On the slim and winding Thyagaraj Nagar Main Road, bustling with pedestrians and autos in equal measure, you’re all of the sudden hit by the aroma of contemporary flour with a powerful trace of chilli powder blended with it. Your nostril takes you to the supply — a neighbourhood flour mill. About two decade in the past, such mills might have been a well-recognized sight in each space in Bengaluru, however now they’re few and much between.
As Bengalureans have shifted from shopping for grain and grinding them in such mills to purchasing them ready-made, many flour mills have shut down. The few that also stay, just like the one in Thyagaraj Nagar, are now not milling with clients like they as soon as did.
Mohan, who runs Venkatachalapati Mill, with a masks protecting his face to maintain the pungent odor of chilli powder from his nostrils, mentioned, “Business is not like it used to be. With the advent of supermarkets and online deliveries, flour is easily available everywhere. Only a handful of older people come to the flour mill.”
While many flour mills in Bengaluru have shut down over time, those that are nonetheless practical are being run by the identical households for generations. The grinders they use had been all introduced from Chennai, as they had been reportedly not obtainable domestically again within the fifties and sixties.
“We have had this flour mill since 1964. Back then, business was very good, and we used to charge just ₹1 per kg. But in the last 25 years, we have seen the advent of ready flour, and we started losing our business. There is no guarantee if we will have business on a given day. I need at least around ₹2,000 a day to sustain and pay the salary to my worker,” mentioned Venkatesh, the second-generation proprietor of Venkateshwara Flour Mill in Vasanth Nagar.
The flour mill homeowners say that if their fathers or grandfathers had not began this enterprise in their very own areas, in addition they would have shut store by now. “The only reason we are still keeping the mill running is because we do not have the burden of rent as this is our own property,” Mr. Venkatesh mentioned.
For outdated time’s sake
“My father and the owner of this flour mill were schoolmates. Since this mill was started around 70 years ago, this is where we get our flour ground still,” mentioned Bharathi, who had come to the Girija Flour Mill in Gandhi Bazaar.
The flour mill on D.V. Gundappa Road is a landmark in itself. From former PM H. D. Deve Gowda’s household to Kannada thespian Dr. Rajkumar’s household, most aged households in Bengaluru have visited it.
Bharathi, alongside along with her good friend, had are available in an autorickshaw to the mill with three buckets full of gadgets. When requested why she selected to undergo all the effort and never simply purchase from a close-by retailer, she mentioned, “We do not trust the purity and quality of the flour that comes in packets. It is often mixed with maida. After a few days, we see insects in the flour. But if we get it done, the shelf life and quality are assured. I get my chilli powdered here once a year, and it lasts without any infestation.”
Prakash, the second-generation proprietor of the mill, says that he will get loyal clients like Bharathi, however he too provides that enterprise is inferior to earlier than.
“We get very few family customers now, but the shops nearby get rice and wheat done here, and then sell it in packets. We are also the designated mill for all the hotels in the neighbourhood, including Vidyarthi Bhavan, and temples nearby,” Mr. Prakash mentioned.
No flour mill in newer neighbourhoods
In some newer areas, despite the fact that persons are all in favour of going to flour mills, they can not discover any of their neighbourhood.
“I wanted to get some ingredients powdered for mango pickle. I scoured the area and could not find any flour mills. I ended up buying readymade powder instead,” mentioned Bharath D., a resident of Vijaya Bank Layout close to Bannerghatta Road.
Flour mill homeowners say that whereas they’re thought of as cottage industries, they haven’t acquired any advantages from successive governments. “When compared to the flour that comes in packets, our quality is always superior. We appeal to everyone to do their best to save the neighbourhood mills,” Mr. Prakash mentioned.
Published – April 28, 2025 10:21 am IST
