A group of people raising a demand to remove ‘Karachi’ from the name of a ‘Karachi Bakery’ store in Bengaluru following the Pulwama attack must be one of the saddest days for the country. Our ‘patriots’ don’t know our history. They don’t have enough time to savour a piece of Osmania biscuit. Or, do they want to change the name of Osmania biscuits as well? Karachi Bakery is not a startup that you can afford to not know its history. Khanchand Ramnani, a Sindhi Hindu, moved to India and settled in Hyderabad during the Partition. In 1952, he started his bakery business with his three sons at Hyderabad’s Moazzam Jahi Market. Little did he know that this bakery would become the true icon of Hyderabad baking, but won’t pass the test of nationalism six decades later as there are lingering memories of his childhood in the name of the brand. Now the business, which has forayed into all sections of baking, including cakes, pastries, chocolates, macaroons etc., is in the hands of the third generation of the family. The dough for their famous biscuits is still made manually. This is part of Hyderabad's history. (Photo: Twitter) It’s interesting how Hyderabad’s food culture nurtures and carries on with two different streams of influence. On one hand, there is idli-dosa-sambar-tamarind rice. On the other, there is biryani-haleem-kebab. Irani chai and Osmania biscuits — a must-have evening delicacy for Hyderabad — belong to the second group but is loved by all and sundry. There are interesting stories about this Osmania biscuit. Some attribute it to the fancy of Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, the last Nizam of the princely state of Hyderabad — who was the world’s richest man in 1937 according to the Time magazine. It is said he wanted to have some biscuits which would taste both sweet and salty at the same time. This resulted in these pieces of heavenly delight which just melt in our mouth. Many say that these biscuits were first made in Osmania General Hospital and were recommended to patients for instant energy, and hence are named as such. Are we really sure what we want to cover? (Photo: Twitter) Years later, a Karachi baker coming to Hyderabad and deciding to explore — and experiment with — the Nizami food culture of the city is surely a part of our rich history. But to these protesters, it was just ‘Karachi’ which stood out. “These people were not educated. I tried to explain to them that we are 100 percent Indian, but they did not want to listen,” the manager of the Bengaluru store reportedly told the Huffington Post. A photo of the signboard of the store with the Karachi portion covered went viral on social media. This cover is actually not on the signboard — it's on our sense and education. Or, is this an extension of the name-changing wave we have just encountered at various official levels? Also Read: Faizabad becomes Ayodhya: Why we are not surprised at all this time<doc-sep>Hyderabad-based Karachi Bakery on Saturday clarified it is an Indian company and urged all to refrain from any misconceptions. The clarification came after protest at one of its outlets in Bengaluru, demanding the change of name for its connection with Pakistan. A group of people also raised slogans against Pakistan for its involvement in February 14 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers. The protest forced the shop at Indiranagar to cover the name ‘Karachi’ on its signboard and put up an Indian flag. Karachi Bakery, famous for Osmania and fruit biscuits, was set up in Hyderabad in 1953 by Khanchand Ramnani, who migrated to India from Pakistan province Sindh during the partition. “The essence of Karachi Bakery is absolutely Indian by heart and will remain so. We request everybody to refrain from any kind of misconceptions,” the company said in a statement posted on Facebook. “The incident in Bengaluru was due to some misunderstanding. We have convinced all that this is an Indian company that has nothing to do with Pakistan,” Girish Varindhani, Manager (Operations), Karachi Bakery, told IANS. He said there was no problem at any other outlet in any other city as most people know who founded Karachi Bakery. Karachi Bakery, first set up at Moazzam Jahi Market in the heart of Hyderabad, has expanded operations in recent years by opening over 15 stores in various parts of the city and its twin city Secunderabad. Taking its brand beyond Hyderabad, it also opened stores in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and other cities.<doc-sep>
Hyderabad: To ensure that there is no mob mentality towards the name, the owners of the famous ‘Karachi Bakery’ chain have decided to distribute pamphlets and put up banners outside their stores affirming that it is a 100 per cent Indian company. This follows an incident in Bengaluru on Friday, when a mob of about 40 people in the age-group of 30 to 35 years entered the bakery in Indiranagar and demanded that the name of the outlet be changed. The mob was not ready to listen to the explanation of the staff with regard to the name, and demanded that they must change it. To satisfy the mob, the managers covered the name ‘Karachi’ and displayed an Indian flag. Mr Harish Ramnani, Managing Partner, said, “We have approached the Bengaluru Commissioner and he has promised full co-operation. To ensure that these kinds of incidents are not repeated in other outlets, we are going to put up banners and will also be distributing pamphlets to customers who visit our stores. We are an Indian company based out of Hyderabad. We are now spread all over India and have presence in many retail outlets. This is a 66-year-old brand and we do not want to get into any kind of controversy.” This is the first time that the bakery has seen an outburst of anger at their store outlet. The managers stated that they have not faced hostility of this kind in the past. The three outlets in Bengaluru, one in Delhi, one in New Delhi and another in Haryana is going to have additional security stated the management. Mr Ramnani said that his great grandfather Khanchand Ramnani started the business in 1953. The family had migrated from Sind to India in 1947 and came to Hyderabad in 1953.