A few weeks back, I had the opportunity to
visit Tirunelveli, a bustling city in the state of Tamil Nadu. This was my
first visit to the temple city. For a very long time, I had been wanting to
visit the city and when the opportunity presented itself, My friend and I
packed our bags , took a bus ( yes , bus J ) from Chennai. It was a decent ride for
close to 13 hours. We started by 6 30 PM on a Friday and reached by 7 30 AM the
next day ( Saturday). At first sight, the city scared me seeing men scurrying
around in dhotis and lungis.The girls wore half sarees and Jeans and skirts
were a precious commodity. The city bus stand was teeming with people even in
the wee hours of the morning. Around the bus station were innumerable shops
selling cloth, stationeries and of course we found innumerable STD booths.
Like any other
bus terminus and any other town, there were plenty of sweet shops around. However,
Tirunelveli is famous for 2 things. 1. Thamarabharani (River flowing across the
city). 2. Halwa (The very thought of the sweet is making me crave even now).
Since it was a pleasure trip, we decided to indulge ourselves in whichever way
we could.
The Tirunelveli halwa is a continuous love
affair between the halwa and saliva. Mention it to
anybody and you will see them smacking their tongues in anticipation and
appreciation.
The most popular shop in Tirunelveli should
be selling over Rs 100,000 worth of halwa everyday and another dozen must be
selling at least Rs 10,000 of the commodity every day. Even though the halwa
shops outside the bus terminus do good business, we were told by some people there
that none of these halwas are the pioneers of the original Tirunelveli halwa.
The pioneer, we were told ,was living a
mile away in a place called 'Town'.
From the
'Junction' there is a bus to 'Town' every five minutes. In anticipation, we
boarded a bus whose fare was only two rupees. After a few minutes , we reached
Tirunelveli’s most famous halwa shop. The sixth shop on the left is known as
Iruttukadai' -- meaning 'dark shop'. IT HAD NO NAME BOARD TO IDENTIFY!!!. It
has been known as the 'Iruttukadai' for the last five decades. (Talk of
Marketing! J ) Iruttu Kadai Halwa is most popularly known
for the best tasting Halwa made anywhere in the planet!
When we went, the shop was closed and the
wooden shutters were down. The shop is open only for 90 minutes every day. It
opens at 5:30 PM everyday and they close before 7 PM when all their stock is
sold off. We decided to come in the evening to experience the euphoria.We
reached by 5 15 pm when we saw a huge crowd already gathered The halwa was already packed in ¼, ½ and one
kg packs. Only smaller amounts needed to be weighed and parcelled out. And they
sold only halwa and nothing else.Upon opening the shop,we were to witness a
madcap of emotions.
One customer wanted 6 kgs in 1/4 kg packs. He explained,
"My friend is going to Hyderabad tomorrow and from there to the UK. Please
pack it specially for me!" The shopkeeper tried to convince him that their
packing was very good but the buyer was persistent. Finally twenty four ¼ kg
packs were repacked with additional cellophane paper at no extra cost. Some
wanted to send it to Chennai. Others to Delhi. Quite a few bought 50 or 100
gms and ate it on the spot, glued to the floor as they wolfed the halwa down
with relish. The owner continuously pleaded, "Please throw the leaves into
the garbage bin." But most people just threw the leaf on the road, wiped
their oily hands on a paper and threw that too on the road.
We were
thinking how on earth this has become so popular. After a few rounds of Halwa
demolishing, it became very clear.It was their unique operating
style and timings that must have been the secret to their success and brand
value. Yes, they have been operating for generations adding value to their
brand. But, when all other shops are open over 12 Hours a day, They operate for
merely an hour or more. People queue-up to buy Halwa when its open for only one
and a half hours.
Any visitor who comes to the City would hear about its unique taste and that
you can get Halwa from that Shop only between 5:30 PM to 7 PM. Anyone hearing
that story would insist on buying Halwa from that shop only. There are tons of
Halwa shops and other sweet shops. But, they thrive selling only Halwa powered
by their strong Brand Value.The shop used to operate on
Candle Light and hence the name "Iruttu Kadai"
When we spoke to the owner Mohinder Singh, we were shocked to learn that the famous Tirunelveli halwa was
a Rajasthani gift to Tamil Nadu. It seems earlier they used to make it
themselves, now they use local cooks but the recipe remains with them. I was
told that the basic difference between this halwa and others is the ingredients
used. But if only ingredients matter then we wondered why Tirunelveli halwa made in Chennai or Delhi
tasted so different. "Simple," said Mohinder Singh with a twinkle in his
eye - "Here we use Thamarabharani water".
We were more than happy to hear his story and
with that, our agenda was completed and we departed from Tirunelvei carrying
precious bags of Irruttukadai Halwa!
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