There was a time when people used to get a week’s vegetables or a pack of kaju katli just for Re. 1! Yes, I’m talking about the ’50s! Cut to 2019, it’s a sin to expect even a good quality toffee for rupee 1; you gotta settle with just a glass of ‘Thanda pani’ from the RO machine at a metro station and feel ‘Waah, what a deal’!
At such time, when nobody cares enough to return the change if it is a rupee or two, an 80-year-old woman is selling Idlis for Re 1 per piece. With complimentary Sambhar and chutney that looks delicious enough to make our mouth water!
Well, this indeed sounds like quite the jackpot to us, but has become the norm for this benevolent lady.
K Kamalathal started selling idlis 30 years ago. She used to sell idlis at 50 ps each earlier but raised the prices a few years back. She wakes up before the sunrise, completes her household chores, offers prayer to God and goes to her farm to collect vegetables with her son. She then prepares soft, fluffy idlis with coconut chutney and sambhar and opens the doors of her
“I started selling idlis 30 years ago in Vadivelampalayam. I belong to a farming family. Every day, my family members would work on the farm leaving me behind. I was alone, bored and wished to start making idlis for the locals. Now I have loyal patrons in daily wage laborers who stop by to have a healthy breakfast at a nominal price,” Kamalathal told TNIE.
She still uses the traditional stone grinder to grind the masalas required to make idlis. “As I was raised in a joint family, cooking for a large number of people was not difficult for me. I wash and soak the ingredients the previous day in a vessel and grind them in the evening. It takes around four hours to grind six kilos of rice and urad dal for the idli batter. I let it ferment overnight and use it the next morning. I prepare fresh batter every day,” she said.
Kamalathal also has a set of loyal customers. “We visit her house at 8 am only to see many customers waiting patiently for their turn to pick up the food. Amidst the chaos, she welcomes us with a smile. While she manoeuvres across the rooms carrying a bucket of sambar and a plate of idli, you are sure to be left surprised at how quickly she serves everyone,” one of her customers said.
She serves fresh batch if idlis to all the cutomers visiting her shop until noon. “The vessel can make 37 idlis in one round. I sell around 1,000 idlis every day. Ten years ago, one idli was priced 50 paise and I increased it to 1 rupee a few years back,” she explains.
She serves the idlis on Banyan or Teak tree leaves. When asked about the extremely low prices of idlis at her shop, Kamalathal said that she sells idlis just to satisfy the
“Most of the people residing near Vadivelampalayam come from a lower-middle-class background or are economically backward. They are all daily wage workers. In such a case, it is hard for them to pay Rs 15 or Rs 20 for a plate of idli every day for breakfast,” she said.
“In other hotels, they serve three or four idlis per plate and that’s not enough for their physical labor. So, I focus only on satisfying their hunger. Hence, I priced my idlis at 1 rupee. This will also help them save some money for their family. I get profits, but the margin is less,” she added.
Kamalathal makes a profit of up to Rs 200 per day. “Many approach me and ask me to hike the price. I tell them that I do this for the needy and hungry,” she said.
She does not plan to increase the prices of idlis anytime soon. “My grandchildren ask me to stop the business as I am getting old and they want me to look after my health. But I refuse to stop as preparing food for people brings me joy. It also keeps me active,” she said.
There’s a new addition to Kamalathal’s breakfast menu. She has started selling zhunthu bonda at Rs. 2.50 each. Her customers love the traditional flavor of her food. “The idli served here has a traditional touch. The batter is ground in a stone grinder and steamed on a mud stove. Whenever I eat here, I feel that my pattima is feeding