HYDERABAD, TELANGANA, 08-09-2017: (For Metroplus) Balaji Ratanlal Mithai Bhandar, Kachiguda in Hyderabad. Photo: K.V.S. Giri
For over 50 years now, mention mithai in Kachiguda and only Balaji Ratanlal comes to mind. Started in 1967, the 800 sqft sweet shop has served generations of customers with treats famous for their inimitable quality and a taste, which is something of a local legend. Started by Ratanlalji Panwar who migrated from Rajasthan’s Nagour and gained experience by working in a sweet shop for nearly two decades before starting out on his own, the shop has remained a constant in the rapidly changing geography of the area.
Currently the third generation owner Rajesh Panwar, along with his father Poonamchand Panwar, takes care of the day to day affairs, which includes an 18-hour shift by everyone in the family. The genial owner Rajesh attributes his success to hard work and supervision saying, “We work with recipes which have been in the family since inception. I’m here at 6 am to ensure that all the ingredients from milk, ghee and sugar are of good quality. The most important thing in any mithai shop is that the measure needs to be correct, which we always insist on.”
What people vouch for at this ubiquitous eatery is the quality and reasonable rate, which have ensured that its legions of followers has only increased over the years. The entrepreneur traces the changing scenario over the years when he says, “When I started working in the family business in 1989, namkeen was ₹60 a kilo, today it has shot up to ₹360. Till 2000, the price rise was constant but afterwards, the inflation became high. But, we have always ensured that our prices are affordable for the common man.”
HYDERABAD, TELANGANA, 08-09-2017: (For Metroplus) Rajesh owmer of Balaji Ratanlal Mithai Bhandar, Kachiguda in Hyderabad. Photo: K.V.S. Giri
Rajesh tells us that they have supplied sweets to every function in former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao’s house apart from that of former Chief Minister T Anjiah. He smiles as he recounts his clientele, “LK Advani used to visit the National Police Academy frequently when he was the Home Minister and always asked for the dhokla from our shop. Madhu Yakshi Goud, former MP, used to come as a child with his father, now he comes with his children. Our clients have included generations from the same families as our quality has never wavered.”
With around 50 varieties of sweets and 25 savories, there is a lot to choose from here – regulars swear by their creamy rasmalai (usually sold out by late afternoon), the rich kaju barfi , the luscious ajmeeri khalakand and of course, the light and fluffy dhokla, which has a slightly sour after taste. Rajesh laughs when we ask about his secret formula and willingly reveals it, “My father always said, believe in only three things – nazar, sabar and khabar. We have to keep a close eye on quality, be patient and ensure that we move along with the times. For example the current trend is that of sugar free sweets and we have started a dedicated line for that.”
A firm believer in hard work, Rajesh proudly reveals that they have only two holidays a year – Ganesh Visarjan and Holi. Reluctant to open new branches as he believes that personal care has been the cornerstone of their success, Rajesh says that the fourth generation too have started working at their family store and says that his only plans for the future is to keep their fame and quality intact.
