Pakoda Shop Owner
Pakoda.. Pakoda… Hot and crispy Pakodas. Come, Come, come fast, or else you would lose the opportunity of tasting the delicious mouth-watering Pakodas. This is the slogan raised by a Pakoda Seller during 1980’s who used to sell tasty Pakodas nearby my home at Ayanavaram. During my school days, I never used to take outside food, due to the fear of getting stomach pain. But occasionally I used to approach a seller, whose name was Ramesh, and he has kept his Pakoda stall nearby Ayanavaram, Ujjini Street, and he used to sell wonderful onion Pakodas only during the evening time.
During the times, when he was not ready in his Pakoda preparation, he used to take my bag, and would ask me to come back after half an hour, since he doesn’t want to lose his business. Apart from selling Pakodas, the vendor used to sell Kara Boondi, Kara Sev, Sweet Sev, Ribbon Pakodas, Boondi and few more items.
Sometimes, my father used to buy Pakodas from Ramesh and used to share it with us. Mr.Ramesh used to call me affectionately as “IYER THAMBI”, ‘Brother Iyer’, and sometimes used to touch my cheeks with his rough hands. He also used to call me as “IYERU ARAI PADI THAYIRU”, ‘Oh my dear Iyer Boy, you are fond of consuming lot of curd!’
Mr.Ramesh would interact with everyone in a cordial manner. He never used to scold or misbehave with others. Even if some rowdies approach him for free pakodas, he used to give it to them with a friendly smile. In course of time, few more Pakoda shops roused nearby Mr.Ramesh’s pakoda stall, but however, they are unable to compete with him, since Mr.Ramesh has already earned a good name and fame among the locals.
My parents used to invite Mr.Ramesh to our home, during the times of festivals and they would share some sweet and snacks items along with him. Everything went on well. But suddenly on one fateful morning, our dear Pakoda Vendor, Ramesh, has passed away due to sudden cardiac arrest, which shocked his beloved customers, including us!
But still now, I used to remember the sweet memories shared with him and especially, his lovely smile. Good people would be remembered for ever in our life, and still now I keep remembering him, whenever I taste Pakodas!
Raed more about Pakoda from Wikipedia
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