4.30 pm
It is early evening and Broadway Road in Shivajinagar seems like any other part of the city. Cars and scooters are zooming by and there are people milling around.
There is, however, one difference — it is the month of Ramzan and this is the time of the year that this part of Shivajinagar turns into a non-vegetarian’s paradise.
Stalls are being set up with their white and red umbrella tops, plastic chairs are arranged for the many patrons who will appear as the evening wears on, and skewers of meat are kept ready to be grilled, alongside the balls of dough for rotis.
7.30 pm
At the Chak De India Kabab Center, opposite the Golden Chicken store, Ismail Zabiulla Qureshi, 25, is ready for the evening. He is the man in charge of cooking the spectacular pathar ka ghosht and at regular intervals, he throws oil on the stone causing bright, yellow flames to shoot up as he bellows, “Pathar ka ghosht”.
Ismail starts work at 4 pm and continues till 7 am the next morning. Doesn’t he get tired? “No, I have been cooking for the last 10 years,” he says with a smile. “ Aadat ho jaata hai (it becomes a habit) adding, “Fasting and prayer is separate, duty is separate.”
All the meat is bought from Russell Market. The masalas, five or six of them, are added at the stall and then transformed into delicious dishes.
According to Ismail, around 75 kg of meat is consumed in a day and the centre gets around 2,000 customers a day. Walking down Broadway, apart from the food stalls, one is struck by the number of hawkers selling everything from watches, sunglasses, shoes, sneakers, and T-shirts with slogans such as ‘Superdry Original’. Some sellers even have mikes and megaphones to encourage shoppers. “Welcome to Shivajinager!” bellows one man.
The road is now packed with people trying to get past cars, autos and scooters that are moving at snail’s pace. The atmosphere is chaotic, crowded and smoky.
Each stall has a sort of “hype man” who calls out to people, trying to entice them to eat at their establishment. “Come here bro, idhar aao bro,” they shout out mostly to the male crowd.
- St Mary’s Basilica, numerous mosques such as the Masjid-e-Noor-ul-Huda, and several temples, including the Mariamman temple… where else would you find this but Shivajinagar? Huge crowds throng the area during festivals such as St Mary’s feast or during the month of Ramzan. In fact, Bengaluru-based author Anita Nair first crime fiction novel, Cut Like Wound , is set in Shivajinagar. It is also the book that introduces audiences to the protangonist, Inspector Borei Gowda.
At the cart, opposite Hilal Restaurant, Mudassar Khan is placing skewers of beef seekh kebabs over the charcoal. “This is the most popular dish.” He has been cooking here for the last 15 years and says it is a daily business as the cart remains at the spot throughout the year.
Mudassar’s day begins at 2 pm and goes on to 7 am the next morning. As for whether he feels tired, he too smiles and gives the same answer, “No, I don’t get tired. It has become a habit.” As for whether evening is the time that most people come, he says, “People of all communities come and eat. So business is good at all times.”
Vineeth T, a bank employee, who is enjoying the seekh kebab, says: “I started coming to Shivajinagar four years ago and I frequent Hilal and Hamza (restaurants) because it is convenient for people like me who work late in the night. The Savera Tea Centre has been my adda for the last eight to 10 years.”
As to what is so special about Shivajinagar, he says: “It is one place that is alive at any time of the night. It is definitely worth visiting either as a foodie or as someone who is hungry.”
Apart from the aforementioned dishes, one can also get shahi tukda , gajar ka halwa, quail, misti doi , lassi, firni, camel meat, iddiyapam , dil pasand , soup, rolls that range from chicken to “grill chop”, blue-coloured lime juice, shawarma and of course, haleem .
Hasim KJ, the rather taciturn owner of the stall selling camel meat, says: “We get the cut meat from Rajasthan; around 15 animals in a month. The meat is sold only during Ramzan but we have kept the stall for the last 30 to 40 years. Many also buy the meat to cook it at home.”
Midnight
There is absolutely no sign of things winding down. Even hairdressers such as the Style Base Men’s Salon are open and one can get a glimpse of customers inside.
As it gets later, the crowd outside Savera Tea Centre grows. A man rushes around placing piping hot cups of tea in customers’ hands.
Salim Ahmed, owner of Savera, says, “It was started by my father S Iqbal Ahmed in 2000. There are eight branches in the city. Four of my brothers and two nephews run them.” His 24-year-old son, Abhas manages the Savera Cafe diagonally opposite. Salim says, the tea centre gets 500 to 600 customers every day which is open from 6 am to 1 am (the employees work in two shifts).
- Pathar ka ghosht: Smoky and delicious
- Seekh kabab: Hot off the coal equals melt in your mouth
- Lassi: Cool, sweet and topped off with some malai
- Camel and quail meat: For those who want to try something different
The two things that are consistent are the taste of the tea and its price (₹10). However, Salim adds that may change if the prices of milk and LPG go up. The cashier, Sheik Omar, who has been working there for the last five years, says: “We sell mutton roll, mutton samosa, dil pasand , sweet puri, khajuri , badam milk, lassi and sherbet. But the most popular item is the Savera Special Tea. We don’t add water in it.”
So, whether you want a snack in the evening, a hearty meal at night or just a Sulaimani in between, Shivajinagar is the place to be. As Abrar, who works at the Chak De India stall, says with a smile, “you will always get something here.”
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