a felicitation event in 2013 when he turned 80. The event was organised by leaders of all political parties.
In Pune, Shetty found another home though he had not forgotten his native place. “He generously donated to his old school for development, and build the village Ganapathi temple,” said his son-in-law, Vishwajeet Jadhav.
He was also an ardent golfer and has captained Poona Golf Club in the year 1997-98, and also started an annual “Vaishali Cup” for amateurs.
“We all have lost a doyen of our hospitality industry. Jaganath Shetty of Vaishali restaurant was undoubtedly a successful businessman who set high standards in the hotel industry. Jagannath can rightfully claim to introduce South Indian cuisine to Punekars across many generations. He was also a great human being. He was forefront in donating a large part of his wealth to enumerable social causes,” Ganesh Shetty, President Pune Restaurants and Hoteliers Association.
