Ravi Bhai: Serving Pakhala With Love

Ravi Bhai: Serving Pakhala With Love

Food has always played an integral role when it comes to representation of Odia culture. Odias have a unique variant of watered rice called ‘Pakhala’ which not only represents the culture but the significance of traditional Odia food.

Pakhala is a very healthy meal and every Odia’s ultimate craving. This unique dish consists of cooked rice, water, curd and garnished with coriander leaves and a number of condiments. The water in the pakhala is called ‘torani’ and it is also considered as one of the healthiest drinks, which is really helpful in the summer season to keep the body hydrated.

This all-in-one dish is served in the smart city, Bhubaneswar by Ravindra Sahoo, a food stall owner named ‘Ravi Bhai Pakhala’. The owner is famously known as ‘Ravi bhai’. He is a native of  Kaipadar village in Khurda district. After facing failure in his academic career, he chose to walk on the path of serving food with satisfaction to people. This commitment has led him to a stage where he’s happily serving and making most out of it. He serves Pakhala as breakfast to people at an attractive price i.e. Rs. 20. At the age of 49, he has been able to establish a tasty food hub in the capital for people looking for a wholesome meal to start their day with.

Let’s know more about him and his chronicle with pakhala.

Tell us about your business

I run a food stall that serves only breakfast. Our main attraction is pakhala which is served with alu bhaja  (fried potatoes) or alu bharta (mashed potatoes) and chopped onions. I have been in this business for 13 years. I first started my food stall in 2009, and the business didn’t do well. Due to losses I had to shut it down. Then my laborer friends suggested that I start a pakhala stall. As the laborers are engaged in labor intensive activities they need a powerful meal at a pocket friendly price to start their day. So I started serving pakhala as breakfast in my new business.

What inspired you to serve specifically pakhala as breakfast?

My main aim was to serve the laborers because I got the idea from them. But there are some who can barely afford food. So I thought even though I needed to make money, I won’t charge extravagantly. I started serving pakhala at a very low price of Rs 20 per plate. This became very popular with time and soon people from all stratas started showing love to our food and the price at which we serve is affordable by everyone.

How many people do you serve per day?

I mostly serve 40 to 50 people each day. My stall opens at 5 am and closes at 11 pm daily irrespective of the weather condition. In summers, the business skyrockets as many people come to our stall to have a taste of our pakhala. We mostly serve 70 to 80 people per day in the summer season.  

In this time of inflation, how do you manage to sell this wholesome meal at just Rs 20?

Serving food has always been my passion and I have always cared about satisfying people by providing good and tasty food. I never cared about profit but I always cared about fulfilling the stomach of the people with maximum satisfaction. For me blessing counts at the end of the day, not profit.

What is the specialty about your pakhala that makes it unique?

There is no significant specialty about my pakhala, but I’m keen to serve. The rice that I use belongs to my native land. I do not use or buy any other branded rice or anything that is available in the market.

Why don’t you serve non-veg with pakhala ?

Due to hygienic reasons, I do not opt for non-veg food. By serving veg it is easy for us to maintain hygiene. And the manpower I have is not sufficient to prepare and serve non-veg food.

What’s the role of your family in your business?

My son does help me in my business by managing his schedule as he’s also a student. My wife also helps me in the business. I will always be thankful for their support without which I wouldn’t have been able to manage to pull off my business this far.