Ye Dilli Hai Meri Jaan II

A Delicious History

I have always been in love with the myriad by lanes of old Delhi. From the famed Jama Masjid to Khari Baoli, from Chitli Qabar to Balli Maran and from Fatehpuri Masjid to Nizamuddin Auliya's tomb it is a world away from the frenetic city of Delhi. A world that still lives in the medieval ages and sets its own languorous pace.

Even today, whenever I am in Old Delhi, there's one destination I simply can't avoid going to - wedged between Chandni Chowk and Kinari Bazaar, the famous Paranthe wali Gali,the destination for the most appetizing Paranthe. Though the lane is still known as Paranthe Wali Gali, but there are only three restaurants left, which still serve paranthe, rest all have been converted into shops selling saris and other items.

Among these, my favourite is the shop named ‘Pandit Gaya Prasad Paranthe Wala’, the oldest of the lot.

Opened in 1872, this was the first Paranthe Wali Dukan in this area. During a candid chat, Anil Sharma, who currently runs the business once said, “We were the first ones to come to this area. Later we called our brothers to join and gradually this lane became full of Paranthe Wali Dukan.” Anil Sharma is the great grandson of Pandit Gaya Prasad Shivcharan, who migrated from Madhya Pradesh and started the business here. “I am the fifth generation and our sixth generation is ready to carry our legacy forward”, he said fervently.

The walls of the eatery are full of photographs of our national leaders having a Parantha in the eatery. It has served people like Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru, and has always been popular among the political leaders. Even Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pramod Mahajan often came here. Anil Sharma gave me the reason- “ before independence, political meetings of freedom fighters were held here. We served the nation by looking after food requirements of our freedom fighters.”

The reason for the popularity of this shop is not hard to find as this shop has uniqueness about its recipes. A look at the menu can delight even the diet-conscious people. The recipes like Rabri Paranthe, Kaju Paranthe, Tamatar Paranthe, Kela Paranthe, Gaajar Paranthe and Chini Paranthe can be found only in this shop. Served with three kinds Sabji and two kinds of Chutney, eating Paranthe in this shop is definitely a delicious experience.

“Our shop is the only place in this world where you can find items like Chhilke Wali Sabji and Kele Ki Chutney”, Anil Sharma claims proudly. He guarantees that perfect hygiene is maintained in his eatery.

Though this shop serves only about 80 to 100 people per day, but there are many regulars like us who visit this eatery often. Once I met a 72 year old gentleman, who has been eating here regularly since last 50 years. Besides there are few loyal foreigners too who come to eat here whenever they visit India. Featuring in Rashtrapati Bhawan’s catering, they are often called in high profile political parties.

Another interesting fact about this shop is that it doesn’t have to pay the sales tax. Anil Sharma narrated us the story, “my father was at the shop when P.C. Sethi, the then Home Minister Of India and Vidya Charan Shukla, then Minister of Information and Broadcasting, came to have Parnthas. They ordered for Aaloo ke Paranthe, but my father said 'aaloo ke paranthe nahi mil sakte. Sales tax lag gaya hai'. He was commenting on the recently imposed sales tax by the Indira Gandhi regime. At this P.C. Sethi laughed and said, 'You don’t require to pay the sales tax. Now give us Paranthe'. Since then we never paid sales tax. Even now we have to pay only VAT.
Anil Sharma also also told us about customers like Amitabh Bachhhan and Kabir Bedi, who often visited here in the past. “ Amitabh even recommended our shop to others and sent few customers”, he said humbly.

Over 134 years and five generations, this shop has served millions of people and is committed to carry the legacy forward. And as for competition in the market Sharma says, “we don’t compete with each other, we are all brothers. We always help each other because this legacy is not only about our shop but Paranthe wali Gali.”