COOKBOOK ’S
Dedicated to the delicious food since 2011
Sundar PG also knows as “Lime Lights” PG
His food is delicious and he is most loved. During 1995, Manjay worked as a sweeper and made four hundred rupees for one shift, and he believed that this kind of paying system was a waste of time and money, as he never really got to save any money. He explained that when he received 14000 monthly, he would save 12000, and use the rest for daily expenses. But when he got money on a daily basis, the money would get spent here and there, as he had to visit relatives and run errands for them. Manjay was born to four other siblings, two brothers and two sisters, and he was the youngest amongst them. They lived in a house that covered a huge plot of land, the cost of the land being a whooping 25 lakhs in hand. The Manjay Patel was born in Bihar, on 15th of
eldest brother owns a sweet shop in the city
March 1986, and is 27 years old. Before coming
of Bihar; the second brother drives a lorry,
to Bangalore he worked in four other cities.
transporting goods in cross cities.
Manjay is a hardworking man who travelled from
His sisters are married with children and a
one place to another in search of money and
very settled life in Bihar, but Manjay chose
happiness. He is now the head chef of Sundar
otherwise. At the age of eleven, Manjay was
PG, a hostel facility fostering students from
working along with the rest of his brothers to
Srishti School of Art Design and Technology.
keep the money flowing for food and shelter.
PG basement/mess
Sundar PG
Manjay’s Kitchen
India his company is.” His brother started to worry about him, and he wanted to protect Manjay from these dangerous addictions. Taking his brother’s advice, the eleven year old Manjay was given a share from the tyre shop, owned by his eldest brother. Due to some changing events, the 16000 tire shop was sold only for 7000, putting Manjay and his brother in a deep loss. During this time, as Manjay explained, phone connections were rare and had gotten extremely hyped in their village. His curiosity of the STD booth that was being setup got him the opportunity of working for them. Many people would hang around the booth, so During 1997, his eldest brother had setup a tyre
to make an extra buck he and his friend, got a
shop establishment, while the second brother
liquor license and started to sell alcohol to the
worked as a driver for a family, driving the popu-
customers that arrived. His eldest brother also
lar Maruti 800. And Manjay worked as a laborer
pulled off a petrol license and made a steady
in a dhabha nearby.
income, filling petrol and diesel.
The owner of the dhabha was a sleazy man who
A young girl who lived close to the booth would
drank on regular basis and smoked ganja. In
drop by every once in a while, her father saw the
spite of which he had a huge hotel business.
friendship blossoming between Manjay and his
“Pooja Line Hotel…” Manjay says proudly “if
daughter and proposed his daughters hand to
you look it up you will see how well rounded in
Manjay’s family for marriage.
Tiffan service at college
Manjay out of fear informed his family that he
he worked in a whole sale market for a year and
had to run an errand and would be back in a day
got relocated to Assam.
or two while he boarded the next train and ran
In 1999, a woman was raped in Assam, and Bi-
away to Calcutta.
hari men were accused for the brutality. Manjay
“Mere bhai galli dane laga”
knew he had to leave as he could get convicted
“How can you leave!?”
for the crime. And in order to stay away from the
So he ran away to Calcutta and worked under
riots. This is when he met M.P. Agarwal who of-
his Chacha (Father’s brother) who gave him a
fered him a job in Bangalore to cook for his two
job as a painter, and a few extra bucks for pocket
children, who were studying.
money. But Chacha made Manjay run around
Agarwal helped him flee, by sending him to
fetch water, tea, breakfast etc. and when not
Chennai in a train, and a car from there to
delivered properly, Manjay was punished by a
Bangalore.
brutal beating or two.
In the year 2000, Agarwal helped him get
With the money he had saved, he caught the
his own bank account, to receive his salary in
next bus to Amritsar and fled.
cheques.
In Amritsar he provided free services, to cut
“Bhohoot accha sait tha”
the cost of standard of living, and he started to
He was a kind man, and respected Manjay’s
work as a farmer. He had no such experience
talent in cooking.
and the work load was tremendous. The owner
“Nobody taught me how to cook; it was some-
of the farms was an alcoholic and he had many
thing that came to me naturally”
such farms which he used for hiding ammuni-
At the Agarwal’s, he cleaned and dried five kilos
tion and machinery. Manjay stayed around only
of rice, half kilo of moong dal and one and half
two months, after finding out the knowledge
kilo of channa dal on a regular basis. He also
about his owner and his position scared him. He
learnt how to kneel dough for rotis. And was
needed to leave. He took a bus to Siliguri, where
trained in the basics of cooking.
After arriving to Bangalore he realized that
I first met Manjay, in the kitchen located in the
cooks were paid 3000 for regular jobs, while
Sundar PG basement. While he was making
Agarwal only paid him 1800 per month. In
Idlii’s for breakfast. Sundar provided a shelter
desperate need of money he took a job for a
over his head, and he lived with raw ingredi-
doctor who offered him way more. But the job
ents stacked up on the corner of his room.
consisted of ironing of clothes and household
His routine is fixed; he wakes up in the morn-
chores which Manjay was not ready to do.
ing at seven and begins to prepare breakfast.
He applied for a job in Jain College, where
Soon after breakfast is prepared he starts cut-
he was asked to cook on the spot. His rotis
ting and chopping vegetables for lunch.
were perfect circles and delicious and so he
By eleven lunch in ready and packed in an
was given a job immediately. Here he started
enormous tiffin box that is transported on a
earning 22000 per month. His food started
bicycle to campus, where a buffet system is
getting popular and the demand for his ser-
provided for student, as he serves to everyone
vices started to rise. Manjay mentions that he
in college. The tiffins are taken back to the PG
worked in several other places before coming
and cleaned.
to Sundar PG, such as Sir MVIT College,
While he gets a short time to take a nap, by
BMS College and Iskon Temple.
4:30 in the evening snacks and tea is served.
“Making money doesn’t scare me anymore”
Dinner usually has a more exotic menu plan,
He says, “I know that I can cook at any given
briyani, gulaab jamun, panner sabze etc.
time and it’s basically my skill for survival. I
Now, Manjay has flown back to Bihar to re-
have full confidence in my cooking.”
unite with his family, and to nurture and be a
Manjay got married in 2004, he now has two
part of his youngest son’s life.
children. Both boys, one who is two years old and the other, two months.
Bangalore city, Karnataka.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Story Manjay Patel Concept and Design Mariya Madraswala Content Translation Shefali Agarwal Editor Aneri Jhaveri Feedback and Guidance Pelle Kronestedt Sponsered by Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology