Hyderabad: Breakfast bandis' lifeline for busy citizens

Hyderabad: As office-goers and students in any metro will vouch, a city’s lifeline is not just an efficient transport system. It is also the peripheral support system that nurtures them.

Whether it is the dabbawala in Mumbai or the rajma-chawal vendor in Delhi, ghar ka khana or ghar jaisa khana is an essential factor in the physical and mental well-being of office-goers and students alike.

Hyderabad also has its’ unique ‘bandis’ that line up outside office complexes, colleges and bus stations rolling out popular home snacks like idli, vada, dosa or the Maharashtrian poha.

Their stalls are beehives of activity during breakfast and lunch hours. Some even pack portions for those who want to have this for dinner as well.

“Largely students, young bachelors and job aspirants living on their own who are either rushing for morning tuitions or readying to get to work are the bandis’ main customers. Compared to hotels the prices are much lesser and food is freshly prepared,” said Mr B. Ramesh, who along with three of his colleagues, are regulars at a bandi at Abid Road junction.

Several such food stalls line up at various places in the city including Secunderabad, Ameerpet, Afzalgunj, Nampally, Jubilee Bus Station, Patny Circle, SR Nagar, and Dilsukhnagar.

Mr K. Anil Kumar, who is preparing for Group II exams, says that he has to go for coaching classes at  SR Nagar every day. “I stay in a hostel and cannot prepare food. So I drop in at the bandis for a quick bite and head for my classes,” he says.

Mohan B., an intermediate student, who is a regular at a particular bandi at a bus station, says “We can either eat it there or when late just pack it and catch the bus,” he says.

There are also early office-goers including the TSRTC drivers who rush to the bus depots to start work very early in the day. “Bandis are stationed near almost all the bus stations. Apart from tiffin, a few chai bandis are also put up by some people.”

The bandis start their business even before the crack of dawn. They are ready for their first customer as early as 4 am. For the next few hours they do brisk business and wind up at 9 am, which is when most of the hotels and eateries  roll up their shutters.