K Sivaramakrishnan aka Ramesh, the man who sat behind the famous window shop in Mylapore known as the ‘Jannal Kadai’, died on July 5, 2020 from Covid in Chennai, the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
For a shop with no name or a sign board, the blue window and the man behind it selling hot bajjis, bondas and tiffin, for over 25 years, organically gained a legendary status among Chennai residents, reported The News Minute.
Located across the Kapaleeswarar temple in Ponnambala Vadhyar street in Mylapore, the window is part of a house overlooking the main entrance of the temple, from where the man would parcel his snacks and hand them over through the grille.
The 58-year-old was a constant behind the window and a familiar face for hundreds of Mylapore’s long time residents. He would fry piping hot potato bondas and molaga (chilli) bajjis at different times in the evening, when temple-goers and tiffin-lovers would throng his shop.
“Sivaramakrishnan would often come to help his brother K Chandrasekharan at the shop. The house and the shop belong to Chandrasekharan and the tiffin is prepared by Chandrasekharan’s family members including his wife Maduram. Since he is 67-years-old and not keeping well, Sivaramakrishnan would always be there at the shop to help him,” TNM quoted a family member as saying.
“In the morning, he used to sell soft idlis and pongal with chutney which was made by the family members. The shop has been given the name Jannal Bajji Kadai by its fans, but I always loved his bondas more for some reason,” says Sridhar Venkataraman who conducts food walks in Mylapore. Since 2012, the shop has been among Sridhar’s regular pit stops for participants.
Sivaramakrishnan died on July 5, 2020, morning at the Government General Hospital in Royapettah. He suffered from acute diabetes and had been admitted to a neighbourhood hospital late last week due to complications. However, the hospital referred him to the government hospital where he was being treated until Sunday. On the morning of his demise, his COVID-19 tests returned positive.
From there, he was directly transported to the burial ground in Krishnampet, Bhaskar Seshadri, a member of the Mylapore Residents Association who confirmed Ramesh’s death, told TNM.
“He is survived by his family including two daughters and his brother. We believe his brother will run the shop now,” he added.