“I’m a retired government servant, but most people in Tarnaka know me for this mirchi bajji stall, not my old job. It’s in the lane opposite St. Ann’s School. My mother started Nagendhar Rao Mirchi Bajji Point over 50 years ago, and I’ve been helping her since I was young. For the last 20 years, I’ve been running it on my own.

We make just one thing—mirichi bajji, but it’s done the way she always made it, with tamarind stuffed inside and our special salad on the side.

That salad—finely chopped onions, cabbage, carrot, coriander, and a dash of lime has become part of the experience. Many say it’s what completes the taste.

Over time, this place has become its own little world. Schoolkids stop by to share their stories. Elders greet me as they walk past. On festival days, they bring some home-cooked food and share it with me and my local friends here. It’s not just a stall—it’s a culture that’s grown here.

Customers wait at least 15 minutes during peak hours, and they don’t mind. Many have been coming for years. Some just stop by to check in or sit and talk for a bit. These everyday moments have made this place feel like home.

It all started with my mother’s recipe, but what’s kept it alive are the people who keep coming back.”

• Nagendhar Rao